Sitting Pretty

Regal yet welcoming, this jewel of a home was designed as the primary residence for a "captain of industry," says custom builder Jordan Saper, who calls the $14 million home in Greenwich, Conn., his own - for now.

"When I build a home for myself, it is always with an eye toward reselling it," says Saper, who with Eric Schwartz operates Pemberwick Building Corp., the largest builder of spec homes in some of the most exclusive residential markets on the East Coast.

The secret to Saper's success at turning out marketable, multimillion-dollar spec homes is his keen understanding of what his discriminating buyers desire. "They want a very traditional home. Anything that even hints at being post-modern is the kiss of death for this area," says Saper. "But I find that while my buyers are drawn to an old home because they love its character, they still want it to live like a new house. This combination of features just does not exist in a home that is 40 or 50 years old or more, and it is too expensive to try to accomplish this through remodeling."
 

Saper's goal for this 20,000-square-foot, Colonial-style showplace was to balance what his market perceives as traditional design with a bright, open environment that reflects how people want to live today. "You have to be able to achieve this without sacrificing the traditional character of the home," says Saper, who uses elaborate millwork and historically inspired architectural elements to artfully "age" a home's interior.

Saper has amassed a library of historical architecture books that he has painstakingly cross-referenced to highlight favorite design elements. "I note things like great fireplaces, chimneys and even gardens," he says. "With this project, I looked for features that interested me and then incorporated them into its design. I like to weave a variety of elements together in the house."

Saper's eclectic approach works beautifully in this home, interior designer Patricia Hill says, because of his consistent use of things such as Brazilian cherry flooring, detailed trim and period fixtures of crystal, pewter and brass. "In addition," she says, "the rooms are large enough to allow each to have its own character. There is also a great flow to the floor plan that makes it very livable."
 

The modernness of the home's living space is subliminal by design, Saper says. "The floor plan is much more contemporary in terms of room arrangement than one would realize at first. We created big, open spaces, not by eliminating walls, like in a contemporary home, but by using much larger door openings."

The main floor has formal living and dining rooms, a library, a sun room, a spacious kitchen and family room, and two guest rooms, each with a private full bath. Upstairs, the master retreat has a sitting room and his-and-her baths separated by an exquisitely appointed dressing hall. Five bedrooms access a 1,200-square-foot playroom with a kitchenette and built-in media center.

Saper opted for cathedral ceilings rather than attic space for the rooms on the upper level. "Nobody really uses attics anyway, and this becomes another great way to add drama and light to a room," he says.
 

Another important element of this home is a 7,000-square-foot finished basement that includes an indoor pool, a home theater, a play center and even batting cages. "People love a finished basement," Saper says, "but they want it have walk-out access because this makes it feel more like real living space."

Saper had extra-tall foundation walls poured and added structural steel supports in the ceiling so vertical support columns weren't necessary. "Nothing interrupts the space," he says. "It's one big, indestructible room."

But having a walk-out basement be visible from the outside of a home is objectionable, Saper says, particularly for such a grand, traditional house. So in addition to using stone walls and mature trees for landscaping, he had the site regraded with more than 10,000 yards of additional soil to disguise the walk-out element.

"The addition of the living space in the basement increases the scope of the home's market appeal," Hill says. "It's a wonderful place for a homeownerÆs children or grandchildren."

More than 5,000 square feet of exterior terrace surround the home, which sits on a 5-acre site.

Style of Home Colonial
Location Greenwich, Conn.
Total Square Footage 20,000
Hard Costs $400 per square foot
Market Value $14 million
Builder Pemberwick Building Corp., Greenwich
Architect Moisan Architects, Woodbury, Conn.
Interior Designer Patricia Hill Designs, Greenwich
Interior Woodwork Renaissance Millwork, Brookfield, Conn.
Major Products Used Appliances: Sub-Zero (refrigerators, freezer, wine cooler), Viking (six-burner stove, griddle, charcoal grill, ovens), Miele (dishwashers) | Specialty Wood: Enkeboll Designs | Marble/Tile: Walker Zanger | Countertops: granite | Cabinetry: custom maple | Windows: Norwood