WATERFRONT
A vacation home on Maryland’s Little Choptank River includes 3 acres, 700 feet of waterfront and a pier.
When Arthur and Noelle Imparato gave their 1920 vacation home on Maryland’s Little Choptank River a makeover, they kept its vintage cottage look while upgrading the decor, windows, doors, appliances and climate-control system. The couple fell in love with the secluded year- round property in 2001 when they returned to the East Coast after retiring from jobs in Hollywood. (She was a film editor, he a talent manager.)
Now the Imparatos are consolidating into one home in Baltimore. Their three-bedroom, two-bath house in Cambridge, Maryland, on 3 acres with 700 feet of waterfront and a private pier is on the market for $375,000.
A gravel driveway leads to the front entry. Through the spacious screened porch is the living room. From there, it’s just a few steps to the kitchen, the heart of the L-shaped home. Custom oak cabinetry, numerous glass-fronted cabinets and an oak center island offer ample storage and work areas.
“The kitchen doesn’t seem crowded because it has lots of windows, and doorways to the garden, dining and family rooms,” says Noelle Imparato. “The pass-through into the family room makes entertaining easy, and when I wash dishes I can see the river [through the family room’s bay window].”
A brick fireplace with a wood mantel and built- in firewood storage makes the family room cozy in cool weather. The bay window provides the “most beautiful view of the river, especially at sunrise,” she says. “I spend much time in here watching the osprey family on the nest right outside.”
A small office with a waterfront bay window adjoins the family room. The kitchen and family room open to the dining room. A cathedral ceiling and mirrored sliding closet doors visually expand the dining room, as do glass sliders to the lawn and a bay window overlooking the garden. Ceramic tile covers the floor, unlike the hardwood flooring in the other common rooms.
Two carpeted bedrooms with river views and a full bath with custom cherry cabinetry and a washer/dryer occupy the other wing. One bedroom contains custom cherry built-ins.
Upstairs, windows and skylights brighten the carpeted bedroom and full bath. Storage space is accessed from the stairwell.
The vinyl- sided house with an asbestos shingle roof is on a slab. A separate rear room houses the utility systems — oil-fired forced hot- air heat and central air conditioning. The property includes two detached sheds, a private well and a septic system. Taxes this year are about $3,480.
The landscaped property slopes gradually to waterfront wetlands. “It’s so private and quiet, surrounded by nature and wonderful views,” Imparato says. “We often watch sunset from our [120-foot wooden] pier or erect a tent and have candle-lit dinner parties out there.”
The couple formerly owned a small fishing boat, and Noelle now enjoys kayaking on the river. The dock, which can accommodate two small boats, has about 3-foot depths at mean low water, and it’s less than 10 miles from Chesapeake Bay.
Downtown Cambridge — a city of about 13,000 — is eight miles by road. Annapolis is about 50 miles away; Baltimore is another 45. “I realized my dream of living by the water,” Imparato says. “Now we must move to Baltimore full time.”
Penny Murphy Introcaso, (410) 463-0067, of Benson & Mangold Real Estate, Cambridge, Maryland, lists the property. benson and mangold.com n