Nestled along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Seagrove East, the west-facing house at 166 Ocean Way sits on 120 feet of pristine ocean frontage.
The oceanfront estate has a courtyard-style design that creates a private, protected oasis and a flexible floorplan. It is well suited for multigenerational family life and entertaining.
A brick-paved circular drive and steps lead to a sheltered courtyard, which presents a gracious welcome. The screened-in, heated saltwater pool in the courtyard is the heart of the home – a serene escape, sheltered from blustery ocean days and offering complete privacy.
Noting that there are days when the wind off the ocean is a bit much, AMAC Alex MacWilliam broker associate Cheryl Gerstner says, “Having the pool in the courtyard area, they can always use their pool and it’s very private.”
With the courtyard at the center of the house, privacy and adaptability are key to the home’s layout, agrees co-listing broker associate Kit Fields, noting the home has been updated nicely.
“The design of the house is very unique,” she adds.
Across the courtyard from the main house are two separate guest cabanas. Each is a private retreat with a full bath accessed through an exclusive entrance, allowing for a true sense of seclusion. It’s a perfect arrangement for adult children visiting with their little ones or friends in town for an extended stay. One cabana has two sets of doors, allowing it to function as a convenient pool bath without disturbing guests.
The gathering areas in the main house are a study in elegant, light-filled living. The open-concept layout flows seamlessly from a formal living room that features a fireplace and a wall of glass that lets in unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean and opens onto an oceanside brick patio.
The adjacent dining space opens to a stunning black-and-white kitchen, where a pearlescent backsplash catches the natural light. The gourmet kitchen features everything you could ever need to prepare for an intimate gathering or an extended family celebration, from the substantial island for prepping dinner to the Viking appliances and the large pantry.
The family room opens onto a screened-in porch with automatic rolldown for those evenings when you want to enjoy cocktails on the patio and the ocean breezes aren’t brisk enough to keep the bugs away.
A powder room, laundry room and guest suite with a mini fridge and wine cooler, which the owners currently use as a den, complete this wing of the house. Repurposed, the den could serve as a lovely mother-in-law suite.
The primary suite boasts direct access to the pool, two walk-in closets, and a spa-like bathroom that features dual sinks, a water closet, and a combination sauna and steam shower. A skylight bathes the space in natural light, enhancing its serene atmosphere and spotlighting the clawfoot soaking tub in the center of the room.
The three-car garage is accessed via a staircase from the courtyard, so you can come and go without having to worry about inclement weather. In addition to three bays, the garage has a large storage area at the rear and beyond that an additional 3,500-square-foot basement, a rare find indeed.
The possibilities are endless in the air-conditioned lower space. The large open area begs for comfortable seating, a home theater or a game room with a pool table or all three. For younger children, it’s the perfect spot to ride around on tricycles on rainy days. If you’re into fitness, it would make a fantastic home gym.
With a full bath, two large rooms, and numerous storage closets, potential usage of the basement runs the gamut from office space to an art studio, even a spot for wine storage. It’s also an ideal space for live-in caregivers if you want to age in place.
Outside, there is a hedge of sea grapes and a private dune walkover that leads to a deck right in the heart of the beach, an idyllic spot for morning coffee as the sun rises over the water or relaxing in the late afternoon after a walk on the beach and dips in the ocean, says Gerstner.
With 120 feet of ocean frontage, sea views, privacy and direct access to the beach truly define this coastal estate, Fields adds.
“The versatility of the floorplan is just so much fun. It really can be so many different things to so many different people,” Gerstner says.
It is a home that ebbs and flows with the changing tide, mirroring the ebb and flow of family dynamics, offering spaces for togetherness, solitude and tranquility, with the ever-changing yet constant beauty of the ocean as a backdrop.
Seagrove is a guard-gated, seaside community located between Castaway Cove and The Moorings that spans more than seven miles of private deeded beaches.
Earl Padgett developed Seagrove East. As the sole developer, he maintained a sense of continuity. Winding lanes weave through streets canopied by live oaks, creating a tropical setting for this family-centric neighborhood, which is just minutes from Saint Edward’s School, country clubs and beachside shopping and dining along Ocean Drive.
Vital Statistics
166 Ocean Way
Neighborhood: Seagrove
Year built: 1987 • Construction: Concrete block, frame
Lot size: 120 feet by 409 feet • Home size: 4,259 square feet
View: 180-degree panoramic ocean • Pool: Screened, saltwater, heated
Bedrooms: 4 • Bathrooms: 5 full and 1 half
Additional features: Guard-gated; courtyard; volume ceilings; crown molding; Viking gas cooktop and double oven; spa/steam shower; soaking tub; den; fireplace; wine cooler; wood and marble flooring; three-car garage; 3,500 square-foot basement; impact windows and doors; metal roof; whole house generator; three-car garage; oceanside screened porch with retractable screens; outside shower; private dune walkover and two, granted community beach access points.
Listing agency: Alex MacWilliam Real Estate
Broker associates:
Kit Fields and Cheryl Gerstner; 770-312-5165 or 772-539-2100
Listing price: $5,499,000
Photos provided
