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New Elevated Home Rises to the Occasion in Miami Beach

On Miami Beach’s prestigious and star-studded Rivo Alto Island, it’s occasion enough when you find a new construction home. But an elevated home? Now that’s truly singular.

Listed by Danny Hertzberg, Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg of The Jills Zeder Group, who represent developer Francisco Perez Yoma, founder of Empresas FPY, a Chile-based construction and real estate group, the recently completed 5,500 square-foot contemporary masterpiece rests on ten-foot columns, raising the home to 16.5 feet above sea level.

Danny Hertzberg, who worked with the design team from inception, says the elevated three-story design was not only their response to potential sea-level rise, but also provided a unique opportunity to offer all of the main living areas on the second floor with floor-to-ceiling views of the bay.

“We created a floorplan that you would never see in a home in Miami Beach,” says the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® Property Specialist. “Typically it’s the second level — the bedroom level — that has the ‘wow’ views. But with the elevated design, you can be standing in the kitchen and see out to downtown Miami and cruise ships from the Port of Miami.”

Accessed by an architecturally stunning staircase or an elevator, the second floor houses the open concept living room, family room, dining room and kitchen all with expansive water and pool views. The MiaCucina-designed gourmet kitchen features Statuario marble countertops and top-of-the-line Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. Exquisitely appointed to the highest level of luxury, custom finishes include white oak and marble floors throughout and Carrara marble accent walls. A detached guest house/home office also resides on this level, with a separate entrance and full bathroom featuring a rain shower, staff quarters with a full bathroom and laundry room — “which facilitates the new work-from-home lifestyles and would allow the owner to take work meetings away from the main residence,” adds Hertzberg. The home was in the early stages of construction during the pandemic, when home offices and flex spaces became highly sought-after amenities. As a result, the design team was able to make real-time floorplan changes based on luxury consumers’ shifting lifestyles and expectations for their homes.

“They took all of the data that I was collecting in the field and they applied it to the design,” says Hertzberg. “The guest suite is a prime example of us embracing forward-thinking construction and trends. We thought people might use it as a sixth bedroom suite for guests who want their own space or a home office since the homeowner could conduct work meetings away from the house. It could also be a gym, where a trainer could come and not ever need to enter the main house.”

The third floor encompasses the principal suite and three guest rooms. The luxurious and expansive principal bedroom offers “epic” water views and separate dual bathrooms and closets echoing a high-end boutique. “Because the third level is so elevated,” notes Hertzberg, “you’re not getting just western views — you’re also getting south-facing views.” The second and third floors offer wraparound balconies.

Unlike traditional beach houses on stilts, the property has a shaded entertainment space under the house, giving it a third level that creates an open-air covered space with all of its outdoor amenities, including a custom outdoor kitchen, dining and living rooms. Beyond, a waterfront pool overlooks a private dock and 60’ of water frontage with wide bay views. The pool provided the team with yet another chance to incorporate the design trends of the moment.

“I kept hearing from clients, ‘We want to be able to swim during the pandemic,’ so we didn’t do a plunge pool, which would have been a more expected offering,” notes Hertzberg. “We extended the pool, so it goes all the way under the understory. That’s not something you see in new construction homes.”

Evoking a luxurious tropical feel, the estate incorporates natural elements such as massive planters on all levels, in addition to a specimen tree surrounded by a water garden at the home’s entrance. Automobile storage with room for six cars includes a 2-car garage and 2-car carport.

The estate’s location on the Venetian Islands is one of the most desirable in the state of Florida — home to celebrities, socialites and business moguls. The area’s easy ocean access and walkability to Sunset Harbor is also a sought-after combination — a rarity in affluent single-family areas of Miami Beach and a major plus for buyers who are from walkable cities like New York City or San Francisco. “You can walk to coffee shops, bars, cafes and grocery stores,” adds Hertzberg.

Between the location and all of the forward-thinking touches, cutting-edge smart home technology and bespoke finishes, the consumer-centric home truly offers a living experience unlike any other in Miami Beach.

“The feedback I’ve gotten from buyers is that they feel like it’s a home that they would design for themselves,” says Hertzberg. “That to me, says we checked all of the boxes.”

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New Elevated Home Rises to the Occasion in Miami Beach

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