When island builder Joe Foglia first saw 980 Crescent Beach Road, he noted its superior location, situated along one of Vero’s widest beaches in the gated community of Castaway Cove. He saw great potential in the house built in 1988 – to broaden, brighten and provide the next residents with the epitome of luxury beachside living.
The house, then with low ceilings, average-size windows and bland outdoor areas, has been beautifully transformed into the home it is today. It was gutted to the block walls inside and the site was resurrected with a home that shows solid construction and fine appointments with a modern twist set in beautiful landscaping. Foglia, who has built some of the island’s marquee properties, brought it into top-of-the-line 2015 condition.
“There was no regard for volume in the 1980s,” said Foglia, standing under one of the 7.5-foot high doorways found throughout the 2-story house. Other examples of where he was able to finesse added space to provide a more airy feel, include two extra feet of functional kitchen space, and two more feet of head room in various hallways.
Foglia described the house as “transitional contemporary.” More precisely, he said, it’s “transitioning between British West Indies and full contemporary.”
The 4,500-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath spec home is owned by Foglia and offered for sale by Premier Estate Property broker assoicates Cindy O’Dare and Clark French for $3,995,000.
If anyone is familiar with Foglia’s work, they’ll not want to miss this one.
“Every house that he has built has stood the test of time,” said Cindy O’Dare, who has worked with Foglia for 13 years. “He’s a great builder.”
“There is nothing like this house on the market here that blends modern with tradition. And the beaches in Castaway Cove are some of the widest beaches in Vero. It’s the perfect transitional home for a family.”
O’Dare adds that the finishes are top notch throughout the house. “The lines are beautiful and the construction is impeccable. The flow of the floor plan lends itself to using every room in the house.”
“One of my favorite parts is walking through the front door and looking through the glass stairway to see the blue ocean.”
Foglia explained this eye-catching feature. “The stairway was relocated so it would not be in the line of vision. We made it a piece of artwork that you can actually see through.”
Foglia has built a reputation for quality and, just as important, efficiency – the ability to successfully manage big jobs and get major projects done quickly.
He moved his business from South Florida to Vero Beach in 2003 and has been busy building ocean- and river-front homes ever since, sometimes as a contractor, sometimes as part of a development partnership.
When he first saw 980 Crescent Beach Drive he had a clear-cut vision of its potential.
“It was very compartmentalized, as traditional plans used to be,” he said. “They weren’t as concerned with views. It was a series of mazes before they saw they were on the ocean.”
“The cost of living on the ocean is elevated,” he said. “People need to see what they are buying – the ocean view. We opened it up as much as possible.”
After taking the 1988 structure to the block, Foglia began his mission to widen and open up the spaces, celebrating the expansive ocean view in an uncluttered, clean-lined house. There’s a symmetry that strikes you immediately as you enter the home with a straight view through the glass and metal staircase that presents the view of the ocean in a very interesting way.
Beyond the staircase are rooms and sliders to that ocean view. But before the staircase, to the right and left are doors on modernist Hafele Stainless Barn Door Tracks – one leading to a guest room and powder room with pebble-style shower floor, designer sink vanity and stone combination of marble and tumbled stone accents. The other “barn doors” lead to an office/media room with a wet bar, fireplace and engineered wood washed white oak.
Stepping farther into the house beyond the staircase, there is an elongated great room with beach limestone flooring and dry stack Roman beige ledge stone at the gas fireplace. The room sprawls gracefully from north to south through the open dining room and into the kitchen. The transparent back wall of sliding glass doors opens into a lanai that overlooks magnificent ocean backdrop.
The lanai is air conditioned with a separate electrically controlled damper system so the air can be turned off when the lanai is opened up to the sea air and sound of surf crashing on the beach. The ceiling is clad with white pickled tongue and grooved nickel joint poplar with matching crown molding. Floors are beach-style limestone. Four sets of 10 by 7 foot sliders lead to the patio and pool.
“It gives this home the best of both worlds,” Foglia said.
“It’s a Vero Beach house with a modern kind of theme,” he said. “It’s got a clean, open look that’s casual. We combined the two worlds, introducing a glass and metal stairway which is not in keeping with a traditional theme, but then we did the colors that Vero buyers are accustomed to seeing.”
Contemporary, which can at times be a bit stark, is given relief with a feeling of warmth offered by the millwork and natural stone.
The glass and metal stairway – artwork in its own right – leads to an upstairs gallery, a place where paintings and other artwork can be beautifully displayed. There is European track lighting to provide the pieces with ideal illumination.
The master suite, with washed white oak, SoundBreak drywall and wet bar and custom white oak and white LaMi glass doors, has a tremendous balcony. The master bathroom has all the fine touches – a separate shower and pedestal-type tub with floor mounted valve, floor to ceiling stone and more.
A guest suite also has access to the balcony overlooking the ocean. A second upstairs guest suite has a view of the front of the property.
The pool deck is of tumbled ivory travertine stone sealed with penetrating stone sealer and the pool has LED lighting and 3 fountains to give it some life.
And the property offers private beach access that blends into the natural vegetation.
The house is fully automated for energy-saving purposes and employs LED lighting, energy efficient appliances and top rate insulation.
“The house has every available feature and amenity,” Foglia said. “Someone can buy it furnished or not, with all the window treatments or not. I wanted everything to feel finished.”
