HOMES OF THE TREASURE COAST
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HOME & DESIGN A guest bathroom, remodeled by a previous owner, is just one of the seven bathrooms in this home.
once used to play. “The Riomar property was originally three
acres that went down through a series of levels all the way to
Ocean Drive,” Terry says. “The backyard had beautiful rose
gardens and oak trees and the entire perimeter was surrounded
by a sea grape hedge. I have great memories of playing in
that yard.”
MORE REMODELING
But just one year after the De Schouwers purchased the
home, back-to-back hurricanes completely demolished the
northeast portion of the house. Once again, the home needed
to be rebuilt. In the remodel, they reinforced the foundation
to withstand future hurricanes by installing steel beams in
the basement that went all the way up to a 20-foot ceiling in
the family room where they added floor-to-ceiling spans of
glass. The upper level sundeck, badly damaged in the storms,
was enclosed, affording them room for another bedroom and
bathroom. And by matching the original narrow pine flooring
throughout the remodel, they successfully blended the old
with the new.
The remodel took 18 months to complete, giving rise to a
home that retained its distinctive character while exuding a
more spacious and modern feel. “It’s a minimalistic style that
suits our family,” Fried says of the design. When Dale visited
the now seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom home, she was
delighted with the transformation, saying it felt like a true
family home, just as she had always envisioned.
And just like the Sawyers and the McGees before them,
memories are still being made. With three active youngsters,
ranging in age from 9 to 14, the heart of the home still
beats to the laughter of children and family friends. Fried
says he often returns from business trips to find slumbering
school pals wrapped in blankets on the floor, and Cathy,
who five years ago spearheaded a nonprofit serving at-risk
youths, frequently invites her charges over for Saturday night
sleepovers, followed by church and Sunday dinner. “We have
many, many kids here all the time,” she says.
On the back deck overlooking a majestic oak, its limbs
bowing to the earth after decades of ocean winds, a cat saunters
by and stretches out in its shade. They say it’s an adopted
stray. Much like the sleepy-eyed children wandering through
the kitchen and before that, baby calves corralled in playpens,
the history of the home still pulses through its veins — a
place for families, children and pets.