Creekside Peconic home on market for $2.495 million
On a dead-end road in Peconic, mahogany doors and window frames live within cedar-paneled walls. Exposed brick coexists with terrazzo-tile floors. White kitchen cabinets and countertops offset knot-speckled wood ceilings.
But the interior of the Wells Road house has not always looked this way. Scott Murphy purchased the creek-side property a year and a half ago for $1.4 million and put nearly $700,000 into a full renovation, by his estimate. Today, the three-bedroom, 2½ bath home — fully furnished — is on the market for $2.495 million and listed by Scott Bennett for Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
"Architecturally, it’s a very interesting house," said Murphy, who owns the Shelter Island-based architectural design firm DIRT. "It’s got a midcentury modern ... look and feel from the inside. From the outside, it’s a little bit hard to describe."
Large, rectangular windows punctuate ash-colored vertical panels on the home's exterior. Inside, Murphy "leaned into sort of the '70s aesthetic" while renovating and furnishing the 3,364-square-foot space, he said. He and his wife, Lidia A. Murphy, have lived there for the past two months while renting out their primary Shelter Island residence.
"The house itself had such good architectural bones and such good materials," Murphy said. "I don’t think anything had been done to the house since the early '80s when the house was built. So, it was a pretty monumental effort to basically just replace everything."
Murphy bought the home knowing it would be one of his "project houses," and has since brought its systems up to "today’s standards." Renovations included updates to the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, doors and windows, and HVAC, electric and plumbing systems.
The 1.35-acre property, which includes an outdoor shower, overlooks Richmond Creek and offers access to the water. The address falls within the Southold Union Free School District. Annual taxes total $10,490.69.
"My wife and I moved into the house to just enjoy it because we love it so much, for these last two months," he said. "But now we’re going to be moving back to Shelter Island. It's time to, sadly, let it go."