No matter what size house you are building, communication is the key to a smooth process and successful result.
It doesn’t always happen. Building is stressful and can endanger marriages.
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The kitchen in the Newkirk Residence. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-14-2016.
In fact, the late custom home builder Russ Lortz once told me he used to make his clients agree not to divorce for at least six months after the completion of their homes. He thought that was a suitable cooling-off period.
Now imagine the stress of building a 5,843-square-foot home on a lot for which you paid nearly $4.3 million and then tore down the existing house, which was less than 10 years old.
And for good measure, let’s throw in this fact: The clients were newlyweds at the time.
That was the challenge facing Karl and Ann “Ricky” Newkirk at 1372 Harbor Drive in Harbor Acres, after they bought the property in 2006.
Anne Folsom Smith was the Newkirks' interior designer. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-14-2016.
Ricky Newkirk, who has a delightful English accent, explained that the seemingly endless list of problems encountered when building such a house could be solved only by effective communication.
“We would meet every week and there was a continuancy,” she said of her team, which included Whitehead Construction, architect Bob Rokop and interior designer Anne Folsom Smith. “Everyone went away with a job to do. It was a smooth transition; there was full communication. The job wasn’t held up, and if there was a problem, we would talk about it.
“We were here seven hours one day with a piece of hose pipe, trying to get the curve of that staircase right. There were five people involved. We all stood there and worked it out. There were differences of opinion, but it was just a pleasure.”
“Yes, we made it fun,” said Karl Newkirk, reciting the standard humor of husbands who are wise enough to keep their wives happy. “We each have a vote in everything, but she takes all ties.
Tub with a view: The master bathroom at the Newkirk Residence. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-14-2016.
“I gave her an unlimited budget,” he said to laughs all around during a recent interview at the mansion, “and she far exceeded it.”
By how far will be determined by the market. The Newkirks have listed the house for sale at $7 million through Roger Pettingell of Coldwell Banker.
Even reaching that number was a lesson in communication.
“We wanted that number,” said Karl, who is moving his bride into an apartment they are renovating atop Plymouth Harbor. “But always, at the end of the day, after what let’s call a spirited debate, you have to let the professionals who have to do the job make the decision. You hire the best professional you can.”
The English parlor in the Harbor Acres home that Roger Pettingell has listed at $7 million. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-14-2016.
“What is the value of the land?” said Pettingell. “That is the one thing you can’t quantify. You can quantify the cost of rebuilding. We did speak a lot about the price and values. We looked at all the comparables together. I did not want to be chosen by them by being the person who came in with a price they liked the most. I wanted to be chosen as the person who wanted to sell the house, and then we talked about the price together.
“I equally valued this lot. They showed that they valued it by buying it for $4.3 million and tearing the house down. And I think this is the best bayfront lot in Harbor Acres.”
The view of downtown Sarasota from the Newkirk Residence. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-14-2016.
The house lives up to the investment the Newkirks have made it in. It has five outdoor terraces for views from Big Pass to the city skyline, circular motifs designed to soften hard lines, Italian porcelain-tile flooring, five fireplaces, a Lutron lighting system, custom woodwork, crystal chandeliers, designer ceiling treatments and intricate built-ins.
There’s a custom bar, wine storage, chef’s kitchen and pantry overlooking the family room, home office and game room, and separate master and guest levels.
The elevator makes four stops. There is an infinity-edge swimming pool and spa, a meditation garden complete with reading chairs, waterfall and babbling stream. The dock has a lift that is configured for two jet-skis.
This Harbor Acres mansion is listed at $7 million by Roger Pettingell of Coldwell Banker. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-14-2016.
“If — no — when we sell it at $7 million, we will still take a substantial loss from what we have in it,” said Karl Newkirk. “I have more than $4 million in the building, and that takes you to close to $8.5 million.”
“There is a buyer out there who doesn’t want to do the work” of building such a house, said Pettingell. “Harbor Acres has become Sarasota’s epicenter. This is the place people want to be. So this buyer wants the luxury house in the luxury location and not to have to do the work.”
Now all Pettingell has to do is find that buyer and communicate it all. Effectively.
