At Lori Romein’s house in St. Augustine, Florida, privacy is a one-way street. She can see everything, and no one can see her.
“I sit in my bathtub, and I can see the lights of the Old City,” the New Jersey native told Homes.com.
Romein calls her home at 345 Micklers Road The Preserve because of the nature that surrounds the property. It hit the market in August with an asking price of $3.675 million.
Noah Bailey of Keller Williams Realty affiliate Noah Bailey Group is handling the listing.
The 3,660-square-foot home sits on a half-acre on the eastern bank of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway. The property that includes a dock and boat house crops out into the river, with natural land to the north and south that is protected from new construction.
“To my left and to my right, there is only wetlands,” Romein said. “All of my neighbors, their left and right are neighbors.”
Nature forms a buffer
Roseate spoonbills, cranes and deer are regular visitors to the property. “Some people will walk to the end of the street to see the sunset,” Romein said. “But otherwise, I don’t see anyone other than the dolphins and the fish jumping around.”
The buffer against humans crosses the river and beyond. Romein’s view of the western bank is the Moses Creek Conservation Area.
The ethos of seclusion continues inside the home. Romein and her family built the house in 2010, according to appraisal records. As her family eventually included three adult children, four of the five bedrooms were built with en suite bathrooms and private balconies.
“I wanted everyone to have their own suite,” she said.
The effect is a nested privacy, shielding residents not only from the outside world but from each other. “When I’m on my deck, I don’t know who’s on their deck,” Romein said.
The home isn’t only about hiding; it's also about seeing. “Every room is loaded with windows,” Romein said. “Every place you look out, you see water constantly.”
Even the showers include windows that Romein said can let bathers feel as though they are washing outside. If that isn’t close enough, the home also includes an outdoor shower.
Beach is right down the road
As a “Jersey girl” who grew up on the beach, Romein said she wanted the two-story house to have a connection to the beach that's roughly a half-mile directly east on Micklers Road. The road has vehicular beach access for residents to drive directly onto the sand.
Inside, Romein based all the colors in the house on sea glass, ranging from bright blue to light green and turquoise.
And just because the home is meant to be private doesn’t mean that it isn't welcoming. Romein said her family entertained frequently. “Every holiday and every birthday, this house was enjoyed," she said.
The long driveway allows for overflow parking, according to Romein, and the lawn is xeriscape,.
The neighborhood has some other upscale homes in it, but there is no homeowners' association. The lack of an HOA, Romein said, has allowed it to retain the individual freedom she associates with the Sunshine State.
“You can do what you want, so it’s still a little piece of Florida,” she said.