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April 28, 2007  Section: REAL ESTATE  Edition: Final/All  Page: H01  The castle of Casa Bella  ANNE STRAUB  Freelance  ANNE STRAUB 
FOR FLORID ATODAY  Parker Custom Building's new model in the upscale Casa Bella subdivision was a winner before it was even built.  The developer chose the design for the Castillo de la Fuente model from among competing contenders to occupy the prime spot in the luxury housing community.  The home site features water on two sides and is an eye-catching centerpiece to the development when visitors enter the gates.  Now operating as a model, the home acquired another distinction as the top home in the highest price range in the Spring Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Home Builders & Contractors Association of Brevard and Harbor Federal Bank, now part of National City. It swept the category, earning best kitchen, best floor plan and best bath.  Builder Billy Parker played to the home site by designing the home with two fronts: One faces the street; the other looks over the water toward the subdivision entry.  To Parker, the effect gives the impression of a castle.  The water facade features double walnut doors that open into the master bedroom.  The traditional facade features three sets of walnut doors, the center one opening to a foyer with access to the dining room and a small sitting area.  Parker took a cue from previous customers, who expressed desire for larger dining areas and had little use for a formal living room.  So the decorator flopped the traditional uses for the room: The large dining room sits straight ahead of the entry, with a view of the pool.  The smaller space to the side, usually decorated as the dining room, is arranged as a sitting area.  A wrought-iron door opens to a sunken wine-tasting room, and along with the stair rail, earned Amazon Metal a craftsmanship award during the Parade of Homes. The wine-tasting room features ArcusStone walls, as does the exterior of the house.  The limestone coating is applied with a trowel and doesn't need to be painted. The color is contained in the substance.  Natural variations lend Old World character, which attracted Parker to the product.  "As it ages, it will get even lighter in some places and darker in some places," Parker said.  He was among the first Brevard County builders he knows of to use ArcusStone, a distinction he likes to repeat as often as possible.  "I like to do as much new stuff as I can," Parker said.  For example, he prefers corbels to pillars -- a design he expects to see other builders emulate in coming years.  The home's pool bath has garnered lots of chuckles and attention from visitors: The stones in the floor of the shower spill out of the shower stall onto the floor, as water would, and continue in footprints out the door.  In the master bath, the shower features eight body sprays, two shower sprays, a handheld nozzle and a ceiling shower head.  There's also a garden tub surrounded by tile.  Countertops in all bathrooms, as well as the laundry room, are granite. The master bedroom includes doors to the pool area.  The kitchen is open to the family room, and features ivory cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and travertine backsplash.  The range hood and counters under the island are black for contrast.  Cabinets reach to 10 feet, a trend Parker expects to replace the staggered, cityscape cabinet arrangement.  Travertine is repeated around the family-room fireplace.  An upstairs loft with railing and tiered molding looks over the space.  Upstairs, Parker included what he calls a Florida basement: a 31-foot-by-11-foot air-conditioned space for storage.  No more pulling down garage ceiling doors. The storage space is located behind a door off the game area.  The game-room loft includes a wet bar and balcony, where triple sliding glass doors give a view of the lake.  There's also a half-bath to serve the gathering area.  Two bedrooms share a Jack-and-Jill bath, as well as a separate study alcove.  Each bedroom has its own balcony to the front of the house.  ______________________________________________________  Castillo de la Fuente  --- What: New model  --- Who: Parker Custom Building  --- Where: 3238 Cappio Drive, in Casa Bella, off Wickham Road and north of the Pineda Causeway, in Suntree  --- Size: 4,548 square feet under air conditioning  --- Price: $1.495 million  --- Bed/bath/garage: Four bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms, three-car garage  --- Features: Mediterranean architecture; outdoor cabana with summer kitchen; heated pool with water features and hot tub; master suite with morning kitchen; office with separate entry; upstairs game room with wet bar; wine cellar; triple-crown moldings; mahogany wood doors; large air-conditioned storage room.  --- For more information: Call 254-3770. Online @ View more photos of this model. 
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