REAL ESTATE- ONTHEBLOCK Mixed doubles: Stony Point house does things in twos
ADDRESS: 2860 Cindy Lane
NEIGHBORHOOD: Stony Point (Albemarle)
ASKING: $529,500
ASSESSMENT: $356,600
YEAR BUILT: 1995
SIZE: 3,244 fin. sq. ft., 1,548 unfin.
LAND: 2.60 acres
CURB APPEAL: 7 out of 10
LISTED BY: Barbara Seidler, Real Estate III, 960-2102
We've all had encounters with twins, whether identical, fraternal, or evil. This week's house features all three types.
From the outside, it's a substantial Cape Cod with vinyl siding, a covered porch, an imposing composite shingle roof, all of which seem meticulously maintained.
While trees screen its sides and back, there's a panoramic view of the mountains from the front.
The front door enters into a multi-purpose great room, its high ceiling sloping with the roof and punctuated by skylights. Immediately visible is the living area on the left, marked off by carpeted floors that give way to hardwood through the rest of the room, including the dining area on the right.
A fireplace in the corner of the living area is backed by a stone wall that cleverly conceals a pull-through wood box. The room's remaining space is dedicated to the kitchen, furnished with custom oversized hickory cabinets.
Here we encounter the first pairings. The kitchen has a double oven– and two sinks. Expansive countertops make for twin preparation areas, one enjoying the mountain views seen out the front, and the other facing the interior, allowing for conversation while working. Walls close off the corner of the area to create a walk-in, lighted pantry.
The same pastoral landscape visible in the kitchen can be viewed from the master suite. The master bedroom is carpeted and has its own ceiling fan, while the bath has an oversized tub and two more sets of twins: two shower heads and a double-sink vanity.
Around the corner from the master suite are two bedrooms that are identically sized, but while they both offer views of the woods and share a bathroom off a hallway, individually decorations to create vastly different atmospheres.
The second floor offers another pairing. One room, reached via stairway from the bedroom hallway, is set up as a guest bedroom has wood paneling and decorative wainscoting. The other, above the utility room on the other side of the house, is lined with tongue and groove fitted cedar boards to make an extra family room, currently used for home schooling.
The main level utility room has an outside door and includes a wide bench for muddy boot removal– not to mention a washer and dryer, a computer desk, and custom oak cabinetry. The floor is concrete painted to look like brick, which continues into the inset bathroom.
Double doors in the great room lead to the back yard which has a flat lawn separated from the woods around the house by an ornamental brick edging. The lot comes with a vegetable garden and enough land that the large driveway doesn't intrude on the grounds, even though it starts by making a circle in front of the house, continuing past the garage on the side of the house, and widening to provide extra outdoor parking by the detached structure.
At first, the detached building seems like the Danny DeVito to the house's Arnold Schwarzenegger, since they are both built around garage space for two cars. However, as DeVito is set apart from the average man on the street, the detached building offers more features than just a garage. For one thing, the oversized bays and tall doors can accommodate trucks while leaving space for workbenches. The structure also has a washer and dryer, which are used by the studio apartment on the upper floor, which has its own kitchen, bathroom, and central air.
The tour wouldn't be complete without evil twins, and they're lurking a few hundred yards away. Two utility poles across the street, rising side by side, hold up power lines that cut across the mountain-filled landscape. Set off to the side, and not visible from every part of the house, their impact on the scenery could be worse. Still, no one knows what they might be plotting over there.
#
PHOTOS BY PETER M. J. GROSS
#