https://www.newcanaannewsonline.com/realestate/article/On-the-Market-13-room-New-Canaan-house-has-12857744.php
On the Market / 13-room New Canaan house has 10,315 square feet of living space
Published 12:00 am, Tuesday, April 24, 2018
NEW CANAAN — “Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”
The words open the poem Home, Sweet Home by John Howard Payne, and it was later set to music. About a century later the last line was immortalized when actress Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the protagonist in The Wizard of Oz, closed the iconic 1939 film saying “Oh, Auntie Em, there’s no place like home.”
As April comes to a close, and with it National Poetry Month, it’s worth noting that the custom built red brick colonial manor house at 910 Smith Ridge Road is architectural poetry and the four-plus-acre property on which it is positioned is equally poetic. The 13-room house has 10,315 square feet of living space on four finished floors, and the beautifully landscaped grounds have a heated in-ground swimming pool, a stone pool pavilion with a fireplace and a built-in outdoor kitchen, and a bluestone patio with a red brick sitting wall.
The house was built in 2003 and, in addition to its outdoor amenities, it features generously proportioned rooms with a great flow for living and entertaining and 10-foot ceilings on the first floor. It has a wine cellar, wet bar, home theater, gym, two large bonus rooms, and a game room. According to the listing agent, it is an exceptional value, “priced well below the town appraisal” of $4,350,000. “The home you always dreamed of but didn’t think you could afford is waiting for you,” she said. Or, as Dorothy Gale might say, “There’s no place like this home.”
Quarried stone pillars stand sentinel at the entrance to the long driveway lined in Belgium block; one spur leading to a forecourt at the front entrance and another leading to the side of the house where there is an attached garage. Farther down the drive is a second, detached garage. Together they total four vehicle bays. Climb three brick and slate steps at the wide entrance to the French doors surrounded by a decorative limestone framing. The doors open into the two-story foyer. In the formal living room there is a coffered ceiling and a fireplace with a decorative mantel. The formal dining room features wainscoting on the lower walls. A multi-paned café-style door accesses the over-sized, light-filled chef’s kitchen.
Kitchen features include a center island/breakfast bar, marble counters, and a Carrara marble tile floor with darker tile inserts. That black marble tile with white veining is repeated in the backsplash behind the six-burner range. On one side of the kitchen is an adjoining sun room with two sets of French doors to the patio and yard. On the other side is a breakfast room with one door to the patio and yard. Both have the same marble floor of the kitchen, which also continues into the mudroom.
The first floor also contains a large game room with a long built-in wood bar; its counter providing space enough for five stools, and a family room with a fireplace surrounded by a decorative mantel and a wall of built-ins. The bar has a brass sink and glass-front cabinetry. There is additional counter space for stools against the wall.
On the second floor there is a wide landing that creates a sitting or reading area with built-in bookshelves on both sides. There are six bedrooms in this house, five on the second floor and one on the third floor. The second floor master suite features a fireplace, walk-in closet, and a spacious master bath with a double vanity, shower, jetted tub, and water closet. Two of the other baths are en suite.
In addition to the third floor bedroom, this level also has a marble full bath with skylights and an office. Both rooms have built-in window seats. The laundry room is on the second floor and has counter space, a sink and whimsical wallpaper depicting clothespins. There are two bonus rooms on this level, one of which could serve as a homework station.
The full finished basement contains the home theater, gym, a full bath, a media room with a wall of built-ins, a workshop, a utility room with side-by-side utility sinks, and ample storage space. The wine cellar accommodates at least 500 bottles, and probably more.
For more information or to make an appointment to see the house contact Becky Walsh of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty at 203-858-5909 or bwalsh@williampitt.com.
