Home of the Week: A Cape design on the South Coast capitalizes on its perch by the bay
The three-bedroom property comes with access to a private beach on Buzzards Bay and a deck with a gazebo.
48 Alder St., Fairhaven
$1,680,000
Style Cape
Year built 2006
Square feet 2,112
Bedrooms 3
Baths 3 full
Sewer/water Public
Taxes $11,149 (2022)
There’s a sign saying “Beach House’’ above the fireplace in this house, but you’ll know this modern Cape overlooking Buzzards Bay is the real deal by the outdoor shower alone — a necessity when a private beach is just seconds away.
The 16-year-old home on West Island has three levels: two upper floors for living and a lower level with breakaway walls in case of flooding. A broad deck with a gazebo captures the ocean view from this property, which shares the neighborhood with West Island State Reservation.
From the driveway, a wide stairway leads to the front door. Inside, the design honors the home’s proximity to the ocean: pastel blue paint, white Nantucket bead board, and numerous sliders and windows, including a skylight in the foyer, that let the sunshine pour in.
To the left of the foyer is a 480-square-foot living room with a gas fireplace flanked by beach-white built-in shelving and cabinetry. And just to the right of the cabinetry is a white table-like desk. But given its location, the odds of work actually being done seem slim: Directly in front of the desk is a window with views of Buzzards Bay, and to the right is a slider to the aforementioned deck.
The flooring in the major rooms on this level is pine reclaimed from a Vermont barn, and the ceilings are dotted with recessed lighting.
The living room shares an open layout with the 243-square-foot kitchen, where the granite counter is in the shape of a fishhook. The straight section runs along an exterior wall and includes an undermount sink below three wide windows. The curved section is a peninsula that seats four.
A few steps from the sink is a long, rectangular island with cabinetry, a small sink, a fridge, and a four-burner gas cooktop. Stainless steel appliances, including the main refrigerator and stacked ovens, are on the exterior wall. This end of the kitchen also offers a 124-square-foot dining area, which is currently occupied by a white table for eight under a stunning Sputnik light fixture. This is a sumptuously sunny space next to a slider to the deck.
Behind rolling three-paneled doors with smoked glass is the first-floor bedroom, where the barn wood flooring, recessed lighting, and Nantucket bead board continue. Here at the front of the house, sunshine is no stranger: There are four windows in the 178-square-foot space.
The full bath for this floor is at the end of a short hallway off the kitchen. First on the right, however, is a laundry closet behind a white roll-up door, and on the left, there is a closet. The full bath has a single vanity with a granite counter resting on blond wood cabinetry. The flooring is ceramic tile, and the shower is an insert.
From the foyer, a wide stairwell where nautical-like cable runs underneath wooden handrails leads to the top floor, which holds the primary suite, third bedroom, and the final full bath.
The primary suite occupies roughly half this level. The bedroom area is 231 square feet and features a cathedral ceiling, recessed lights, a ceiling fan, two closets (one is a walk-in), a gas fireplace, carpeting, and a window seat with a view of the bay.
Relax après beach day in the en-suite bath’s jetted tub, a hint of a figure eight in its shape. The bath also has a single vanity with a black granite counter that offers a nice juxtaposition to the white cabinetry. The shower sits behind clear glass and boasts a white subway tile surround, a green tile inlay, and a matching floor. The flooring in the rest of the bathroom, however, is ceramic tile.
The third bedroom is 285 square feet and is currently outfitted with a pair of bunkbeds. There is carpeting underfoot, and a nook near one of those beds houses a desk area. There is also a closet, a storage area, and a window seat with a view of the bay.
The final bath comes with a ceramic tile floor, a shower insert, and a single vanity with a granite top and a white cabinet.
The lower level contains a two-car garage and storage for kayaks and other water-related equipment.
The home, which sits on 0.72 of an acre, is being sold fully furnished.
Danielle Cyr-DeFrias of Howe Allen Realty in Fairhaven has the listing. As of press time an offer had been accepted on the property.
Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp. Follow us on Twitter @globehomes.
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