CONNECTICUT — Transparency is all the rage in Connecticut. Not so much in government, perhaps, but in the homes on the market.
Glass walls and an abundance of windows are a striking, and strikingly common, design element found in the high-end housing market.
Other than the obvious benefit — it looks cool — building with glass has more than a few hidden, practical advantages, according to industry trade website housing.com. It's waterproof and dustproof; and rust, vermin, weather and corrosion resistant. As sealed glass panes transmit very little sound, glass houses are quieter than just about any other variety.
If you're thinking about "going green," a glass house is a mixed bag. On the upside, glass is not only completely recyclable, but may be recycled over and over again without loss of quality. But those glass walls trap heat, making them a happy choice to grow orchids, but less so when it comes time to pay the AC bill.
Glass is also more expensive than your basic brick and stucco, and above the pay grade of your garden variety architects and contractors.
Can a house ever have too many glass walls? You be the judge. Here are the top window-heavy houses on the Connecticut market in the Patch real estate listings.
A brand-new construction, built in 2021, squeezes 5,100 square feet of home into just over a third of an acre along the shores of Saugatuck Island off of Westport. There's not a bad view to be found at 135 Harbor Road, with floor to ceiling windows everywhere. An open floor plan and transparent railings on the outdoor balconies and decks make for unobstructed and sensational water vistas from every room. All that light, and all those magnificent views, will set you back just a little under $10 million.
Back on the mainland in Westport, a 2017 home "passionately designed to celebrate modern architecture and the raw elements of nature" awaits in the private Bluewater Hill Association of Compo Beach.
Named "Xanadu," after the semi-mythical Mongol city celebrated by Coleridge (and not the criminally underrated Olivia Newton-John movie), the living spaces play out on three levels, each open to a central stairway sculpted from wood and steel, and surrounded by textured glass.
A four-story Foucault pendulum (look it up) is suspended from the star-studded ceiling, your trail marker to a secret lair brimming with unconventional perks. These include a regulation squash court/half basketball court, a "celestial yoga room with Iyengar rope wall," a free-form gym wrapped in 10-foot windows, and an indoor chemical-free pool and spa enclosed in a glass conservatory with retractable roofs.
This $11.5 million "wellness playground" even has its own website, because of course it does.
At half the price on 21 Rocco Drive in East Lyme is this 6,100 square foot custom modernist new-build on four extremely private rolling acres. The "shock of the new" here extends past the architecture and into the wiring: every facet of the house is controlled through JOSH Artificial Intelligence technology, a private enclosed network.
The designer's glass fixation extends throughout the $5.95 million home, and is showcased on the main floor with a custom-built lighted Belgium glass bar and accompanying temperature-controlled wine display. Another custom touch — a floating staircase with glass banisters — ensures the views through all those floor-to-ceiling windows remain un-obscured.
Back in Westport, fans of both glass and burnt wood will delight in a new construction, set for completion in the fall of 2022 at 361 Wilton Road. The home takes its inspiration from shou sugi ban, the charred cedar used in Japanese architecture.
The natural cedar shingles and rough-hewn planks are all off-set dramatically by glass-for-days, including a stunning eight-foot wide steel and glass front door.
When finished, the 7,370 square foot home will sit on 1.44 acres behind beds of tumbled gray stones, native grasses and specimen trees, and sell for $3.5 million.
A mid-century Modern on three acres abutting Steep Rock Preserve in Washington offers mountain views not usually associated with Connecticut.
The $2.18 million home at 87 Shinar Mountain Road is dominated by a stunning glass foyer and walkway that leads to the home's private bedroom area.
The kitchen and dining area enjoy loft-like ceiling heights with exposed redwood beams, a fireplace, plus a sitting area that opens to a back deck.
The lower level walk-out features a guest suite with a bedroom, living room, and full bath and a half. The back pool area includes a spacious lounge area, a fire pit, and a container for a studio or pool house.
Fewer glass walls but no shortage of windows dominate this more traditional Connecticut enclave at 95 Roxbury Road in Washington. This elegant country estate sprawls across 20 acres in Litchfield County. Stroll around the grounds, and you'll find two guest cottages, a two-story office, 16-stall horse (or party) barn, trout-stocked pond, and two brooks among the pastures and rolling lawns. And windows, windows, everywhere, for just under $4 million.
If you can't afford to buy the Connecticut glass house of your dreams, you can always visit the most famous one in the state. "Glass House" in New Canaan was built by the modernist/post-modernist architect Philip Johnson between 1948-49 and is regarded as his signature work. The former residence is now a museum.
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