Jeff and Christine Gelman moved to Vero Beach looking for a quieter lifestyle.
“We wanted to be able to walk to the beach and to walk downtown,” says Jeff Gelman.
So when they found the building lot at 648 Tulip Lane in Pelican Cove, it checked all the boxes.
“We found a place where we can be anonymous yet be able … to enjoy our lifestyle. We wanted to live quietly,” he explains.
Using a Randall Stofft design, the Gelmans created a home where their three grown children and their children’s families would each have their own space when they came to visit – but they never ended up living in the house.
“It’s a brand new house ready to move in,” says Dale Sorensen Real Estate broker-owner Matilde Sorensen of the recently completed home. “It has everything you could want.”
Tulip Lane, a single-street neighborhood located between the bridges, is graced by deep water canals with quick access to the Intracoastal Waterway, making it convenient to get almost anywhere by foot, bike, golf cart, car or boat, notes Jeff, whether it’s the beach, Ocean Drive dining and shopping, Quail Valley River Club, across the bridge to mainland Vero or down the Indian River Lagoon to an ocean inlet.
A circle drive at the front of the house allows plenty of room for parking, with mature oaks and palms adding texture to the symmetrical design of the house. With side entry garages on both sides, it creates a central focus on the home’s welcoming entrance, where frosted, glass-paneled doors open into the foyer.
Once you step over the threshold, the elegance of the space immediately strikes you, with clean lines and modern finishes beautifully blended to enhance the tranquil water view through large sliding glass doors.
The use of partial walls, varying ceiling heights and styles – barrel and coffered – creates intimate spaces within the open-concept floorplan with the great room, dining room, breakfast nook and kitchen all sharing the central area of the house.
The gourmet kitchen features Schlabach cabinets, a hidden walk-in pantry, a double pullout trash drawer, quartz countertops, Wolf electric double-convection oven, a six-burner range top, and drawer microwave. A SubZero refrigerator rounds out the top-of-the-line appliances. The island countertop provides additional seating for snack time and a place to lay out hors d’oeuvres when you’re entertaining.
In the home’s west wing, two en-suite guest rooms enjoy complete separation, allowing for substantial privacy. The laundry room, mud room and access to the two-car garage near the front of the house also are in this wing.
On the opposite side of the house, a powder room, guest suite and golf cart garage are situated at the front, with the primary suite and a club room at the rear of the east wing.
The club room opens onto the pool deck and is perfect for an office or library. You can keep an eye on the kids while they’re in the swimming pool or catch up on some paperwork without missing out on too much of the family shenanigans.
The primary suite has his and her bathrooms and closets adjacent to the generously sized bedroom overlooking the pool and river. Her bathroom has a soaking tub, water closet with a bidet, frameless shower and vanity, with direct access into her closet, while his bathroom includes a steam shower and a water closet.
Outside, the Gelmans created an outdoor-living room space, notes, Sorensen. You can enjoy dinner poolside under cover or in a sunny spot. The outdoor living area has been pre-plumbed for a fresh air kitchen.
The custom-designed pool has a sun-shelf and swim lane with LED lights for nighttime fun. And you can always hop into the spa or simply enjoy the soothing sounds of the spillover water feature.
The Gelmans built this house to share with their family, but then found a completed house they liked even better at the other end of Tulip, closer to the ocean. So, while they are selling the beautiful home they just built, they are not going very far.
“Tulip is all about families,” says Jeff Gelman “It’s probably the nicest family street between the causeways. The house we built is going to be somebody’s wonderful new home,” he adds.
Tulip Lane is ideally located “between the bridges,” just a block north of the 17th Street bridge if you need to head to the mainland. Here, you are centrally located and close to everything Vero Beach has to offer. It is a quick walk or brief bike ride or golf cart ride to Quail Valley River Club and the beach. The city marina, Riverside Park, Riverside Theatre, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach Dog Park, and shopping and dining on Ocean Drive all are nearby.
Photos provided
