Monday Morning Millionaire I: Old Preston Hollow Honey Pot Estate Makes You Feel at Home in the Hamptons

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5433 Falls exteriorThis has long been one of my favorite “Honey Pot” homes, as I watched it being built day by day when we lived down the street on Park at Holloway. I believe it was completed in 1999, a year before I built my own dream house. I always loved the way they captured the most out of the voluptuously treed corner lot – we are talking Hollow Way and Falls Road, capiche? — with the drive way and angled port-cochere. And I loved that when when we were all hauling Leuders stone up from the quarries in the Hill Country, these folks opted for brick. The lot was probably one of the best in the Honey Pot, and I believe they cleared a ’50’s ranch for this home. You get a whopping 1.05 acres. Then the house has 7,151 square feet with five or six bedrooms, six and a half baths, four living areas plus a study plus a library — in other words, one room can be functional, the other “on display”. I get so sick of seeing these “studies” in all the homes I tour that are so dang perfect. Does anyone really work there? My “study”, a.k.a. office, is a mess because I have stacks of house brochures and notes all over the place, which is how real people work. But I digress: there is an upstairs den/media room, a warm kitchen that evokes a home in the Rockies, garage parking for 3 automobiles, more if you include the port-cochere.5433 Falls foyer5433 Falls living room 5433 Falls dining room 5433 Falls Family room 5433 Falls kitchen 2 5433 Falls kitchenInside, the hallmarks of a finely built home at the turn of the 21st century: high ceilings, thick moldings, walnut woods and Italian tile floors, gorgeous light fixtures and pretty hardware, curved corners. There is the standard foyer deal with grand staircase, custom iron balustrade, formal living room, formal dining room. Straight ahead and partaking of the outdoors is the huge family room with three sets of French doors overlooking the rear grounds. The ceiling holds majestic reclaimed beams. I love this: there is a large bar area with a 75-bottle SubZero wine refrigerator and a large wine storage vault nearby, which is how you entertain. I actually worry about some of these basement wine cellars: if guests over-imbibe, they might trip up the steps!

Now here is something you do not see in every $3.5 million dollar home: custom Christopher Peacock cabinetry, knotty pine, very Hamptons-like. This kitchen has it all plus a huge walk-in pantry, Dacor range with 6-burner gas cook-top and double ovens, built-in SubZero refrigerator/freezer, extra fridge and freezer drawers, one of those farm sinks that I just love, and an additional veggie sink with instant hot water to blanch those little carrots.

5433 Falls keeping room 5433 Falls libraryYou can tell this home is a close-knit family home. Why? The guest room is downstairs with full bath, and then the formal study (which also has a full bath) could be an additional bedroom, number 6, should you be Mormon or something. Or it could be a nice study for your guests to enjoy, or you! But the master is upstairs with three additional bedrooms; these folks wanted to be close to their kids. And the master is decked out with a separate sitting area, large spa bath with dual vanities, separate steam shower and jetted tub, water closet AND a bidet (I’m impressed: I have not seen many bidets as of late, are they still making them?)  and two huge separate closets, his and her’s.

5433 Falls master 5433 Falls master bathSo you have the children’s bedrooms and that den/media room on this floor, plus you have a second story library.

Of course there is an outdoor living component that is covered, a beautiful rock pool and spa, and that glorious wooded acre-plus lot that still has room for more sports development. In fact, the grass is so sumptuous I thought there was a putting green. Adding one is a piece of cake to do.

This home has what you should get when you drop $3.5 million — asking is $3,595,000: at least four living areas, three to four dining areas, bar and wine storage, at least a 3-car garage, media room and as many bedrooms as you need. In my opinion, this house has PLENTY: six bedrooms for FIVE kids and parents! And the flexibility of having that guest room down means it would be an easy deal to turn that into a brand-new downstairs master

Then too, there is this nice surprise: a Keeping Room off the breakfast area. You know how I adore a Keeping room.

5433 Falls rock pool 5433 Falls patio 5433 Falls rear yardAnd location, well, how can it get any better? New home construction in the area is going for $575. per square foot at least, this one is $502. and is on God’s Little Green Tree Acre. See why I think it’s a keeper?

 

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

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