Blake

How to Make a Busy Street Disappear

A location on a busy street need not be a dealbreaker.

If you’re dubious, consider 5600 Blake Road in Edina’s gorgeous Parkwood Knolls neighborhood, listed by Edina Realty’s Matt Lill.

I count no fewer than five ways the owner and their builder are minimizing the proximity of a busy street, skillfully using good design principles and the lot’s own features:

One.  Setback.  The home is set back at least 100′ feet from Blake Road — possible because the lot is .55 acre.

deckTwo.  Elevation.  The lot gently slopes towards the street; the home sits on the lot’s highest point, about 30 feet above street level.

Three.  Landscaping.  The owner is building a berm (earth structure) between Blake Road and the home.

Four.  Garage location.  The builder is exploring putting up a second, detached garage between the home and the street, further screening out road traffic.

Five.  Home orientation.  While the home’s facade is east-facing (top photo), its interior spaces are oriented north-south.

Not only does that make the road recede even more — it showcases the beautiful pond views just to the north (as does the north-facing deck off the Owner’s Suite — see photo, above).

As the builder proudly noted to a roomful of Edina Realty agents the other week, “the home lives on the water.”

Indeed.

See also, “Garage/Driveway ‘Switcheroo.'”

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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