Great views, design: Founder's Club estate takes advantage of location

MELISSA FOLLOWELL

Herald Staff Writer

TED MASE/Special to The Herald

The great room

SARASOTA - Prepare to experience estate living with golf course views at The Founder's Club.

Pruett Builders' Mar-A-Lago II model has a Mediterranean exterior with a versatile interior.

Enter the elegant double doors and find a gorgeous view awaiting. Sliding-glass doors in the living room overlook the home's large lanai and pool, complete with a water feature. Beyond the screened-in haven of the lanai, a lake separates the home site from the rolling hills of the golf course. The home overlooks the 16th and 17th holes of the Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course that is the centerpiece of the community.

The Mar-A-Lago II is 5,006 square feet with three bedrooms and three and a half baths. The open floor plan makes the home an ideal place to entertain.

For more formal occasions, the living room, dining room and bar area provide plenty of space and the living room's sliding-glass doors can be opened on cooler nights to bring the party out onto the lanai.

The lanai and pool are designed to feel like part of the home, with a series of architectural arches surrounding its exterior. In fact, arches are a theme throughout the home.

One of the most dramatic and elegant examples of the home's use of arches is the master suite. Large arched windows in the sitting area provide a spectacular vista of the pool.

In the master bathroom, the three arched windows add a dramatic flair to the elegant green onyx room. The triad of arched windows is repeated in the master bath's shower.

The master bath is one of the major things that draws people to the home, said sales associate Norm Graf.

"People come in to look at, if nothing else, that bathroom," Graf said.

Next to the master suite is a den, ideal for a home office or a cozy intimate parlor, depending on the owner's needs. The den's double doors are turned diagonally away from the foyer for a more private feel.

In the home's cozy family room, guests can enjoy a view of the outdoor living areas through the sliding-glass doors or catch a movie or television show. A built-in corner entertainment center is the only break between the doors. The angle allows less of a glare on the screen and offers the owner many options for furniture arrangements.

Beyond the family room is a large game room. The room has a sliding-glass door to the outdoor kitchen and fireplace.

"It's nice and peaceful and serene. You could lay out there and read a book and fall asleep," Graf said.

The bright and airy octagonal game room also overlooks the backyard and one of the mature oaks that pepper the landscape of The Founder's Club. The tree creates a mossy frame for the home's view of the golf course.

From the upstairs screened-in balcony, you actually may feel like you are in a tree house because of the tree's location.

The nearly 1,000 square feet of air-conditioned space upstairs doesn't skimp on the view factor either. Whether sitting at the bar, playing pool or watching a movie, there is always something to see.

The upstairs has been another major selling point for the home.

While no home identical to the Mar-A-Lago II can be created in The Founder's Club due to the neighborhood's dedication to keeping all homes individual, it can be used as an example of Pruett Builder's craftsmanship.