Gulf of Mexico Drive home turns heads on Longboat Key

Architect Jerry Sparkman's "Boathouse II," on the north end of Longboat Key, takes a different approach.

By Sten Spinella
| 11:10 a.m. August 28, 2019

The home in question. Photo by Sten Spinella.

Longboat Key
News

One home at 5860 Gulf of Mexico Drive distinguishes itself from others on Longboat Key because it doesn’t try too hard.

Designed by Jerry Sparkman of Sweet Sparkman Architects, the building, dubbed “Boathouse II” is in addition to an existing structure at the address. The name is derived from the original boathouse on the property, overlooking Sarasota Bay on the east side of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

“Boathouse II” features cypress siding and a design not typically seen around these parts.

“It’s a smart house, it's elevated, it allows you to see through it,” Sparkman said. “So instead of seeing a house on the ground, you see a view of the site and the water, it has kind a framing quality, which is quite nice. And again, it just comes out of how simply can we touch the ground, how simply can we make an honest house.”

Architect Jerry Sparkman of Sweet Sparkman Architects designed the house.

The homeowners wanted to remain private (ownership is listed as a limited liability corporation with a Cortez address). Public records list property value at $816,384.

The home was designed in about six months and built in less than a year. Sparkman designed the whole site with features such as a pool and improvements to the original boathouse. He said his rates are typical of most architects – a fee from a percentage of construction costs. “It’s usually based around a reasonable percentage depending on complexity and scope,” he said.

In this case, elevation creating a framing quality coincides with the practicality of the home. Sparkman acknowledged some of the difficulties that come with building on the shoreline, and “Boathouse II’s” elevation prevents the home from flooding.

Sparkman also said that the coast is a corrosive environment, so he had to be mindful about materials that could hold up to the elements and make sure they were durable. He also planned to deal with up to 160-mile-per-hour winds.

“It addresses those elements head on, and I believe in that kind of design,” Sparkman said. He values homes that can weather well, last long and look good.

Sparkman said he worked with this client for a long time on another project. He took their direction of building a modest house complementing the property and its location without overdoing anything and ran with it.

While he has designed numerous homes, Sparkman said this is the first he’s done of this scale on Longboat. Sparkman noted that the island tends to generate larger, more expensive homes. “Boathouse II” stands in stark contrast with its express purpose of avoiding over-indulgence.

“I think that people naturally find small homes attractive,” Sparkman said. “When I've done smaller homes, smaller guest houses, they resonate with people. There’s an intimacy about the scale.”

A hand-drawn sketch of an early concept, back when "Boathouse II" was envisioned as a two-story structure. Photo courtesy of Sweet Sparkman Architects.

Longboat is a real estate hub, and Sparkman said there’s probably competition amongst residents for architects, builders, etc. He praised the work of his local peers and said he hopes this house can be a positive addition to the architecture of the area.

“You’re doing something for an owner, and when it’s built, we’re really doing something for the community, and I hope that house contributes in a positive way,” Sparkman said.

Longboaters renovate rather than move

Well-known Longboaters are ingraining themselves even more in the community by conducting significant renovations on their homes.

Larry Greenspon, along with Bob and Shannon Gault are upgrading their Longboat dwellings – building permits indicate Greenspon's project reaches past $1 million and Gault's approximately $750,000. Neither wanted to speak to the specific overall price, and noted that renovation costs can fluctuate.

The houses share similarities. They’re 30-plus years old, and Greenspon and Gault both used the same phrasing – “good bones” – to describe them.

Greenspon has been living in Longboat since 1992, with time spent varying depending on the year. He’s lived in the Gulf of Mexico Drive home he’s renovating now since 2002.

“The house is 30 years old, and it is on a beautiful piece of land right by the Gulf. I love it,” he said. “But the house was getting dated, and there’s only so much you can do with furniture.”

Gault and Greenspon agreed on the particular challenge of finding some combination of a great contractor, architect and builder to do the work. Greenspon said the time it will take – work won’t be done until the winter – is a bit inconvenient too. He may rent nearby to closely monitor the process.

Gault has owned property on Longboat since 1997. He’s lived on the island full-time for about 12 years. The home undergoing renovations was built in 1978. His decision to renovate, like Greenspon’s, came from a desire to stay on Longboat and amongst friends.

“Our first objective when we decided to downsize was to remain on Longboat,” Gault said. “The second priority was we wanted to be on the water. We found this place in South Bay Isles. The house was an older house, and we looked at building a new house.”

But, Gault said, they ultimately landed on a renovation.

“We decided to just completely update the house with current finishes and make it more of a coastal home,” he said.

Gault hopes to begin construction within the next couple weeks. He said he and his wife are excited about the town’s underground utilities project as well as the possibility of a St. Regis hotel being built where the Colony used to be.

Greenspon summed up life on Longboat well.

“I always do my morning meditation out by the pool, looking over the Gulf and with my little doggies,” he said. “I’ll sit out there in the evening and enjoy the sunset. People pay a lot of money to go to places to do that. I can do it on a daily basis.”