When Joe Helsabeck retired at age 55 from his career as a stockbroker in Winston Salem, NC, he and his wife Sharon bought a winter home in Savanah, GA.
“We quickly realized it was too cold there!” says Sharon.
So the couple turned their attention to Florida. When they visited friends in John’s Island and saw Vero for the first time, they, like many before them, fell in love with the town and decided to make their winter home here.
After buying a lot in Windsor with the intention to build, they happened to see the home at 109 Estuary Drive and decided it was just right for them. It was the model home for the Estuary subdivision, a bucolic, riverside development with 50-some houses in an enviable location in Indian River Shores, and no expense had been spared in its design and finishes.
Elaborate custom crown moldings and other woodwork, built-in shelves and cabinets, elegant tray and vaulted ceilings, a multitude of mullioned windows and French doors, and fine flooring materials all contribute to the home’s air of refinement.
The house sits at a 45-degree angle to the street on a half-acre corner lot that has a sweeping curved front. Lush, well-tended landscaping is pretty much a given in Indian River Shores, but the grounds here go beyond the norm, with beautiful hedges, flowering plants, a nice variety of palms, and many gracious old oak trees, which long predate the house, providing archetypical southern shade.
The Helsabecks typically come to Vero in mid-October and stay until June, and Sharon spends much of her time while they are here tending the arboretum-like grounds.
“I love to work in the yard and garden,” she says. “It is a wonderful property.”
The way the house is oriented, the back veranda and patio overlook an inlet on the Indian River Lagoon, while the view from the front encompasses a community lake and park-like vista on the other side of Estuary Drive.
“One of the things I like best about the house is the privacy. No one can see you when you are on the patio by the pool,” Sharon says.
Below the patio, a wooden walkway leads to a dock with a seating area that seems somehow even more private and serene. Overhung by oaks and tropical plantings, overlooking quiet, sheltered water, it has the feel of a secluded riverbank far from town.
Approach to the house is via a curved driveway with brick pavers. Entry is by way of a stately covered front porch and dark wood doors that appear to be louvered but are actually solid. The double doors are graced by a light, gently arched toplight.
Beyond the doors is a traditional foyer with a formal dining room on the right and library on the left, which could be used as an additional bedroom. Straight ahead from the foyer is the grand18-foot by 25-foot living room with mullioned glass French doors, sidelights and toplights making up most of the back wall, allowing a lovely view of the veranda and pool patio.
To the left of the foyer and living room is the spacious and very well appointed master suite, including at 16-foot by 20-foot bedroom with a large bay window seating area and private patio entrance in back. There are two walk-in closets, with built-in dressers and shelves, and an elaborate and beautifully decorated master bath with a deep garden tub surrounded by windows (but still private), double vanities and a Roman shower with seating.
To the right of the living room is the “richly detailed kitchen with granite counters, a wraparound breakfast bar, stainless steel appliances, including a double wall oven, recessed lighting, custom wood cabinetry, built-in wine rack, and a large breakfast nook.”
Adjacent and open to the kitchen is a 20-foot by 18-foot family room with a wood-lined vaulted ceiling and fireplace with an elegant wooden mantel, built-in shelves and cabinets and a set of glass French doors leading out onto the veranda.
Also to the right upon entry is the second bedroom in the main house, en suite with walk-in closet, a powder room, a large, well-lit laundry room and the entrance to the two-car attached garage.
The home also features a cozy guest cabana with large bedroom, kitchenette and full bathroom.
“The guest cabana was what sealed the deal for us when we looked at the house,” says Sharon. “Our guest love staying there. We have friends in John’s Island whose daughter spent her honeymoon night there when she and her husband got married!”
The Helsabecks also praise the location of their home in the guard gated Estuary subdivision, right across the street from Indian River Shores City Hall and Police and Fire Department.
“We are on the same electric grid and the emergency services and our power was restored quickly after the storms in 2004 for that reason. We are a block from the post office and two blocks from the Village Shops,” says Sharon.
“We can walk right across A1A to the ocean and because there is no public access the beach is always empty. It is like having a private beach!”
Sharon says most Estuary residents live in the community fulltime, which makes for a friendlier and more secure neighborhood.
The Helsabecks are giving up their idyllic island home to move back to North Carolina where they have two new grandsons they want to spend more time with. They are looking for a townhouse in Charlotte, but Sharon says it is a challenge because the city is booming and properties are snapped up as soon as they go on the market.
