VUE

Extravagance O N T H E N AV E S I N K B Y V I C T O R I A K E E N A N Sitting atop the hills overlooking Monmouth County's Navesink River, sits luxurious castle-esque homes, each one towering higher than the next. But arguably one of the most stunning homes looking out over the water is Virginia 'Ginny' and Waldo Carkhuff's home on Navesink River Road in the Locust section of Middletown, NJ. Sitting on over four acres of land, the 22,000-square-foot, five-story and four wing $12 million home boasts features that anyone would love to call their own. Built in 2004 by former Major League Baseball player John Valentin, the house went on the market halfway through construction. Mr. and Mrs. Carkhuff weren't originally interested in the property when they were first called about it, considering the cost of the unfinished home. But they eventually decided to take on the project and create something of their own. Though it wasn't necessarily from the ground up, the couple spent the next several years designing and finishing the space. "Of course, things were done in stages, the home was a work in progress for a long time," Mrs. Carkhuff explained. But luckily, the couple had a strong foundation to work on, as they explained during an exclusive tour of the home."When it came to building everything in here, if it was possible, they went for it, which made for a very well built house," Mr. Carkhuff explained. Of course, a solid built home is a huge importance for the area, especially being so close to the Navesink River. "It's just very sturdy. When you think about it, we have marble and stone extensively on three levels. So just to support that, you have to have steel instead of the wood beams that go in most homes. Even the deck is on steel," Mrs. Carkhuff added. Every window in the home is metal, with screens that are built in, and the entire structure is made out of poured concrete and stone, thus the exterior requires almost zero maintenance. VUE ON DESIGN V U E N J . C O M 36

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