ERMA — Certain times of the year are more rewarding to do a little Sunday driving. The days are getting longer and the ride allows more sightseeing.
Near the Cape May County Airport, which is a surprisingly quiet neighbor even during the busiest seasons, Seashore and Breakwater roads are lined with old-fashioned family homes set against a backdrop of forest and, every so often, farm or pasture land.
Just as one reaches the landmark lunch joint the Erma Deli, a flash of vibrant sky blue catches the eye. The house, set on the wide corner lot at the intersection of Breakwater and Grove, is an old-school family home.
The classic 1973 ranch has been updated every step of the way, resulting in a mix of everything we liked best in the original with upgrades to make life so much more enjoyable (and so much less brown) than anyone in the ’70s could have imagined.
From the street, the home at 553 Grove Ave. strikes a balance between tasteful modesty and a little bit of bold color. That blue is a stunning welcome, and the front is done in faux-shingled siding.
It helps that the red brick detail around the front door, which delineates the space of the porch, is a clean, simple red that pairs so well with the blue. It’s bold but not gaudy.
When remaking the former built-in garage into an extra room, they surrounded the sliding glass door with a faux stone that almost blends into the blue siding, allowing that front entrance to be the focal point.
Even more unexpected, the minimal landscaping that leaves so much room for a garden if the next owner wants one (and facing southwest is a great space for a garden) is anchored by two huge evergreens.
They say you plant a tree not for yourself but for the people who come after you to enjoy; well, the next resident here will have many thanks for a previous owner, because these are mature trees offering homes to birds and butterflies, as well as some shade over the home itself.
Once inside the home, it’s amazing how quickly the muscle memory of ’80s kids springs back into action, guiding one through without effort.
The floor plan has been preserved because it worked back in the day and still hasn’t been improved upon by more recent designs. A simple front room takes advantage of the western light and offers a warm welcome by the gas fireplace.
The dining room and kitchen are tucked away behind this room, although the same vinyl wood flooring connects them. The dining room is bound by sliding glass doors overlooking the backyard and a deck, so this space will be flooded with morning light.
A door from this room opens into the spare room, currently used as a home office: it’s clearly the old garage but has been fitted out with even lighter laminate flooring, overhead lighting and crisp white walls.
The windows from this room look out over Breakwater Road, making this a perfect home office to feel like one is still part of the world even if working from home. All of these spaces benefit from natural light in abundance; one variation is surprising, however, as the kitchen is actually covered in light shades of yellow and blue, making it somehow even more old-fashioned.
We live in an era of one white kitchen after the next, so even though this home has left behind the inevitable ’70s mustard/avocado color scheme, seeing any color at all in a kitchen jogs the memory.
The sunshiny lemon yellow of the cabinets brightens this room considerably, but in a soft way; while the new backsplash hearkens back to the old-fashioned design choices, it is also rendered in softer colors.
That’s the first half of the home’s 1,450 square feet sorted; now we move on into the more private half of the house, where three bedrooms, a full bathroom and powder room are waiting.
An interesting cul-de-sac behind the kitchen contains the half bathroom, which has been recently updated in all white. This arrangement is more like a well-decorated utility and laundry room with an attached water-closet; it’s not typical at all, but it was a smart way to use the space.
Some wood cabinets around the utilities and matching shelves create a rustic but reasonable aesthetic to a workspace, so guests can walk back here without a qualm, and laundry and chores aren’t relegated to some forsaken corner.
A long hallway with wainscoting runs from the front room to the three bedrooms: all of them good sized and with ample closet space, as homes from this era were absolutely the champions of providing closets.
The primary bedroom looks out over the front lawn and Grove Avenue. The shared bathroom is large and, just like the powder room, has been recently updated with white boards and black fixtures. However, this space is big enough for a double vanity atop a surprisingly old-fashioned carved wood cabinet, offering a lot of storage and serving a little variation of the latest styles.
Also of note: in this half of the house, electric baseboard heat gives way to vents in the ceiling, keeping the floorspace open and safe, and combining central air conditioning with the natural gas heat.
All of this well-designed, happily cared-for space sits on a lot that’s 97 feet wide by 125 feet long: a huge space that’s mostly enclosed by a new white vinyl fence in several zones across the property.
There are two decks, one large one behind the dining room and another behind the back door, which join a flagstoned verandah that leads to the outdoor shower. A little garden shed sits out back, and there’s still plenty of yard left for sand boxes, swing sets or games.
This deceptively cute little home packs a lot of space behind its modest exterior, and is the perfect house for a growing family.
The property is listed for $479,000 with Jason Casella of Coastline Realty. Call (609) 408-4038 or email [email protected] for more information or to set up an appointment to see this wonderful home.
