Subject Property

The property comprises 3 acres with Albacore Drive on the East side and the Lucayan Country Club & Golf Course on the West side. A 24-ft. high bank and a firebreak enclose the North and South sides. White PVC cable delineates the actual boundary. There is a 900’ frontage on the 3rd hole of the golf course.

Even though the house and garden are built only on 3 acres, it seems, at first glance, to be considerably more due to the concentrated and mature nature of the landscape. The whole structure including the roof consists of reinforced concrete that is resistant to hurricane force winds. The ground floor is 16-ft. above maximum high water and is thus clear of any possible surge tide. Firebreaks exist on all sides to resist any local brush fires. The whole of the external face of the building is finished with limestone rock imported from Exuma in the Southern Bahamas. All plate glass windows are of tinted shatterproof glass. Custom-made hurricane shutters protect all East and West windows.

The living room, which has an extra high ceiling, faces north so that the room receives no direct sun, thus no solar gain. Ambient light source is provided through seven floor to ceiling sliding glass doors each 4’9” x 9’6” that open onto a Carrara marble terrace overlooking one of the swimming pools. Sliding screens offer flexibility so that the room may be opened up to the pool for large gatherings or entertaining.

The sliding hurricane shutters are of the same number and size and all of these doors slide into recesses at each end of the 33-ft. opening. The living room has a Carrara marble floor and sound system. The dining room is 1’6” above the living room floor, it seats up to 8 and has a Swiss gray/green quartz floor imported from Gstaad. There are large windows on the East and West sides with access doors to both the east and west patios. All lighting, air inputs and extracts, and stereo are concealed at high level. This area is approximately 1450 square feet.

The kitchen has a fresh green/white motif and the coordinating floor consists of green and white ceramic tiles imported from France. There is a full Thermador cooker and microwave, a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, and a Thermador cook top and extract hood. The cupboards are numerous and are all fully lined with white laminate. There is an island fitting with a double stainless steel sink, a compactor and a waste master.

The utility room has a chilled pantry, two stand-up freezers, numerous cupboards, a stainless steel sink, and clothes washer together with a small room containing all necessary scrubbers, polishers, and materials for maintaining the floors.

Both rooms have floor to ceiling windows for the whole length of the room that face the neighboring golf course. There are also three fully glazed doors giving access to the South garden and West patio. All lighting, air inputs and extracts, and audio systems are concealed at high level. This area amounts to approximately 660 square feet.

This has a Carrara marble floor coupled with a peach carpet for the sleeping area. There are two Murphy beds (1 Queen, 1 Twin). The study desk is custom designed and is made of white laminate. There are three sections of floor to ceiling shelves. The floor to ceiling window faces West overlooking the golf course. Once more, there is access to the garden from a fully glazed door. The room is very secluded and there are Venetian blinds for added privacy. There is also an attractive screen on the East side of the room consisting of various scenes from Southwestern Utah and Arizona. An adjoining room houses a washbasin, toilet, and shower. Part of the area is finished in Italian glass mosaic and the other part is carpeted. All lighting, air inputs, and extracts are concealed at high level. This area amounts to approximately 480 square feet.

The dressing room is lined with louvered closets floor to ceiling. Each closet and drawer is fully lined with white laminate. The master bedroom with an extra high ceiling has two twin beds (with room for Queen beds if desired). There is a Carrara marble floor coupled with a grass green carpet for the sleeping area. The East and West sides of this room are lined with laminate shelving and the room faces due South with a 12-ft. deep eaves overhang to prevent solar gain. The windows, screens, and hurricane shutters are the same as the sitting room. They face the Southern pool and the 50-ft. high solar reflector. A console is built between the beds with controls for lights, adjustable beds, curtains, and a telephone. Retractable tables are built in adjacent to both beds. All lighting, air inputs and extracts, and stereo are concealed at high level. There is a small room off the bedroom for preparation of snacks. This houses a stainless steel sink, a refrigerator, and two stovetop burners. In addition, there is a concealed, built-in safe. This area amounts to approximately 722 square feet.

This has two washbasins, both with laminate fitted cupboards. Each basin has its own built-in adjustable mirrors from basin to ceiling. There is a separate recessed room between the “his and hers” basins providing a W.C. and bidet. This room also has ample laminate cupboards. The whole of the bathroom floor is surfaced with white marble culminating in an elliptical white marble sunken bath. The East wall of the bathroom has floor to ceiling crimson “Smalti” miniature mosaics imported from Venice. All lighting, air inputs, and extracts are concealed at high level. This area amounts to approximately 267 square feet.

A “gallery” style hall links the living and sleeping quarters. This area provides the main entrance to the house from the carport. It has floor to ceiling windows facing east, a high vaulted ceiling and a gray/green quartz floor connecting it with the dining room. There is also a Carrara marble display table in front of each window. Sliding hurricane shutters protect all glazing. This area amounts to approximately 470 square feet.

This has dual entrance gates that can be used separately or opened up for entertaining. There is a covered illuminated carport for the master car and two additional covered spaces in front of the house. The former carport is roofed with solar film on aluminum and the latter roof consists of prestressed precast concrete. The paving of the carport is finished with a checkered pattern of gray/green quartz and Florida River gravel. All walls are of local Oolitic rock. An intercom exists between the entrance gate, the kitchen, and the master bedroom. This area amounts to approximately 3,361 square feet, (1,600 square feet under cover).

This consists of an entirely separate apartment located between the main house and the road. It is completely self-contained and consists of a living/dining/kitchen area, one double bedroom and a full bathroom. There is a separate small room for storage or for additional sleeping accommodations all fully tiled and air-conditioned. A separate laundry and a separate toilet for use by outside maintenance staff is nearby. The apartment has a separate covered carport at the South end of the site with independent access from Albacore Drive. This area amounts to approximately 640 square feet.

This contains all the necessary ducting and equipment for central air conditioning and for fresh water pumping and filtration. Electric, telephone, and cable T.V. controls are also situated in this room. It has green tiled mosaic floor and it is both adequately lit and ventilated. A small clothes drying area is situated adjacent to this room. This area amounts to approximately 250 square feet.

Constructed in 1995. Situated at the south end of the Estate this is a split-level entirely independent fully furnished house consisting of sitting/dining room with balcony overlooking the south pool, master bedroom with king bed and second bedroom and den. There is a full bath with marble tiles and a full kitchen complete with washer/dryer. This house has its own garage and a completely separate entrance from the south driveway. All fully tiled and air-conditioned. This area is 1,600 square feet.

This was constructed in 1997 and consists of sitting/dining room with kitchenette, one bedroom, and full bath with marble tiles. All fully tiled and air-conditioned. Access via main entrance or south entrance.

The garden is completely protected from Albacore Drive by a 10-ft. high wall. All planted areas are covered with polyethylene and 1” limestone rock in order to reduce weeds and maintenance to a minimum. A compost machine exists at the North end through which all garden wastes are passed from a bunker to a storage bin. A garden store has been constructed and a gate serves all from Albacore Drive.

The garden can basically be divided into three sections.

1. The Northern garden incorporates a combined decorative water garden and a swimming pool. In the former there are four decorative pools, four water jets, and a dandelion fountain. The latter incorporates a Jacuzzi type chair and two bridges that span the pool. The pools are illuminated and surrounded by very large limestone boulders brought from the Grand Lucayan waterway whilst this was in course of construction. There are approximately 150 tropical palm trees many of which exceed 70’ in height such as Royal, Queen, Areca, Sago, Adonida, Washingtonia, and Coconut. There are rare trees such as the Otaheite apple and those common to the Bahamas such as the flamboyant Royal Poinciana, many unusual vines, hibiscus, and a unique double red bougainvillea. A 400 ft. long lawn adjoins the water garden. The type of grass is disease free zoysia. A comprehensive network of sprinklers waters the entire garden. There are 2 marble topped tables with a removable umbrella.

   The approximate total area of the water garden and swimming pool is 3,200 square feet.

2. The Southern garden consists of an 80,000-gallon swimming pool that is heated by a solar reflector. The swimming pool that surrounds the reflector has been designed to connect the Jacuzzi situated in the reflector terrace and the master bedroom terrace with a 4-ft. deep x 6-ft. wide “terrace.” A shallow zone is situated to the South of the reflector. Numerous water jets are situated within the pool. This garden is planted solely with palm trees and non-deciduous trees for easy maintenance of the pool. There are banana trees in abundance and also limes, lemons, and akees. A comprehensive network of sprinklers waters the entire garden. The approximate total area of the swimming pool is 3,500 square feet.

3. The Eastern garden is divided into two “nurseries” for propagation of plants. There are also three large plots for the growing of vegetables. Water “misters” service the whole area and part is situated on concrete tables for easy access. Included in this area is also a small secluded garden for the caretaker or guesthouse.

No annual payments are due to the Port Authority. These have been capitalized and paid. There are no real estate or inheritance taxes. There are no personal taxes. All overhead power, telephone, and T.V. cables along frontage have been placed underground.

Non-ferrous metals used throughout the construction. All doors and cabinetry are custom made and faced inside and out with white laminate.

All walls are faced with either marble or white washable fabric.

The Estate enjoys a very quiet environment and is approximately ¼ mile from the ocean and 6 miles from the town center. Freeport International Airport is approximately 25 minutes from Palm Beach and Miami and approximately 2 ½ hours from New York. There are direct flights from Freeport to New York, Freeport to London as well as many with frequent connections to Freeport from most Florida’s major cities. There is pre-clearance of U.S. Customs and Immigration when leaving Freeport that enables Freeport residents to land in US without any formalities. In other words, it is to all intents and purposes the same as a domestic flight within the U.S.

The roof is specially treated with a lead-free non-toxic paint in order to collect rainwater for two water tanks located under the house that jointly hold 63,000 U.S. gallons of water. There is, of course, ample City water on Grand Bahama but a private supply of non-toxic and lime-free water has always been preferred. The water is filtered as it leaves the storage tank and again in the kitchen. This provides excellent drinking water and is also invaluable for use in the house since it prevents corrosion of pipes and permits all the household fittings and plumbing to be kept in pristine condition without any lime build-up. The lime build-up in pipes and fittings normally presents a considerable problem in Grand Bahama.

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