Siesta Key & Sarasota, FL
941-379-3479
Florida Farmhouse
Florida is not a hotbed of farm-style homes, although Michael and Melinda Voigt — husband and wife, builder and designer — of Voigt Brothers Construction say the aesthetic is gaining popularity. “In the last couple of years, we’ve seen more of this style being requested and getting built,” Michael Voigt says. “It’s one of those that is a balancing act — the modern houses dominate the portfolios and the magazines, but there’s still a lot of interest in this style.”And it was befitting the agrarian, two-acre lot on the eastern side of Sarasota.
The homeowners, whom Michael Voigt describes as “discerning clients and really fun to work with,” who have three daughters, wanted a home that would live comfortably for just the two of them but have plenty of room for their adult children to visit and share holidays and other family gatherings. The main 3,900-square-foot home has four bedrooms and four and one-half bathrooms, plus there’s a studio apartment above the detached garage.
“They have sets of grandparents, one married daughter, plus two leaving the nest and three dogs — so a growing family,” Melinda Voigt explains. “The goal was to have elbow room for everyone, including the kids and grandkids that might come one day, and to have a large yard.”
While the home might have a Midwestern aesthetic, its construction is 100 percent Florida-style. “Typical farmhouse designs include wood frame construction, but this home is designed in a Florida mindset, considering all walls are concrete masonry with a stucco finish and all exterior windows and doors are hurricane-rated,” says Mark Sultana, Founder and Principal Architect at DSDG Architects. “When I say a Florida mindset, we’ve considered the weather and the environment to make the structure low-maintenance and Florida-weather tolerant.”