When Geert Martens and Ray Murray purchased an overgrown piece of waterfront property in Mattituck, they wanted to build a home that reflected the houses they vacationed at in St. Barts. The modern home they constructed, which has since been featured on Travel Channel’s “Amazing Vacation Homes,” is now on the market for $1.95 million.
Martens and Murray, before having the house built in 2001, had developed an appreciation for the layout of St. Bart’s outdoors-oriented properties. “They were set up around the courtyard, with the main house on one side, the guesthouse on one side, garage on one side, pool house on another side,” Martens says. “We wanted to achieve that look as well.” Their property in Mattituck was long, with about 315 feet next to a creek off the Great Peconic Bay, but narrow at about 150 feet wide, Martens says. To create a courtyard feeling on the parcel, Martens says architect Bill Bialosky aligned each of the property’s features, from the garage to the main house to a covered patio to the pool to the cabana.
“Most people that come to our house say it feels a bit like a resort,” Martens says. The cedar-sided house, with three bedrooms and 4-1/2 bathrooms, features a great room with maple floors, 23-foot wood-planked ceilings, and walls of glass offering water views. “You walk in and right away you see the creek in front of you,” Martens says.
In addition to a chef’s kitchen with a center island and black-honed granite countertops, the great room includes a dining area and a living room with a fireplace. Off the living room are glass-pane doors that open to a waterside covered deck with an outdoor fireplace. That overlooks an in-ground pool and deck that leads to a cabana with a full bathroom.
A first-floor master bedroom features a bathroom and a private deck with a hot tub. The house, with an indoor and outdoor surround sound system, also includes a loft and a finished basement featuring a full bath with a steam shower.
On 1.12 acres, the property boasts two outdoor showers, a private dock and a detached two-car garage that’s tiled and heated and includes a sound system. The property, represented by Sheri Winter Parker of The Corcoran Group, was featured on Travel Channel in 2006, Martens says. The home, he adds, was also featured in Dwell magazine, which focused on the design of the house, and Garden Design magazine, which highlighted the home’s Jacuzzi and outdoor living space in a feature on how to extend summers into fall.
