Sunset Living

The Manasota Bay, Fla., home's modern design complements the serene backdrop. A waterfall, right crowns the spa that leads to a spillway into the lap-swimming pool.

The custom home's location inspired the details and features throughout the house — from the structural design to the interior finishes — and both enhance the owners' experience of the ocean, beach and a forest of palmettos.

Inspirational View

"The roofscape is celebrated," says Peterson of the three-barrel vault roof that characterizes the home's design. Inside the home, lofty arched volumes accentuate the 180-degree ocean view. The view inspired the design and building process.

Three pavilions comprise the home's design parti. One pavilion is angled away from the paired pavilions by 30 degrees. As a spatial motif, each of the three pavilions is built with a considerable amount of open space and minimal dividing walls.

In the far pavilion, one living room centers around the view of the Gulf, another centers around a fireplace and the third focuses on views of the entrance to the property and the built-in entertainment center, which has an aquarium.

Between the two pavilions, a bridge sets the formal dining room apart with glass flooring flanking each side. Underneath the middle pavilion, long, granite countertops, a granite cooking island and top-of-the-line appliances support a gourmet kitchen. The terrace off the kitchen offers a sunny breakfast room.

The master study and workout room can be accessed via the guest quarters, the spiral staircase leading from the master suite or the pool.

A reflecting pool gives the staircase an ethereal presence. This entranceway is the only habitable space on the first floor; the rest of the first-floor goes to several garages and storage. Coastline regulations mandate that lower level spaces not be habitable below nineteen feet above sea level because they could be badly damaged or completely wiped out in a severe storm. Anything below this level must be frangible, says Walker, including the pool, landscaping and hardscaping.

The home is primarily concrete construction. Walls are concrete masonry units covered in painted stucco, and the structural system is a rigid concrete frame with load-bearing masonry walls. The roof is made with cold-rolled steel and sheathed with galvanized aluminum standing seam decking, also rolled to an approximately a 9-foot radius. In the warm Florida climate, the concrete walls cool during the evenings, which lower the home's temperature during the day.

Turkish limestone with fossilized stones is used continuously throughout the home. Soft brown hues and stone flooring mirror the beach.

Walker faced incredible challenges during the planning and construction phases of the project. The land for the home borders a protected environmental preserve, so the team erected a fence at the site; at no time could so much a paper cup pass the protection line.

The project had to be accepted by the state of Florida because it was to be built seaward of the state-approved construction line. The home is also in a FEMA flood zone, so the team had to make many site accommodations such as adding 32- to 35-foot pilings into the ground. The crew also fielded frequent unannounced visits by experienced state and local code, environmental and mitigation officials.

Also, at no time could the project either during or after construction emit more than a specific level of light due to the Turtle Protection Ordinance Requirement that limits lighting on the coastal side of the home.

The most difficult challenge, however, was building a tall building on a narrow site, which made the project difficult to execute, says Walker.

"Because they could not go beyond the construction-erected fence, it made construction feel like a balancing act to reach far parts of the home." The master suite, for example, was built from only the poolside.

"This was one of his best designs, I believe. I always jump at the chance to work with Peterson," says Walker.

The project took 18 months to complete despite amazing construction challenges and careful scrutiny.