A reimagining

New owners took this Poppasquash estate and reimagined it in every way possible — the results are striking

BY SCOTT PICKERING spickering@eastbaymediagroup.com

Though not as sparsely populated as it once was, the Poppasquash peninsula in Bristol is one of the few areas of Bristol County, R.I. that whispers of its rural past. Still home to an 18th-century farm museum and an active nursery, Poppasquash juts from Bristol Harbor into the upper reaches of Narragansett Bay, home to deer, wildlife and the sprawling estates of modern luxury.

Even among those, the home at 5 Courageous Circle is unique. Owned by yearround Boston residents who purchased it as a second home just a few years ago, the space has been updated, renovated and reimagined in nearly every way possible. The owners spent millions to change almost everything, and the final result is difficult to describe in words or even pictures. The home today has a quiet elegance that is best appreciated from the inside.

Currently on the market for $6.25 million, Realtor Allison Dessel gave a tour of the home that she has fallen in love with. “My dad used to say that there are properties where you’re sitting there and you feel like you’re in Hollywood. This is like Hollywood. It’s low-key Hollywood,” Dessel said. “It’s not not ostentatious, it’s just really, really nice in every way.”

A complete renovation

Nearly everything about the house — and property — has been renovated in the past three years. The list includes a dramatic reimagining of the first floor, with enormously wide open spaces for the kitchen, dining and living areas; a new addition with bedroom/bathroom on the first floor; new fireplaces; new bathrooms for every bedroom on the second floor; a newly finished basement, with a gym, a theater / media room, and a huge laundry room with two washers and two dryers.

They converted from oil heat to natural gas. They upgraded to a six-bedroom septic system. They upgraded the electrical systems. They wired AV systems and smart technology throughout the house, with Sonos speakers everywhere. They installed water filtration systems for every faucet. They re-sided the house, replaced the windows and doors, installed a wholehouse generator … and the list goes on.

They even replaced columns from the front of the house because they felt they were too large for the scale of the home.

“Basically the only thing they did not renovate was the roof on the main house, because it was only nine years old. Everything else was updated,” Dessel said.

More striking than the updates are the choices made throughout the redesign. “Their attention to detail, their aesthetic, the materials they used, the appliances, everything they did was so high-end and just perfect,” she said.

The outdoor spaces

The reimagining went well beyond the main house. The entire property, located near the very tip of Poppasquash, has 3.2 acres. The owners inherited an inground pool and a detached, three-car garage. They changed both of those dramatically and didn’t stop there.

The pool itself got a new finish and a heater, while the garage was converted into a two-bay carriage house, with two separate bedroom suites, and an outdoor shower. Surrounding the pool is an outdoor play area that evokes that “Hollywood” feel.

Gorgeous decking, hardscapes, bluestone patios, putting green and inground lighting combine with a spectacular outdoor kitchen to create an entertainer’s dream. The kitchen sits beneath a large pergola, featuring stone counters, two refrigerators, two freezers, a grill, a multi-burner range, an ice maker and a sink. Large groups can easily gather at bar-height stools to soak in the views of Bristol Harbor, Narragansett Bay, Prudence Island and the Mt. Hope Bridge.

The enormous lawn slopes down toward the water, and the property is split by the private road leading to the couple-dozen estates at this end of Poppasquash. The property includes the deep-water dock that juts into the bay, along with a lengthy stretch of beachfront. Dessel said the owners have appreciated everything the waterfront property affords.

“They love this location,” she said. “They boat to Warren to have dinner. They paddle-board in the morning. They kayak. They pick muscles on the beach, their own muscles, and they make sauces with them. This is a place to use and enjoy, and they definitely have.”