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AN INTERVIEW WITH THE HOMEOWNERS OF 96 MYRTLE AVENUE

WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE HOME?
We fell in love with the location and walkability of this house. The opportunity to be so close to everything
downtown Westport has to offer was something we couldn't pass up. We also love the view from the kitchen
window overlooking the steeple of Christ and Holy Trinity.

PLEASE DESCRIBE THE RENOVATION PROCESS ...

We saw the potential in this home from the beginning. We planned on this being our ""forever home"" so we put
a lot of effort into unlocking the potential of this house. Our first set of renovations in 2013-2014 addressed many
of the essential needs within the house- replacing the roof, nob & tube wiring and much of the plumbing. We
installed central air conditioning and took the opportunity to convert to natural gas. At the same time, we added
the two car garage. Our two splurges with this renovation were the wine room and the rebuilt fire place which
passes through from the sitting room to the office.

Our second major project was the landscaping, completed by the landscape architects from Oliver's nursery.
Oliver's did a wonderful job; in the warmer months something is always blooming. They built the back patio and
terraced the property to increase the amount of usable space.

Our latest renovation to the second floor was completed in 2016. Almost the entire space was pulled back to the
studs and completely rebuilt. This established our master suite, dressing room and amazing master bathroom.
Our favorite part of this rebuild was the nursery we built for our daughter. The architect and builder did a great
job blending modern conveniences (like heated tile floors) with the historic character of the house, exposing
many of the old beams and preserving the original floors where it was possible. We did consider putting in a
pool, but since he beach and pool at Longshore are so close, we didn't need one.

WILL YOU MISS THE NEIGHBORS?

Absolutely! Our neighborhood has dubbed itself "The Myrtle Ave Gang". We all watch out for one another and
often have each other over for drinks, chats and parties. Almost every house has a tradition on Memorial Day:
Pancake breakfast, lemonade stand, coffee and donuts, and other yearly parties.

TELL ME ABOUT THE GROUNDS ...
The grounds were professionally landscaped by an architect at Oliver’s Nursery. We chose the plantings so that
at any time of the year there is something beautiful to look at, even in the winter. The holly hedge along the back
patio gives a sense of privacy and blocks most of the road noise. In the upper back corner there is a level area
that was set up for a vegetable garden. It gets all day southern exposure. Along the property line with town hall
is an old stone stairway that we uncovered when we were landscaping. The whole property has an irrigation
system, too, so maintenance is less of a hassle. It is quite possibly our favorite place to be in the warmer months.
We spend many long evenings eating dinner and enjoying the company of friends and family.

WHAT MAKES YOUR LOT SO SPECIAL?

The in-town location makes this lot very special. After commuting to-and-from work during the week, it's
wonderful to put the car in 'park' for the weekend. Most of our errands can be accomplished on foot. There are
a number of great restaurants in town and the newly completed Bedford Square represents the exclamation
point of Westport's downtown shopping resurgence. We love living next to Town Hall, across the street from the
Historical Society and so close to Westport's Art's Center, Library and Levitt Pavilion. For all of this and more, we
relish the fact that we never have to look for a parking spot.