Christian de Berdouare, owner of the restaurant franchise Chicken Kitchen, is building his third home on North Bay Road in Miami Beach. “I think North Bay Road is one of the most prestigious streets in Miami,” he said, noting that musician Phil Collins recently bought a house up the street. Unlike other single-family homes in the neighborhood, de Berdouare’s house will feature a unique amenity: a rooftop swimming pool that overlooks Biscayne Bay. Agent Mirce Curkoski of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty gave Mansion Global a tour of the property, which is on the market for $35.9 million. Construction began in August 2013 and is expected to end in September. Here’s a look at the home’s transformation so far.
The Exterior
Tucked away from the street, the house is located on a half-acre waterfront lot. With more than 17,000 square feet of living space, the home will include seven bedrooms and ten bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms will be located in the guest residences.
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The INTERIOR
Inspired by waterfalls in Costa Rica, de Berdouare is building a glass atrium in the center of the house. The atrium will feature a vertical garden, a three-foot-wide waterfall and walls that open to the living areas. “You can open up the whole house for a party,” he said. The home will include two kitchens, a gym and a movie theater with eight seats. One of the kitchens is shown in the images below.
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The Living RoomS
The main living area is located at the back of the house on the first floor. It will feature a cocktail bar made from statuario marble. “It (the marble) gives a traditional feel to really contemporary places,” de Berdouare said. The bar is seen on the right side of the rendering below.
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The Backyard
The living areas look out over the backyard, which includes a gazebo, a barbecue facility and a sunken dining area beside the swimming pool. The property includes more than 100 feet of waterfront with a private dock.
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The Master Bedroom
Upstairs, the master suite features a 14-foot-wide balcony with views of the bay. “Nobody has 14-foot-wide balconies,” de Berdouare said. “You feel like you’re on a cruise ship.” A tub in the master bathroom is carved from a nine-foot-long block of marble that De Berdouare imported from Italy.
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The Rooftop
The 3,500-square-foot rooftop terrace will include a four-foot-deep swimming pool that faces the water. The views from the pool can be seen in the image beneath the rendering below. De Berdouare acquired a permit to build the terrace before the city’s planning department implemented new zoning codes that limit rooftop construction. As a result, the house could be the first and only single-family home in Miami with a rooftop swimming pool, according to de Berdouare.
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De Berdouare bought the property for about $3.1 million in 2008 and spent about $8 million on construction, he said. The listing price, which includes custom-built furnishings, is based on the home’s estimated replacement value, according to de Berdouare. The restaurateur plans to live in the home while he rebuilds his primary residence up the street. “I spent two years of my life designing this house and I’d really like to live in it,” he said. Unless, of course, it sells before he has the opportunity. Visit this link for the complete listing. (Agent: Mirce Curkoski, One Sotheby’s International Realty.) Write to Gina Faridniya at gina.faridniya@dowjones.com