I have to applaud the real estate lister for honesty on this one, the listing states that the rooms are "comfortable, but not large." This is the price one pays sometimes for an older home and today's home, a Jonathan Badger tenement, c. 1770 (brick portion possibly dating to circa 1693) in downtown Charleston is definitely old by American standards. This four-bedroom home has maintained many of its original features right down to the 1770 lock on the front door. The first floo has a formal living room, music room and formal dining room with fireplaces, beautiful moldings and high ceilings. The kitchen has wall ovens, an electric cooktop with ventilated grill, a built-in microwave, refrigerator, trash compactor, instant hot water dispenser, garbage disposal, and ice maker and a walk-in pantry offers storage. Adjoining the kitchen is a small den with a large brick fireplace. The second level includes the master bedroom with a large walk-in closet/dressing room as well as a lady's dressing room with a fireplace, multiple closets, and a vanity. The full bath contains two sinks, a bidet, toilet, jacuzzi tub, and separate shower. A drawing room/library offers a fireplace flanked by built-ins. Two additional rooms, which could serve as a bedroom, study/office, or sitting room, share a full bath. On the third level, there are two more bedrooms which share a full bath. The private and gated bricked driveway can accommodate parking for 4 cars and there is a formal garden with azaleas, camellias, loquats, mini magnolias, yew, juniper, and 120 rose bushes. If your furniture is small and your heart is traditional, this is one great place. It is listed at $2,625,000.
South Carolina's Hilton Head is home to many newer houses and overall they seem to have a higher taste quotient than other newer homes in hot areas. Today's example takes the traditional plantation style and luxes it up in a style that is elegant but also casual. The home is 7,200 square feet with a great room, living room, gourmet kitchen and a large veranda. There are five bedrooms including a master suite with his and hers baths, dual offices, a dressing room, exercise room and two balconies. The waterfront property also includes a lap pool with a waterfall spa. It is listed at $8.25 million.
For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 29401. This zip code refers to the beautifully historic town of Charleston, South Carolina. This zip code in the fast-growing Southern city has a median price of $1,590,000 with an appreciation of 228% since 1990.
To explore this town we've got one beauty of an old home. This home on King Street in the historic district is the Patrick O'Donnell house it was built by O'Donnell over the period of 1852-1870 who was building the house for his bride but took so long finishing the job that his fiancé married another. The home was once lived in by the women who inspired the character of Melanie in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.
The home has an 18th century Venetian palazzo exterior with a cross-ventilated New York brownstone interior and wide Charleston-style porches. The home has been beautifully restored. Details to swoon for include random width heart pine floors, heavy moldings and ceiling medallions, 11 fireplaces with faux marble mantles, French doors and an antique elevator. The kitchen has modern appliances such as Gaggenau ovens, Gaggenau commercial gas range, SubZero refrigerator and a walk-in wine cooler in a setting of exposed brick with a pressed tin ceiling. There is a billiards room, a cherry library with a track ladders, a bar room, guest bedroom with a cedar closet, large master suite, a bedroom with built-in children's beds and another guest room. The fifth floor is home to a rooftop deck, wet bar and outdoor shower. The property also includes a pool and a three-car garage and there is a guest house with a galley kitchen, bedroom and living room. This home is listed at $7.895 million.
Gallery: Most Expensive Zip Codes, 29401, Charleston, SC
This home in the Middleton Plantation area of Charleston, South Carolina has a calm and secluded plot with plenty of gardens and greenery, two ponds and three decks. The home was built in 1982 and could appear dated but the the owners have really gone all out to modernize the interior with a rather stark contemporary palette. The home has four bedrooms and is approximately 6,000 square feet. It is listed at just $1.35 million.
Fairfield Plantation is a lovely 18th Century Georgian manor located in a small town near Columbia, SC. This one is an old beauty complete with a listing on the National Historic Register. The home is on 175 acres. The property is surrounded by a blue granite fence. The five-bedroom house has been well restored preserving most of its charm (perhaps the kitchen could use an upgrade). Like yesterday's home in Washington D.C., this one has original chandeliers and fireplaces in nearly every room. The grounds include decorative fountains and a pool, a garden room and guest house, wine cellar ,carriage house, and gate house. This estate is listed at $4.3 million.
Luxury is coming to Greenville, South Carolina in the form of the Peacock Hotel & Spa. The eight story building will include a 75-room luxury boutique hotel, 10,000-square feet of meeting and banquet space and a a 6,000-square foot spa. The tower also includes eight luxury residences which sold out, reportedly for around $1 million each. The hotel has now put their hotel suites on the market and have sold 10 out of 12 of them. The hotel is set to open in eearly 2009 and the average room rate will be $270.
Charleston, South Carolina has some of the most beautifully preserved homes I have ever seen. This one dates back to 1805. The home has triple-tiered columned piazzas, nine-over-nine windows and beautifully proportioned rooms. The home has been updated with spa tubs and modern appliances in the kitchen with its simple wood cabinets. The former carriage house serves as his and hers offices and also includes a wine cellar, powder room, laundry room and storage. There are six wood-burning fireplaces in the home. The exterior includes a koi pond and the former pool house does duty as an exercise room or a place for entertaining. This home is listed at $4.75 million. Pictures are after the jump or a bit larger in the gallery.
The Academy comes by its name honestly. The 3.19 acre estate in Aiken, South Carolina was once home to Saint Angela's Academy and still bears the sign from the school. This newer build has three bedrooms including a master suite with a poolside loggia. The home has a classic South Carolina horse country style with a paneled library, country kitchen and dormer windows. The land includes a barn, saltwater pool and an orangerie. This home is listed at $4.5 million. Pictures are both after the jump and in the gallery.
It takes an extreme college football fan to buy a condo just because it is near the stadium. But in South Carolina, being a Gamecocks fan is serious business. There are four condo complexes around Williams-Brice Stadium including the Stadium Village Lofts. The condos which can cost from $200,000 to $750,000 each can be used as regular living spaces but some dedicated fans have bought in just to be close to the games. The news isn't all rosy, some of the condos have not sold and one complex, The Spur at William-Brice auctioned off their units because of the slow housing market. But as The State reports, for some fans having a place to crash without having to fight stadium traffic is a dream come true.
It's private island time again. This time we are headed to Savage Island, a 413-acre private island adjacent to Hilton Head, South Carolina. The island can be reached in five minutes from a private residence, dock and boat landing on the mainland in Bluffton, SC. The Island and mainland properties are protected by the nature conservancy and the island is a private nature preserve with deer, quail, ducks, heron, wood stork, ibis and shore birds. At the center of the island there is a ten-acre saltwater pond that is home to large spot tail bass and flounder for fly fishing. And big game fishing opportunities for mahi mahi, tuna, marlin and sailfish is within easy reach.
You aren't really buying for the house in this case but the three-bedroom home is a series of pavilions. One is the master suite with his and her baths. A second pavilion is home to a great room that is surrounded by expansive screened porches for outdoor dining. The third pavilion contains the two additional bedrooms and a bath. The compound also includes stables, paddock, dog kennels and a caretaker home. It is listed at $15 million. After the jump, you are going to need a boat or maybe several boats.
Today's elegant home looks antebellum but was actually built in 1912. The home was built by C. Bissell Jenkins, the originator of the reclamation project in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1900s. The home is a six-bedroom Colonial Greek Revival that is the star of Murray Blvd. It was renovated in 1992. The expansive Tuscan portico has views of the Ashley River. The home has marble columns, eight working fireplaces, a paneled library and a kitchen with custom cabinetry and a pillow-edged limestone floor. The master bedroom has an exercise room, office area and a front balcony with river views. The master bath has a separate shower and bathtub and a large dressing area finished in marble.The third floor includes three bedrooms and a room sized cedar closet. There is a large roof top deck. The landscaped gardens include tow private garden rooms and a large, private pool area with loggia. it is listed at $6.995 million. After the jump, no kitchen or bath shots but the main rooms are certainly pretty.
Most of the time when I mention Kiawah Island it's to talk about a new resort on the idyllic South Carolina island. But today I'm highlighting a home, a charming four-bedroom on the picturesquely named Cormorant Island Lane. The home was built in 2004 and has over 6,000 square feet of space. Unlike some of the homes I have checked out in the area, this one isn't a massive monstrosity perched on this delicate island, it actually seems to blend in with the environment. The main kitchen and living space is a touch too faux-rustic for my taste but overall I love how the house is set amidst the natural vegetation. As the listing mentions it could make a lovely family compound. The home owner will have to contribute 1/2 of 1% of purchase price to the Kiawah Island Community Association, which, at the current listing price of $6.5 million would be $32,500. After the jump, long porches and Spanish moss.
For some people owning an older house can be a bit of a challenge, you don't want to live in a museum but too often in their urge to update people strip the quirks right out of an older home. This home in Charleston, South Carolina is a beautifully updated Federal-style residence built by Dr. John Poyas, circa 1798. Charm? Oh yes, it has plaster details on the ceiling, amazing fireplaces and elegant columns. The owners have freshened it up with a playful use of color. The home has a formal dining room, an office and five bedrooms including a master bedroom with a walk-in closet. The kitchen is a bit odd, there seems to be a fireplace tucked behind a counter and the placement of the range seems to be strange but overall the home is beautiful. It also has a three-story carriage house. It is listed at $5.3 million. After the jump, beautiful shots of the robin's egg blue painted porches.
Another luxury condo complex will be going up in Charleston, South Carolina. Unlike the last project we saw in this city, the Anson House is a new build. The Post and Courier reports that the Anson House will be located on a plot of land near Charleston's Maritime Center. The $40 million luxury condominium complex will have 32 units with river, city and park views. The condos have gourmet kitchens, high ceilings, master suites with dressing rooms, fireplaces and outdoor piazzas. The building also has a doorman. Condos for sale start at $1.29 million for a one-bedroom and a penthouse costs $4.95 million. No fears of a condo slump here, 21 units are already under contract including one of two penthouses.
Lately I seem to have hit upon a fresh crop of regional liquors. Another has surface, a vodka from the South that gets its kick from South Carolina muscadine grapes. FireFly is an 80-proof vodka that launched earlier this year and has already sold 1,000 cases in South Carolina in six months. FireFly is distilled five times for purity and then given a touch of muscadine wine which gives it a hint of sweetness. The new vodka retails for $16.99 per fifth and is available only in South Carolina so far.
