South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Home built to survive storms on sale for $27.5M
An oceanfront estate for sale in Highland Beach was built to survive almost anything storm season can throw at it.
The windows at the 14,808-square-foot house are said to be able to withstand 180 mph winds, and the home is constructed of solid concrete, with its own generator and cellular tower.
The tri-level estate at 3715 S. Ocean Blvd., listed for $27.5 million, has seven bedrooms, seven full and two half baths. The ground floor, built 17 feet above the sea, has air-conditioned parking for up to eight vehicles, four bedrooms, a game room and bath. The second level has two full kitchens, a family room, living room and bar area, all with unob- structed ocean views.
The third floor features a private office and 2,400-square-foot oceanfront master suite.
There is also a rooftop sun deck. The home sits on just over half an acre and has 120 feet of oceanfront.
The estate’s unusual features include a living green wall with more than 1,800 plants, and it claims to be the only home in Florida with basalt lava stone covering the interiors.
There is also a movie theater, Italian stone fireplace, two laundry rooms and a $1 million Bang & Olufsen audio system.
“The house almost has a Zen feeling when you walk through due to all the organic materials,” said Steven Solomon, senior director of luxury sales at Douglas Elliman in Boca Raton, who holds the listing. “I’ve never been in a house like this. The owner built this house to a specification that we just don’t find here in South Florida that often.”
The house was built and is owned by David Willens, the founder and former chief executive officer of Gentle Dental, a chain of dental-care providers in South Florida.
The firm changed its name to Sage Dental in 2015.
Willens bought the land for $2.769 million in 2010 and completed the house in 2018.
The 1.1-square-mile Town of Highland Beach is on a barrier island bordered by Delray Beach to the north, Boca Raton to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Intracoastal Waterway to the west.