Listing Price: $908,000 Purchase Price: $908,000 Bedroom: 3 Bath: 3.5 Square Feet: 3,300
The owner of this new construction project in Eastport made the decision to move to Annapolis from San Francisco on a week-long vacation. “I was luxuriating on the patio of my friend who had been trying to get me to move to Annapolis for some time,” she says. “She was right. I fell in love. I told her, ‘Let’s get up and go find a realtor.’”
Having recently ended a 35-year marriage, the new owner wanted to reboot her life. Annapolis and Eastport, in particular, has many of the characteristics she wanted in a new hometown. “Coming from coastal California, I wanted water,” she says. Other important considerations included accessibility via a major airport, a smaller sized town that felt like a village with great walkability, major league sports teams, and the distinct change of seasons. “This move was about creating a happy life, and I believed then and know now that Annapolis and Eastport are perfect for doing just that,” the new owner says.
Day Weitzman was the buyer’s real estate agent. Initially, they looked at properties in historic Annapolis. A visit to Eastport changed that plan. “I thought to myself, this place just feels good,” she says. They happened upon a property that was slated for demolition and redevelopment by Mona Design Build with selling agent Brian Jacobs of CBRB/Annapolis Fine Property. The new owner wasn’t afraid of a design/build project.
Her new home is a long and narrow duplex on Severn Avenue, just a block from Spa Creek. Mona and Jacobs characterize the exterior architectural style as Eastport Craftsman, but the new owner was anxious to put her own stamp on the project both inside and out.
The front porch has what is, at first glance, a standard picket railing. A closer look reveals a unique design with a staggered horizontal bar between each picket. Other customizations include the very tall, eight-foot front entry door, interior wainscoting on the lower level, and interior stairwell wrought-iron railing.
The long and narrow shape of the house accommodates 1,100 feet on each of three levels. “One of the failures of architects is that in narrow houses like mine, they typically plan for the front door to open into a long straight hallway, which makes the living spaces super tiny in both appearance and function,” the new owner says. Instead, a floor plan with a pedestrian flow was created, that added interest while remaining open, modern, and convenient. The living room feels cottage-like and cozy. It is large enough to accommodate the owner’s game table, a place where she meets with new and old friends over Mahjong and cards. A half-bath features ceramic tiles. Rather than lay the tiles in a typical pattern where each square matches the corners of the next, she had the mason turn each tile. The design is off-kilter, creating a look that is unexpectedly interesting and aesthetically pleasing.
The stairs to the second level offer yet another intentional twist. “I love stairs because stairs are an adventure. They take you places. They are where you find things,” she says. But the other unfortunate thing about small, narrow houses is they have small, narrow stairwells.” To get around this dilemma, the stairs were opened up to the center of the living space so that they seem to create their own room.
The kitchen of the home is formed by two L-shaped peninsulas. This design allows for ample cabinet space. Countertops are Cambria, a man-made quartz fabricated in a beautiful shade of soft white with grey and beige marbling. The wooden cabinets are by Wayfair, with Shaker panels custom painted in a shade of khaki.
The refrigerator was thoughtfully chosen to suit the tidy space and to allow for as much counter footage as possible. The 30-inch Bosch refrigerator partners with two separate refrigerator drawers, one that acts as a wine cooler and the other that holds fruits and veggies. The 6-burner gas GE Monogram range was chosen to accommodate the owner’s passion for Chinese cooking. When flipped, each burner is specifically built to hold a wok.
Beyond the kitchen is a family room that looks out to the backyard. There’s a Bosun’s cottage at the rear of the property, an upgrade to the original plan, and a structure nearly unheard of in Eastport. Although the cottage appears small, it has a full bath and a room perfectly sized for a studio, artist loft, office, or bedroom.
On the upstairs level, the owner changed the original architectural plans, removing one of three bedrooms to create two suites. The vanity has a substantial number of drawers, and unusual amounts of storage, each characterized by custom rhinestone knobs that are both feminine and beautiful. A separate soaking tub sits near a full shower lined with marble tiles. The bedroom looks out over the backyard through beautiful magnolia trees to glimpses of the Severn River and the Naval Academy chapel.
The new owner is delighted with her new life in Annapolis and especially with her new home.
Listing Agent: Brian Jacobs, Annapolis Fine Properties, C: 301-461-7987, E: Brian.Jacobs@cbmove.com
Buyer’s Agent: Day Weitzman, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, C: 410-353-0721, E: Day@DayWeitzman.com
