Page 23 - Tuckahoe Road_31

Breakfast Nook
AN INTERVIEW WITH DON AND MAUREEN ANDERSON
PROUD HOMEOWNERS ON TUCKAHOE ROAD SINCE 1996

WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS HOME?
We custom built this home in 1996. We found the plans we wanted and in working
with a general contractor, built what we still think of as our “dream home”. We worked
for a year perfecting the plan, and specifying and selecting every single item and feature
in the home.

PLEASE DESCRIBE THE RENOVATION PROCESS ...
Over the course of the years, we made many improvements: added the cherry built-ins to
the library, finished the 4th BR with its separate stair, added the full bath and closet, added
a 4th bay to the original 3 car garage to accommodate a “lift”, finished the lower level and
added the exercise suite, media room, wine cellar and craft center. We also reconstructed and
added stone walls.

DID YOU EVER CONSIDER A POOL?
Not really. We were both too busy working and traveling for business to really enjoy a pool. However,
when the original site plan was put in place, drawings were made by our engineer that show how the
leaching field can be moved, and a pool put in. 25 Tuckahoe did exactly that and put in a beautiful
pool and outdoor bar and living area.

WHY ARE YOU MOVING?
We have retired, and have moved to an “over 55” community in Clinton on the CT shoreline. While
we miss 31 Tuckahoe very much, this new living situation is far more ideal for our current needs.
We all grew up and grew older together, raised our children on Tuckahoe and they are all off
and on their own now. Frankly, it is lovely to see the younger families moving in and the street
starting to feel the wheels of bicycles, skateboards and school buses again....

TELL ME ABOUT THE GROUNDS ...
We actually walked the lot for almost a year before deciding where to place the home. We opted
to place the house further back from the road than our 2 neighbors to optimize the privacy and
to allow us to decrease the grade on the driveway. The house is nestled in a naturally occurring
relatively flat area and flanked by both antique and newly built stone walls. We tried to maintain
as much of the naturally occurring CT forest around the house and over the years have added tens
of thousands of dollars of rhododendron, pines and mountain laurel to fill in any construction
damage. We also added the row of purple columnar beeches to the front street footage of the lot –
they are difficult to find and add a unique character to the frontage of 31 Tuckahoe.

WHAT MAKES YOUR LOT SO SPECIAL?
It really is all about the privacy that we have achieved by placing the home strategically on the
lot. There are almost no window treatments in the house, and there is no need, even at night.
The oversized windows allow the outside in...year-round. The location in lower Easton is close to
everything.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD THE WEATHER IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE?
We have a tremendous relationship with our landscaper who plows and maintains the yard. The plowing
on this driveway is very easy as the plow starts at the top and simply pushes it down the driveway and off
into the woods. There's very little manual clean-up and shoveling needed because of the directness of the
route down.