Real Estate

Subterms

    More stories

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Luxury

      Jerry Seinfeld Lists Both of His Colorado Mountain Retreats for $18 Million

      by

      Now that ski season is coming to a close, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, have not one, but two Telluride, Colo., estates on the market. For the larger property—about 27 acres—and its house, they’re asking $14.95 million. For the smaller one—on a mere 17 acres with just a four-bedroom home—the price tag is $2.78 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. The second parcel will first be offered to the buyer of the main house. “It’s another spectacular home, says Compass listing agent Bill Fandel, surrounded by aspens and with dramatic views.

      This isn’t the first time the bigger residence has been on the market. In 2011, after a massive renovation, the 12,500-square-foot home was listed for $18.25 million but then was taken off the market. Now, with the price drop and buyers looking for secluded, resort-style retreats, the timing might be better. The home is being sold furnished, so you could enjoy the same view Seinfeld that did from the same leather recliner.

      The double-height windows let in the light. 

      Photo: Joshua Johnson

      The larger home has 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and a spacious kitchen suitable for feeding a full house with its commercial appliances, acres of countertop space and several dining areas. Done in a modern farmhouse style, warm wood paneling and reclaimed plank flooring pervades both the entertainment and private spaces, with beams crisscrossing the ceilings. The double-height living room has a massive stone fireplace, plenty of sunshine and views of Wilson Peak.
      A gym, yoga studio, lower level rec room with ping-pong and other games, a wine room, gear room for skis and other toys round out some of the amenities (alas, there’s no baseball diamond like the one at his Hamptons pad). The heated garage surprises by holding only four cars—Seinfeld is a known Porsche collector. But he does have other several other places to park that collection. But the garage also has a few bells and whistles for auto enthusiasts, including the ability to wash cars inside it, even in winter. Outside there’s a 5,500-square-foot deck and miles of manicured trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter and hiking, running and mountain biking in summer. The trails cross over Turkey Creek and lead into the abutting National Forest.

      A stone fireplace is the focal point (besides the view) for the living room. 

      Photo: Joshua Johnson

      Built in 1991, the home was purchased by the couple for $7.55 million in 2007, according to Fandel. It was originally built for a Hollywood director and was featured in Architectural Digest in 1994. When the Seinfelds bought it, Fandel says, “They completely reimagined and expanded the house.” The outdoor terraces are heated so they can be used year round. The cobblestone driveway is also heated to melt snow and ice. But unlike many other homes in ski towns, “it’s as good a summer house as it is a ski house,” Fandel says. “In some places the outdoor spaces and yards are overlooked, but not here.”  It’s located just 10 minutes from Telluride’s ski resort.

      In addition to the Colorado and Hamptons estates, the Seinfelds have bought and sold many properties in Manhattan, their home base, as well as in Los Angeles.

      The farmhouse-style kitchen
       

      Photo: Joshua Johnson

      A look at the whole shebang 

      Photo: Joshua Johnson More

    • 163 Shares179 Views

      in Luxury

      Shaquille O’Neal’s Super-Size Florida Mansion Is Back on the Market for $16.5 Million

      by

      First listed in 2018 for $28 million, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s massive home in Windermere, Fla., was finally sold. But the deal fell through, and the palatial estate is now back on the market for $16.5 million, with a few key updates.

      Gone is the ginormous Shaq-sized round bed in the primary bedroom; added is an improved pool area, complete with a summer kitchen, as well as landscaping and minor cosmetic fixes, such as fresh coats of paint and exterior pressure washes.

      But the mansion remains as massive as ever at 31,000 square feet, with a 6,000-square-foot indoor basketball court, 12 bedrooms and 15 baths. Of course, everything about this home was done on a grand scale. The two-story great room alone is more than 1,100 square feet, with its glass walls looking out to the pool and tranquil Lake Butler. The formal dining room, with its handcrafted wood paneling and molding, seats 16. In the kitchen, there’s a Viking six-burner stove, two built-in Wolf steamers, a side-by-side Sub-Zero fridge and freezer plus a second glass-doored fridge and two double-door convection ovens.

      The outsized porte cochere at the home’s entrance 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      Also on the main level are some of the residence’s best amenities: a sound-proofed cinema room; a “gentleman’s room” with game tables, a wet bar, wine fridge and ice maker; a separate, enclosed cedar-planked humidor and wine storage; an aquarium room with a triangular saltwater fish tank; the guest wing with its five en suite bedrooms, great room and bar; and the basketball court.
      On the second level, the primary suite is a secluded retreat that takes up a full wing of the estate. The bedroom is 900 square feet and has a private balcony, a drop-down screen for the projector TV and a marble fireplace. The walk-in closet is actually four separate rooms with custom shelving and a center island. Dual bathrooms have jetted showers, and one has a two-person Jacuzzi tub. Four other en suite bedrooms are also on the second level.

      The great room 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      Shaq likes his cars, so there’s also a 17-car garage with an attached fitness studio. A second garage houses another nine dream machines, as well as a dance studio and an enclosed recording studio (where *NSYNC is rumored to have recorded some of their first songs).
      The property sits on three acres of land in Windermere’s gated neighborhood of Isleworth, a prestigious golfing community with its own string of lakes. It’s in the most secluded section of the neighborhood. While the common amenities offer a lot, so does Shaq’s place. He named his 95-foot pool Shaq-apulco, and it does feel like a private resort out on the terrace with the large hot tub and expansive outdoor kitchen. A tiki-style cabana overlooks the sandy beach on Lake Butler, and there’s 700 feet of lakefront. A dock and boat lift provide direct access to the water.

      The fully loaded kitchen 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The NBA star is selling because he spends much more time in Atlanta these days with his job as a sports analyst for TNT, but he told listing agent Benjamin Hillman the things he’ll miss most about this mansion, which he built in 1990, are “those panoramic views of Lake Butler and the fun water activities like riding his wave runners through the chain of lakes in Windermere.”

      The family room 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The games room 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The home theater 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The 44-foot-long home office 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The huge primary bedroom 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      One of four rooms inside the master walk-in closet 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The two-person jetted tub in the master bath 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      One of the other 11 bedrooms in the home 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The indoor basketball court is wired for sound. 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The dance studio and secondary garage 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      The 95-foot pool is 15 feet deep 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

      Shaq named his pool area Shaq-apulco. 

      Photo: Christian Pestana Rodriguez/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty More

    • 188 Shares179 Views

      in Luxury

      Home of the Week: Tom Cruise’s 320-Acre Winter Wonderland in Colorado Lists for $39.5 Million

      by

      Tom Cruise would like you to show him the money—$39.5 million, to be precise—before taking a tour of his spectacular 320-acre mountain-top Telluride lodge that the Jerry Maguire star has just listed.

      Finding a buyer for the sprawling compound has proved to be something of a mission impossible for Cruise, 58. He reportedly first privately listed the home back in 2014 for an eye-watering $59 million. With no takers, it quietly came off the market two years later.

      Now with the property market in this chic Colorado ski resort on fire, and the actor reportedly rarely visiting, he’s shaved the price by $20 million and listed it with LIV Sotheby’s International Realty in Telluride. Agents Eric Lavey  and Dan Dockray hold the listing.

      “It’s hard to express just how spectacular this property is,” Dockray tells Robb Report. “It offers the most breathtaking, awe-inspiring views you’ll ever see. It is so private and secluded, yet just minutes from the town of Telluride.”

      The front entrance to the home. 

      Courtesy Joshua Johnson for LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

      If the cedar-clad, 10,000-square-foot main lodge looks vaguely familiar, it’s where Cruise famously sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2008. You can still find it on YouTube.
      As Oprah says as she walks up to the house, gazing at the jagged peaks in the background: “I have never seen anything like this in my life. I swear I want to weep, it’s so beautiful.”
      No doubt inspired by the visit, seven years later Oprah paid $14 million for a five-bedroom Telluride cabin just down the mountain from the property, plus $10 million for a prime piece of land nearby that she’s currently developing.

      The kitchen has a wall of fridges. 

      Courtesy Joshua Johnson for LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

      Surrounded on three sides by national forest land, the Cruise home was, according to the listing, custom-built with privacy in mind. The secluded estate is accessed by a secure, gated entry and a snaking, mile-long driveway through groves of towering aspens.
      Despite its seclusion—the main house sits on an escarpment with panoramic views of the 13,000-foot-high, snow-capped Campbell Peak behind it—it’s only a 10-minute drive from downtown Telluride with its funky shops, restaurants and ski runs.

      The great room has stunning mountain views. 

      Courtesy Joshua Johnson for LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

      Cruise reportedly bought the first parcel of land in 1992 and spent the next two years working on the home’s design and overseeing the construction. It was completed in 1994. Yet, according to Dockray, it wasn’t until 2002 that the actor acquired all the land now included in the estate—five parcels in total—that make up the 320 acres.

      Clad in bleached cedar timber and native stone, the two-story main house has as its centerpiece a magical living room with a huge stone fireplace, exposed rough-hewn beams and wrap-around windows showcasing those million-dollar views.

      The dining room. 

      Courtesy Joshua Johnson for LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

      Close by is the family kitchen with industrial-grade appliances, a trio of fridges and a vast central island with twin sinks. Wooden steps lead up to a rustic dining room with stunning oversized, dove-tailed, timber-planked walls.
      A cozy den for movie watching—the new owner will definitely need a bigger TV —features overstuffed sofas and is lined with rustic bookshelves. Other spaces include a billiards room, library and gym. Upstairs are four ensuite bedrooms, and when guests stop by, the home has a stand-alone,1,700-square-foot, three-bedroom guest house.

      The cozy den. 

      Courtesy Joshua Johnson for LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

      Befitting an action-hero owner, the estate has been designed for outdoor fun. There are dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle trails and snowmobile tracks, along with a labyrinth of hiking and snow-shoeing paths.
      For aircraft-loving Cruise—his upcoming Top Gun: Maverick is set for a July 2 release—the home has added appeal in that its decks are high enough to be able to look down on the private jets flying in and out of Telluride airport. Naturally the estate has its own helipad.

      The billiards room. 

      Courtesy Joshua Johnson for LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

      In recent years, Cruise is believed to have off-loaded many of his trophy properties in Beverly Hills, New York and England to focus on a penthouse in Clearwater, Fla. Close to the headquarters of Scientology, where the actor is a devout follower, the condo is part of a building designed by Mexican property developer and major Scientology donor Moises Agami.
      The penthouse takes up the ninth and tenth floors of The SkyView tower and is said to feature a 39-foot rooftop infinity pool, a private car elevator and a passageway leading to a smaller condo with a flight simulator, office and gym. More

    • 188 Shares179 Views

      in Luxury

      Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi List Their Sprawling Beverly Hills Estate for $53.5 Million

      by

      Buckle up, buttercups, because they’re at it again … officially. Last year rumors ran rampant in Platinum Triangle real estate circles that veteran daytime chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and Arrested Development actor Portia de Rossi, two of showbiz’s most prolific buyers and sellers of high-end homes, were willing to discreetly show their 1933 English Tudor mansion in Beverly Hills to prequalified buyers undeterred by an asking price widely whispered to have been in the neighborhood of $58 million.

      Apparently there were no takers at that by-every-standard prodigious price because the elegantly proportioned and newly rehabbed manse is now on the open market with Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency with a considerably lower but still jaw-dropping $53.5 million price tag. Not counting carrying costs, improvement expenses and real estate fees, the house-flipping Hollywood power couple hopes to haul in an eight-figure profit on the deluxe estate they picked up not quite two years ago for $42.5 million from Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine and fashion model Behati Prinsloo.
      Set behind gates on just over an acre of park-like grounds, the sprawling manse has had an illustrious string of owners over the last couple of decades. In 2008 tennis icon Pete Sampras sold the estate for not quite $17 million — more than twice the $8.3 million he paid in 2002 — to “Will & Grace” co-creator Max Mutchnick and entertainment attorney Erik Hyman. The whole shebang was subjected to a sophisticated overhaul and photographed for Elle Décor before it was sold on to Levine and Prinsloo in a 2018 off-market deal valued at a tad more than $33.9 million. So the scuttlebutt goes, Levine and Prinsloo almost immediately caught an incurable case of real estate fickle. They quickly arranged a profitable off-market deal and sold to DeGeneres and de Rossi, for $42.5 million, in favor of an even more expansive compound in Pacific Palisades that they picked up for nearly $32 million from divorced Tinseltowners Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.
      Listings indicate the lavish house was comprehensively renovated by DeGeneres and de Rossi and unsurprisingly incorporates state-of-the-art security, lighting and A/V systems. Between the three-story main house and detached guesthouse that is nipped away behind the kitchen and service wing atop the three-car garage with a huge private terrace overlooking the park-like grounds, there are a total of five bedrooms and nine bathrooms throughout its more than 10,300 square feet.

      Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s Beverly Hills mansion 

      A double-gated drive curves up to the front of the imposing, ivy-encrusted residence where an elevated porch and steel-trimmed leaded glass door lead to a fully paneled double-height foyer painted an eye-searing bright white that is, thankfully, offset by dark-brown reclaimed wood floorboards laid in an ever-classy chevron pattern.
      Realtor.com

      The living room stretches to fifty feet long and, like the foyer, employs bright white walls as a neutral backdrop for the home’s collection of artworks and designer furnishings. Steel-trimmed windows on opposite walls off the ballroom-sized space ensure plenty of light at all hours of the day, and the simple fireplace overmounted by a recessed flat-screen TV makes the room functional for both formal and casual entertaining.
      Realtor.com

      The capacious dining hall, also painted white, features unusually minimalistic lighting and includes a large niche with wet bar, while a more intimately scaled libray/office features jet-black paneled walls and an angled fireplace trimmed in copper.
      Realtor.com

      The family kitchen is spacious, modern and expensively up to date with bespoke flat-fronted wood cabinetry, a commercial-grade walk-in fridge and an industrial-sized range surrounded in shimmery stainless steel. A casual adjoining dining area overlooks the motor court.
      Realtor.com

      A wide doorway allows for a relaxed relationship between the family kitchen and a cozily scaled TV lounge that flows through another wide doorway into a sunroom wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows.
      Realtor.com

      Extensive service quarters behind the kitchen connect to the garage and include a separate, stainless-steel catering kitchen accented by white tile backsplashes.
      Realtor.com

      Tucked down on the lower level, where it opens to the stone patio that surrounds the pool, a plush screening room is done up in a monochromatic steel-grey color scheme and offers a sumptuous, deep-cushioned sectional sofa, plus a separate concession area complete with lounge and powder room.
      Realtor.com

      Guest bedrooms are all en suite, and the primary suite privately occupies an entire wing of the upper level with two enviably big dressing rooms, a huge terrace and a spa-worthy bathroom. Brass and glass doors connect the main bath’s dressing area to a huge circular shower and bathing space housed in a whitewashed brick turret that overlooks the backyard.

      Realtor.com

      A picturesquely lighted stone plaza outside the kitchen and sunroom includes an outdoor kitchen complete with pizza oven and a tree-shaded fire pit carved from a solid block of stone.
      Realtor.com

      A graveled outdoor dining area framed by a quartet of carefully pruned, lollipop-like trees overlooks a lower patio with a classic Old Hollywood style oval-shaped swimming pool.
      Realtor.com

      Thick hedges and mature plantings help to obscure the sunken tennis court that boasts lights for night-time matches and a raised pavilion for spectators. The grounds additionally include a tree-shaded glade with rolling lawns and lush gardens.
      Realtor.com

      DeGeneres and de Rossi are world famous for their frequent buying and selling of ultra-expensive real estate — often in and around the Montecito area, as well as in the more expensive zip codes across Los Angeles — and they rarely hang on to a home for more than a year or two. So, it’s not at all a surprise to property gossips that the perennially itchy-footed couple have chosen to sell their pristine Beverly Hills estate so soon after they bought it. It’s just what they do.
      Last year alone they made a heady handful of deals. They sold a historic Tudor home in the heart of Montecito to Ariana Grande for $6.75 million, nearly twice the $3.6 million they paid less than five months earlier; they flipped a $29 million Tuscan-style estate at a $2 million profit after less than a month of ownership; and they sold an ultra-luxe Bali-inspired compound for $33.3 million, a small fortune above the $27 million they paid not quite two years prior. Along the way they made a not-so-clandestine $49 million off-market deal to acquire a vast Montecito estate from Saturday Night Live alum turned multimedia host and conservative political commentator Dennis Miller, though few think they’ll hang on to it for long. We shall see. Stay tuned. More

    • 238 Shares159 Views

      in Luxury

      Johnny Depp’s $55 Million French Village Has a Bistro, Wine Cave and Skate Park. Now It’s Up for Sale—Again.

      by

      When Johnny Depp first listed his French estate back in 2015 and 2016, the asking price wavered between $25 million and $63 million, according to Variety, and the place never sold. Now he’s now preparing to re-list the property for about $55.5 million, according to news reports.
      It’s possible the quirky actor, known for his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, is reading the times right. After months of being cooped up in private residences, who wouldn’t want to own an estate like this: It’s actually an entire village, complete with a bistro, a wine cave, a skate park and several houses. Once abandoned, the village sits in Provence’s Le Plan De La Tour, a small region about a dozen miles outside of the Côte d’Azur hot spot of Saint-Tropez. It’s loaded with charm, as well as bathrooms—count them, 14—and bedrooms (15), dispersed over six guest cottages and one main residence.

      The village church was converted into a guest cottage.  Photo: Courtesy of Gibson Sotheby’s

      Depp purchased the compound in 2001 for an undisclosed amount and went on to spend millions renovating the 19th-century buildings, according to Toptenrealestatedeals.com. All this was during the 14 years he spent in a relationship with French actor and singer Vanessa Paradis. The couple spent time there with their two children, Lily-Rose and Jack, enjoying the village’s two swimming pools, dining at the onsite bistro Depp named Chez Marceline and exploring the lush surroundings, featuring 300-year-old oaks, olive trees and vineyards, until their split in 2012. Depp is reported to have decorated the structures himself.
      The 4,500-square-foot main residence includes five bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, while one of the six guest homes was originally the town’s church. The village also includes a covered wagon with a bath and kitchen, a full gym, a pirate-like lair and an art studio, along with outdoor dining in the town square. Square footage for the living spaces has been reported to be between 12,900 and 14,500 square feet.
      Depp is reported to have decorated the restored spaces himself.  Photo: Courtesy of Gibson Sotheby’s

      A cave suited to a pirate  Photo: Courtesy of Gibson Sotheby’s

      One of two pools on the property  Photo: Courtesy of Gibson Sotheby’s

      The lush grounds  Photo: Courtesy of Gibson Sotheby’s

      The once-abandoned village is just miles from the port of Saint-Tropez.  Photo: Courtesy of Gibson Sotheby’s More

    • 175 Shares109 Views

      in Luxury

      Lakers Star Dennis Schröder Snags a Mansion in the LA Suburbs for $4.3 Million

      by

      Last November, German basketball superstar Dennis Schröder was traded to the Lakers following stints with the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma Thunder. Records reveal the 27-year-old Braunschweig native — who is currently eyeing a potential contract extension worth tens of millions — and his wife Ellen Ziolo have now put down some SoCal real estate roots in the form of a $4.3 million San Fernando Valley mansion purchase.

      The sexed-up contemporary estate lies in Tarzana, set on a long and narrow lot behind forbidding black walls and gates. Built in 2017, the house offers a mostly wall-free floorplan with the dining, living, and family rooms merged into one open space. There’s a double-sided black marble fireplace, while the chef’s kitchen is “spectacular,” proclaims the listing, with an enormous SubZero fridge, custom cabinetry, and imported stonework. Two sets of Fleetwood doors open to a outdoor loggia with its own fireplace and full kitchen/BBQ.

      Dennis Schröder’s new Tarzana mansion 

      Six ensuite bedrooms are arranged throughout the main house, including an upstairs master retreat with dual private balconies, dual dressing rooms, and a resort-style bathroom decked out in exotic wood and stone. Other impressive home amenities include a home theater that seats 10 moviegoers, an office space, and a glass-walled wine cellar tucked underneath the curvaceous main staircase. Perhaps the most unusual features is a vast rooftop deck with its own BBQ, spotlights, and over-the-treetops views of the pancake-flat San Fernando Valley.
      But the main house is only the very first act of this real estate show; the .35-acre property is fully improved with a giant L-shaped lawn that passes by a large swimming pool/spa combo. Beyond that lies a two-story guesthouse with another ensuite bedroom and a second kitchen, plus room for a gym. Best of all, however — at least from Shröder’s perspective — is the concrete basketball court that lies at the far rear of the property, offering a secluded space to hone his professional game.
      Kobi Costa of Compass held the listing; Michael Henderson, also of Compass, repped Schröder.
      Check out more photos of Schröder’s new home below: More

    • 175 Shares189 Views

      in Luxury

      Country Singer George Strait’s Adobe Mansion in Texas Hits the Market for $7.5 Million

      by

      Country crooner George Strait may have sung about all his exes living in Texas, but he can now also claim that some of those exes are homes. Most beloved among them is his newly listed San Antonio mansion, for which he and his wife, Norma, commissioned one of the Southwest’s most artistic architects to build. The 7,925-square-foot house sits on a hilltop surrounded by 12 very private acres and is priced at $7.5 million.

      Strait’s daughter-in-law, Tamara, has the listing and speaks eloquently about the property, which she visited many times since marrying Bubba Strait: “I love this house. When we first met they were still living there, but over time it was special to see Bubba’s old bedroom become our son Harvey’s bedroom.”

      While the home is part of the gated community of the Dominion Country Club—membership includes access to the golf course, tennis courts, pool, fitness facilities and restaurant—it’s also very much a scenic oasis with special handmade touches throughout the property, such as 14 hand-sculpted fireplaces, a copper-topped bar, custom tiles and sconces and even custom carved refrigerator doors. These artistic touches were the collaborative brainchildren of the Straits and the late artist and architect Bill Tull.
      The hand-plastered and hand-painted exterior is all-new.  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      According to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, the Straits bought the land in the mid-1990s. Tull moved his entire crew from Arizona to San Antonio for the two years it took to build the home, beginning in 1995, with the then-14-year-old Bubba laying the first adobe brick. “Norma told me they interviewed many architects but when they first met with Bill, they knew,” Tamara Strait tells Robb Report. “He had a vision unlike the others. She said when he came to walk the property for the first time he could already see which part of the home would go where. And that vision remained true.” It included three bedrooms and six baths in the main residence with a detached casita that has another bedroom and bath, plus living room, kitchenette and one of those magnificent fireplaces.
      Inside the main home, the formal dining room, breakfast room and living room flow out onto the outdoor entertaining spaces seamlessly, perfect for hosting a grand party with live music. A separate bar area has a copper counter designed by Tull and some intentionally exposed adobe wall instead of the hand-plastered wall found in most of the house. Just around the corner from the bar is the home office. Flooring throughout is either poured concrete or long-leaf yellow pine. The spacious chef’s kitchen has tiled countertops, again designed by Tull, with a full suite of top-notch appliances that include double Sub-Zero fridges. Those doors were given an intricate and unusual, hand-drawn copper design treatment that was finished in silver. The wine cellar is just off the kitchen and down a few steps. The original sketches for Tull’s designs are all signed by him and remain with the house.

      The pavers were reclaimed from a dug-up road.  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The Straits appreciated privacy and security—not only are there three gates (the first one guarded) to pass through before you get to the property, but there is also a walk-in safe in the mansion. “You can put your guns in there,” says Tamara, “because we do that down here in Texas, but also your jewelry and other valuables.” Other special rooms include a home gym with a private sauna.
      Second stories are unusual in adobe homes because of the massive weight involved in the construction of such walls, but this home has an upper level devoted exclusively to the primary bedroom suite. In addition to the bedroom, there are two entirely separate bathrooms and walk-in closets. And the soaking tub in Norma’s bathroom might have the best view in the house: You can see clear to downtown San Antonio. To her chagrin over the years however, George’s closet was the bigger one (a design mistake during construction), but she didn’t want to give up her view. More evidence of Tull’s artistry can be found up here in the custom stained-glass windows.
      The formal dining room  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The outdoor spaces are no less spectacular, with the four-car garage including more exposed adobe and custom lighting on the exterior. The pavers used for the driveway, motor court and back patio were reclaimed from a dug-up road. After a hailstorm a few years ago, the entire exterior got a makeover, including a new roof, windows and re-plastering by hand and a paint job.
      The covered terrace includes another sculpted fireplace, an outdoor kitchen with grill, fridge, icemaker and more, but the centerpiece is the infinity-edge pool with glass tiles, which was completed at the end of last year.
      There are 14 hand-sculpted fireplaces on the property.  Saguaro ribs are used for the shutters and ceiling.  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      A full sports court—tennis plus basketball—is also on-site.
      Tamara says the Straits are selling because they wanted to be even further from the city, but “they still love that house. If Bill Tull weren’t deceased, I’m sure they would have engaged him again for a new home.”
      You can take a video tour of the space here, and check out more photos of the mansion below:

      The kitchen includes some of the architect’s special artistic touches, including the custom tiles.  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The family room  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The dining area opens to the living room  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The stairs up to the primary suite  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The primary bedroom  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      One of the home’s seven bathrooms, which includes a custom stained-glass window  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The fitness studio  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The newly refinished infinity pool with its gorgeous tiles  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The view to San Antonio  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The on-site sports court  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

      The mansion sits on a 12-acre hilltop parcel.  Photo: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com More

    • 125 Shares199 Views

      in Luxury

      John Travolta Lists His 20-Bedroom Maine Mansion for $5 Million

      by

      Even before Kelly Preston passed away last summer, two years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she and John Travolta began to change up their sprawling cross-country real estate portfolio. In 2017, the longtime Scientologists added a $3 million waterfront spread in Clearwater, Fla., the headquarters of Scientology, and in the fall of 2019 they plunked down another $2.65 million for a 7,500-square-foot Mediterranean residence in the celeb-favored and ever-more expensive LA suburb of Calabasas. And then, in early 2020, they sold the family’s long-time estate in a particularly prestigious pocket of the L.A.’s tony Brentwood neighborhood in an $18 million off-market deal to music manager (and next-door neighbor) Scooter Braun.

      The Gotti star, who co-starred last year in Kevin Hart’s series Die Hart, on the spectacularly flamed out mobile platform Quibi, also maintains a sprawling, airport-like residence at the Jumbolair fly-in community near Ocala, Fla., where the licensed pilot parks his fleet of planes, including a Boeing 707, in the backyard. However, the twice Oscar-nominated movie star has now decided to part with the family’s beloved getaway on the exclusive, ferry-accessed island enclave of Islesboro, Maine, putting the secluded waterfront hideaway on the market at $5 million.
      The hip-swiveling Saturday Night Fever icon first visited the semi-remote island more than 30 years ago with his longtime showbiz pal (and fellow Scientologist) Kirstie Alley, who has long owned a waterfront property at the south end of the island. Looking for a place they could put up their extended families over holidays, the then newly wedded Travoltas jumped at the opportunity to scoop up their idyllic 48-acre estate and its hotel-sized mansion in 1991.
      The manse measures 10,830 square feet.  Realtor.com

      At the end of a gravel driveway that passes under a canopy of trees and through stone pillars before it circles up around a perfectly conical pine tree, the shingled “cottage” was designed by the architecture firm Peabody and Stearns and built in 1904 for “the scion of a prominent banking family,” according to Architectural Digest, who featured the somewhat quixotic 42-room mansion in 1999 after it was done up for the Travoltas by classically trained decorator Christopher Boshears in a festively colorful, pattern-mixing manner than befits an elegant English country house.

      The foyer operates a little like a hotel lobby with intimate conversation areas and a fanciful bar, while a double-sided bubblegum pink damask sofa whimsically anchors the center of the vast living room in front of a rustic fieldstone fireplace.

      The margarine-hued dining room will comfortably seat more than a dozen around a polished wood pedestal table long enough to play shuffleboard.

      The estate spans some 48 acres.  Realtor.com

      A second-floor sun porch, one of two in the house, has serene views into the surrounding woods and features an explosion of pastel colors with tons of mismatched floral throw pillows and cozy lap blankets that allow for the comfortable enjoyment of sunny but crisply cold autumn afternoons and dewy spring mornings.
      Glass-fronted cabinets in the huge pantry are stocked with dozens of delicate teacups and vintage cake stands, while the sun-filled country kitchen is simply outfitted with butcherblock counters and expensively equipped with chef-grade equipment.
      The mansion’s 20+ bedrooms share just 7.5 bathrooms spread out over three floors. Large enough to accommodate a sitting and a private dining table, the main bedroom has a vintage-style bath of its own, along with a fireplace and private sun porch.

      The home comprises 20 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms.  Realtor.com

      Fourteen guest bedrooms share just four bathrooms on the second floor, while the third floor was converted to Fantasyland children’s wing complete with a schoolroom and library, a diner, a theater space with a built-in stage, and four themed bedrooms: a Princess Room and Peter Pan Room among them, according to A.D.

      The rambling residence sits a good distance from the shore, but the property includes a stunning stretch of thickly wooded water frontage with a deep water dock on humorously alliterative Sabbathday Bay. The secluded estate also includes a carriage house, where the automobile (and airplane) collecting actor once kept a vintage 1977 Rolls Royce for joyriding around the island, and a swimming pool set in a sunny clearing below the back of the house.

      Check out more photos below: More