New-construction Victorian homes and other properties designed to look like they’re from the 19th century or earlier offer the best of both worlds: classic architecture with modern amenities.
“Not everyone wants historic homes that are old, with all of the potential pitfalls that an old house has,” says real-estate broker Melanie Delman, who sells new and old estates in upscale Newport, R.I. “Lots of people have a ‘no muss, no fuss’ mentality.”
That’s why more upscale developers are building houses that look like homes from the 1800s on the outside but are wholly 21st-century properties on the inside. These homes typically feature Victorian, Queen Anne or Baronial exteriors that belie the whole-house audio systems, chef’s kitchens and spa bathrooms you’ll find by stepping through the front door.
“New-construction homes offer the kind of open spaces, modern entertainment systems and energy-efficient building materials that you couldn’t get in the 19th century,” Delman says. “Old homes have timeless designs, but we live differently than people did way back when.”
Here are five superpremium homes for sale on Realtor.com that combine new-construction finishes with classic good looks.
Sterling Hall Estate, Atlanta
Asking price: $10 million
Listing agent: Troy Stowe, Beacham & Co. Realtors, 404-890-7635
This European Rustic-style mansion mixes a classic brick-and-limestone finish on the outside with all sorts of modern conveniences on the inside, including a central vacuum system and a private elevator.
Built last year, the home has seven bedrooms, 12 fireplaces, a four-car attached garage and 14 full or half bathrooms. One-of-a-kind amenities include an outdoor grotto with a sunken hot tub and fireplace, and an eight-seat home theater modeled on Atlanta’s landmark Fox Theatre.
A few houses down from the Georgia governor’s mansion, the acre property also has a heated pool, manicured grounds and formal gardens.
Heartridge Estate, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Asking price: $9 million
Listing agent: Nicki LaPorta and Karen Chrystal, Ewing & Associates Sotheby’s International Real Estate, 818-575-9915
This Queen Anne Victorian looks like something out of the 19th century but was built in 2002.
This home in the Santa Monica Mountains 10 miles west of Los Angeles has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms and plenty of old-fashioned touches, including a wraparound front veranda and a private gazebo. The home’s wood-paneled study, claw-foot master bathroom tub and other old-style amenities give the house a 19th-century feel. But it also has all sorts of 21st-century accoutrements, including a Crestron whole-house audio-video-security system and five-zone heating and air conditioning.
The 20.5-acre gated estate’s other amenities include a saltwater pool, a 10-seat home theater complete with a concession stand, popcorn maker and bar, and elaborate fruit and vegetable gardens. There’s even a Queen Anne-style doghouse for your pooch, complete with a gabled roof, white-picket fence and window boxes adorned with flowers.
Heath Street home, Brookline, Mass.
Asking price: $5 million
Listing agent: Mona Wiener, Hammond Residential Real Estate, 617-872-1406
This home offers a classic Colonial look even though it was built this year. The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house has plenty of old-school touches, including hardwood floors and three fireplaces. But it also has many modern amenities, such as a whole-house audio system, a three-car attached garage and a spa bathroom in the master bedroom suite.
Located on an acre lot in Boston’s tony Brookline suburb, the house is about five miles from downtown Boston, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. You can see more details here.
Ella Terrace home, Newport, R.I.
Asking price: $3.4 million
Listing agent: Melanie Delman and Robin Nicholson, Lila Delman Real Estate, 401-284-4820
This Shingle-style estate is so new that workers are still adding the finishing touches. It’s on a half-acre lot just off of Ocean Avenue, the most exclusive address in Newport, R.I., long the Atlantic Ocean playground of choice for East Coast “old money” families.
Designed to fit in with Ocean Avenue’s 19th-century homes, this four-bedroom-suite, six-bathroom house features quarter-sawn oak floors, a wraparound porch and three Pennsylvania fieldstone fireplaces, including one that’s outdoors.
But 21st-century features also abound, including a whole-house Polk audio system and Carrier high-efficiency heating and air conditioning with special heat-recovery ventilation. The home is just steps from a private beach, open only to neighborhood residents.