Real Estate for Sale: Virgin Islands, US, St. Croix Westend house for sale - 2br/2ba luxury home - Little La Grange

Asking Price: $449,000
Location: Little La Grange
City: Frederiksted
State/Province: Virgin Islands
Country: US
Type: Single Family

This open and inviting 2200 square foot home is a two bedroom, two bath, situated on three-quarter acres of gently sloping wooded land in Estate Little La Grange, approximately a one mile drive from the historic seaside town of Frederiksted. With an elevation of 222 feet above sea level, this home enjoys almost continuous gentle breezes and a lofty view of Frederiksted and the azure waters of the Caribbean. A covered porch provides the perfect spot to relax at the end of the day and experience the tranquility of a Caribbean sunset.
The primary living areas are all on the main level and provide a spacious feel with high walls and tray ceilings. Hand crafted moldings and imported tiles accent the décor. The exterior doors are custom crafted iron in tropical designs with English security locks and fitted screens. Design considerations such as a large pantry room adjoining the kitchen, a ‘mud room’ with shower and exterior entrance to rinse off from a day at the beach, and a cedar lined walk-in closet in the master suite make this home both a beautiful and comfortable residence. Stone retaining walls terrace areas around the home and gently sloping walkways connect the front of the home to the lower level and the spacious back yard.
The back yard, like the front, is landscaped with mature trees and shrubs, both indigenous and exotic, as well as a number of endangered or threatened species. At differing times of the year, the property is graced with the unmistakably tropical scent of evening jasmine or night-blooming cereus, and the eye is delighted by the vibrant reds of blooming Flamboyant (Royal Poinciana) trees, the delicate blues of lignum vitae blossoms and the variegated red and gold foliage of numerous crotons. After a stroll around the grounds, the patio at the rear of the home provides a truly magnificent place to sit and contemplate one’s good fortune at living in such lush surroundings.
With access from the living room and the master bedroom, the rear patio is really an extension of the primary living area of the home. Tropical foliage trailing from custom planters incorporated into the top of the privacy wall at the north end of the patio draw the eye to a unique stone-faced water garden with lilies, papyrus and tropical fish. A waterfall trickles pleasantly and the creates a relaxing spot to sit and sip a cool drink while imagining that one is vacationing in the Mediterranean , rather than living in America’s own tropical paradise.
The original 800 square foot structure, (which now comprises the dining room, kitchen and 2nd bedroom), was built about 1964. Like most homes in the Virgin Islands, it is concrete block construction. We bought the house in 1995 and have increased the home’s size to 2217 square feet of inside space with 360 square feet of covered porch and balcony, as well as the 600 square foot patio with Jacuzzi. The extensive remodeling of the original structure was done with an eye toward maximizing the enjoyment of the home’s delightful location and also of keeping the home wheelchair-accessible for the disabled. Additionally, much of the exterior was landscaped and graded to be wheelchair friendly. A gray water system was added to used shower and laundry water for landscaping purposes.
The entire roof is ribbed steel roofing panels over ¾” treated plywood sheathing which is both screwed and glued to the rafters. The new factory-finished galvalume steel roof was installed in late 2006 and is warranted for a full 20 years. With approximately 2,500 square feet, the roof easily collects sufficient rainwater to keep the home’s 22,000 gallon cistern full, even in the dry season.
The cistern water is delivered to the home’s plumbing by an electric pump with pressure tank, and all water passes through a state-of-the-art ultraviolet water purification system before entering the piping system, to ensure safe drinking water for even the most sensitive of systems. In the event that the municipal electric utility should go down, a ten kilowatt gasoline backup generator will supply all the electric needs of the home. The generator is equipped with a transfer switch to make switching from the grid to self-generation simple and safe. Additionally, the master bedroom and central living area are served by 12 volt emergency lighting for convenience and an added measure of safety.