Posted: Sat, 15 May 2010 11:37 AM - 129 Readers
By: Nicole Villalpando
The 8,659-square-foot house at 214 Costa Bella Drive is on the market
for $4,995,000.
Tom and Diana Fitzgerald's Costa Bella waterfront estate provides a quiet respite on 3.3 acres.
The Fitzgeralds, whose two children have left the nest, are downsizing from this 8,659-square-foot, house built in 2002. They plan on staying in the Lakeway area and again will work with the builders of this home, Sierra Custom Homes Inc. Tom Fitzgerald is in the education publishing industry.
They have put their five-bedroom, 51/2-bathroom house at 214 Costa Bella Drive on the market for $4,995,000. Mike Hammonds of Moreland Properties has the listing. Hammonds says it is the first waterfront property on the market in Costa Bella in 21/2 years.
Enter the stucco-and-limestone house through the curved entryway with its wood, glass and wrought-iron doors made by Durango Doors. The Italian-inspired home has been carefully faux-finished to give it the feel of an older villa on the Mediterranean. Domes, columns and arches crown the rooms.
Step down through two sets of two-story columns to the family room with its expansive view of the pool and Lake Travis. The limestone extends up one wall around the fireplace. Travertine surrounds the fireplace mantel.
French doors that lead to the balcony are set into a wall of arched windows.
A formal living room sits across one side of the domed foyer. This side of the house leads to the master bedroom suite with access to a balcony. Separate walk-in closets offer island drawers along with the many built-ins. The bathroom provides a walk-in shower, a whirlpool tub, two separate toilet areas and an exercise area.
On the other side of the foyer is the dining room with arched doorways and a grand arch for a buffet table to rest underneath.
A powder room with a mural of the Italian countryside sits across from the dining room.
The nearby kitchen is airy, with granite counters and faux-finished wood to give it an aged look. The counters wrap around to provide a breakfast bar that also has a sink in it. A pentagon-shaped island orients the kitchen toward the lake views. Panels that match the cabinets cover the refrigerator/freezer. Throughout the kitchen, carved spindles frame some of the cabinets. The kitchen flows into the breakfast room, which has a built-in banquette with windows on two sides.
On this side of the house, a sitting room offers access to the patios and a tucked-in small office. A larger office with built-in shelves is nearby. It offers an alcove for printer space or for a secretary to work.
A mother-in-law suite features a large walk-in shower with a bench.
The laundry room with built-in cabinets and a double sink and a four-car garage are nearby.
Upstairs offers three bedrooms. Two of them share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. The third has its own bathroom. The second bedroom and the third bedroom open onto a balcony, which looks out onto Lake Travis. A sitting area with a Juliet balcony over the foyer is also on this floor.
The home offers an elevator from the second floor to the main floor and then to the lower level. The lower level becomes a large game room that doubles as a media room. Inside the game room is a mini-kitchen with a microwave, sink and mini-refrigerator. A music room sits off the game room. A bathroom provides an easy changing spot for people enjoying the nearby pool and hot tub.
The property sits on 162 feet of waterfront. Walk or take a golf cart down the path to the boat dock, which has room for a boat and two personal watercraft.
The property sits at the end of Costa Bella Drive, which it shares with another house to the left. To the right is a protected greenbelt.
The home is totally automated, and all of its water comes from the lake. The builder also used rock found on the property to surround the pool.
Hammonds says the future homeowner will appreciate the privacy and the lake. "It really shines," he says. "And the cove still had water last year."
