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Old 07-10-2011, 07:59 PM
 
Location: Michigan
14 posts, read 27,325 times
Reputation: 13

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I read and loved the idea of a "Not So Big House" written by architect Sarah Susanka and wondered if there are any homes or communities on Sanibel that follow this concept? In a nutshell, she advocates smaller square foot, but exquisitely crafted homes. In my home hunting experience on Sanibel, many homes are very large and the few smaller homes I looked at were often poorly built. I would love to find a small gem of a house. Any suggestions of neighborhoods or areas to look at? Thank you!
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Old 07-11-2011, 08:07 AM
 
376 posts, read 910,404 times
Reputation: 180
Your best bet might be to buy a lot & build that right sized home ...BTW the older CBS homes are my fav on Sanibel. Mainly built by Michigan homes in the 60's & 70's, those homes have withstood a lot of time and weather. There's one for sale on Rabbit RD for under 300K, last time I looked.

Good luck!
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Old 07-11-2011, 04:32 PM
 
Location: Cape Coral, FL
646 posts, read 1,641,583 times
Reputation: 380
You could buy a lot and build whatever you want. To date, the cheapest lot for sale on MLS is 139k.

What are you looking to spend?

check out:

201105569 Nice home

I looked up NSBH, cute homes. However, does she have a plan for hurricane safe homes?

Let me know if I can help in any way.
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Old 07-11-2011, 10:51 PM
 
Location: on the edge of Sanity
14,268 posts, read 18,923,606 times
Reputation: 7982
I agree with TwoBums. Don't let the age of the house fool you. I'm not sure what you mean by "poorly built," but any house that has survived the past several hurricanes is probably well built IMO.

To build on Sanibel, of course you'll need to follow the strict building codes. Figure on paying about $250/sf of living space, plus the lot.

By the way, I'm surprised you had the experience of seeing mostly larger homes. What do you consider small? There are a lot of small cottages on Sanibel, although I don't know if they're currently for sale. You might consider remodeling an older home.

It's difficult to recommend a neighborhood on the island, since there are no bad ones! It depends on how close you want to be with nature.
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Old 07-17-2011, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Michigan
14 posts, read 27,325 times
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Thank you all for the comments. If I could describe a "perfect house" on Sanibel it would be between 1500-3000 sq. feet, with CBS construction, near beach, code elevation (not ground floor). I am a gardener and would like room to garden. I am NOT a golfer and do not want to be in a golf community. Ideally, it would have a "natural" yard in a neighborhood with other "natural" yards. We had the experience last year of being in an area where every morning at 8:00 AM sharp, the landscape crews would rev up their mowers and trimmers and virtually all day long they were working on the landscape of one house or another, all within earshot. We would prefer more "natural" landscaping around us to avoid that constant din. We are very flexible on cost. We would consider an old home needing a complete remodel if in a great location. Again, in a perfect world, we would be near the bike path, but not on a busy main road.
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Old 07-17-2011, 02:51 PM
 
Location: on the edge of Sanity
14,268 posts, read 18,923,606 times
Reputation: 7982
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlevoix View Post
I would love to find a small gem of a house.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlevoix View Post
Thank you all for the comments. If I could describe a "perfect house" on Sanibel it would be between 1500-3000 sq.
To me, 1500 isn't small and 3000 is huge, but I suppose it's all relative. Good luck in your search! Sanibel is a beautiful place to live.
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Old 07-17-2011, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Michigan
14 posts, read 27,325 times
Reputation: 13
Thanks for the clarification justNancy, you are of course right---there is a huge difference between 1500 and 3000 square feet. We just were trying not to rule out 75% of the homes available by saying we only wanted something 1500 sq. ft. If I had my choice, I would prefer something closer to 1500 sq. ft.
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Old 07-22-2011, 01:01 PM
 
15 posts, read 34,205 times
Reputation: 11
what price range are you looking for in Sanibel? Quite a few good deals on sanibel right now.
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Old 07-29-2011, 08:16 AM
 
515 posts, read 1,589,956 times
Reputation: 218
what hidden fee's does Sanibel tack on to a home sale, if any? I'm sure taxes are KILLER there also. I'd love to find a bungalow out there to "get away from it all" on the weekends.
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Old 07-29-2011, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Seaford, DE
1,915 posts, read 3,910,003 times
Reputation: 1340
Informative thread....fell in love with Sanibel myself this summer and would prefer to relocate there instead of Cape Coral in a couple years--suits my lifestyle. What a lovely island! I don't blame a poster for desiring a natural setting either. Hearing lawnmowers and weed whackers all day long is not only disruptive to human life but to wildlife as well.
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