PETERSBURG — The two-story single-family home at 8 Mockingbird Lane in the Petersburg section of Upper Township offers the ultimate in privacy and serenity.
Set on 1.5 acres of fenced land in a rural section of the township, the 3,400-square-foot home was custom-designed by the owner. It is situated exactly east-west on a compass, letting the light flow in morning and afternoon.
“When you enter the home you, the first thing you will notice is how effortlessly and beautifully the natural sunlight fills the space,” real estate agent Elsie Jamison said.
The owner, Michael Webber, is an outside sales representative with 84 Lumber and his experience with and knowledge of wood shows in the solid oak used throughout the home, the fine millwork and solid construction on a foundation of PolySteel insulated blocks. The system is made of Styrofoam blocks with steel webbing that are stacked and filled with concrete, creating a solid, waterproof, insulated space.
“Down to the studs, each and every detail of this home has been thoughtfully placed and maintained to the highest standards,” Jamison said.
A bonus is that sheetrock can be screwed right into it, allowing for a finished space that’s less costly.
“It’s a big-time energy saver,” Webber said. “It’s just a great system.”
Mockingbird Lane loops through the woodsy development known as South Woods just off Dennisville-Petersburg Road, so while it is secluded, it is close to major roads with easy access to the shore towns from Ocean City to Cape May.
A long drive curves up to the home from Mockingbird Lane, ending at a three-car garage with a single and a double door.
Built in 2001, the home is situated atop a rise and shaped like a baseball diamond with a 450-foot radius from the front to the property border.
“Everything pitches away from the house,” Webber said, adding that all of the timber used in construction was hand-selected.
And that’s important because there are ground-level windows all around, providing natural light to the finished basement with a 10-foot ceiling.
The home has a grassy lawn bordered by mulched beds with mature trees. It has a tall tower in the middle with a multiangled roof, making for an interesting architectural aesthetic.
Cedar-impression vinyl siding covers most of the exterior, with the exception of the brick façade on part of the first floor.
Two steps leading up to the covered front porch also are made of brick, with the porch itself formed from concrete.
Mulched beds with tall shrubs flank the porch, where a handsome set of 8-foot doors with leaded glass and side panels opens onto the striking two-story foyer.
Inside, the use of oak in the construction and décor immediately commands attention.
“The foyer is inspired by a captain’s house from historic Cape May, with mosaic flooring and high ceilings. When you look up, you will notice the real amethyst chandelier,” Jamison said.
A custom-built hall tree stands to the right, at the base of the stairs leading to the second floor.
Oak French doors to the left open onto a formal dining room with narrow-plank oak hardwood flooring, where a long wood table that can seat eight comfortably rests beneath a modern chandelier. A double window overlooks the front yard. An oak hutch stands against the side wall.
A hallway off the dining room, with the same mosaic tile flooring as in the foyer, leads past a closet and access to the garage to the kitchen. There also is a laundry room in this section of the house where the washer and dryer are raised 14 inches off the floor. The hall also turns right toward the foyer past a powder room with a pedestal sink.
Back in the foyer, oak steps with a carpet inlay ascend to the second floor, where a balcony overlooking the front door leads to the master bedroom. More on that later.
A second hallway leads straight into the spacious living room, where two large sofas and an armchair sit atop wall-to-wall carpeting. The main focus of the room is the gas fireplace with its granite hearth and surround and wood mantel sporting half-round columns and dentil molding, atop which is a wide-screen television. Four windows overlook the backyard and, like all of the rear-facing windows, have no grills to obstruct the view.
“The family room is cozy and warm with a gas fireplace and built-in speaker system,” Jamison said.
Webber is an avid music fan and off the living room, behind a door with a water glass window, is a room dedicated to listening to the state-of-the-art sound system. Two leather easy chairs sit atop wall-to-wall carpeting beneath the 12-foot-high ceiling. A beautiful window with individual panes and louvered shutters provided natural light and the one-piece crown molding adds a finishing touch. A cherry cabinet holds all of the electronics, as well as a collection of vinyl albums, and controls speakers placed throughout the home and outside.
The kitchen clearly is the heart of the home. It has a long Corian-topped center island and abundant Aristokraft custom maple cabinets lining three walls. There also is a built-in desk/office area in the corner. GE Profile appliances include a four-burner electric range in the island, an oven and microwave built into the wall and a two-door refrigerator with a freezer drawer. A Frigidaire dishwasher sits to the right of the two-basin stainless-steel sink. The countertops and backsplash are made of durable Corian.
The room is shaped like an L, with the short part jutting out toward the uncovered back porch creating a cozy breakfast nook with windows all around and a sliding glass door opening onto the deck. There also is seating for four at the island.
Upstairs, there are four spacious bedrooms, three bathrooms and a powder room. One of the bedrooms is set up as an office and features a striking palladian window with a half-circle top that includes more than 40 individual panes of glass.
A hall bathroom shared by the other two bedrooms has a tile floor, Corian-topped vanity with his and hers sinks and a one-piece fiberglass tub/shower with a curtain. Overhead, the skylight in the sloped ceiling was recently replaced.
The master bedroom is at the end of the balcony overlooking the foyer, where double swinging doors open onto a king-size bed atop wall-to-wall carpeting. There is a long walk-in closet with pull-down stairs leading to a storage attic, as well as a full bathroom with a tile floor, deep soaking tub and one-piece fiberglass shower. A French casement window, which opens completely without a center post, overlooks the huge backyard. This bathroom also has a new skylight.
A 1,200-square-foot finished basement with a full bathroom is another bonus of the house. There is a pool table and multiple other toys, as well as a sitting area for relaxing.
The home has a $40,000 roof that was recently installed after a freak tornado tore through the township, damaging homes and property in a narrow swath.
The home is listed for $725,000 with Elsie Jamison of Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty. Call (609) 675-6889 or (609) 399-2500 for more information or to set up a tour of this wonderful home. A video tour of the home is available at ocnjsentinel.com/category/realestate
