FROM THE
GROUND UP
The Naples area has a variety of unique
neighborhoods from beach side enclaves
to some of the best golf course
communities in the country. It also has a large
sector that has been developed for homes set
on acreage. From Golden Gate Estates to Livingston
Woods, to the Rural Estates, Collier
County offers people the opportunity to live
on larger lots, usually ranging between 1.5 to 5
acres. These home sites give families plenty of
room to grow, and, since these communities
are not deed restricted, they offer the privacy
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and freedom that gated communities usually
can not. People move to these communities to
build their dream homes so they can have larger
workshops for their hobbies, gardens, tree
houses for their children, host bonfires, and
many other considerations.
Space and privacy were the reasons Melinda
and Paul Sullivan decided to purchase their
2.5 acre lot on Oakes Boulevard. “We were
so excited to find this land; it was the perfect
lot in the perfect location,” says Melinda
Sullivan. They wanted to move out of their
gated community and build the home they had
dreamed of for years. “We are both real estate
agents so we’ve been listing and showing homes
throughout Naples for quite a while. I’ve always
made mental notes of the layouts I’ve liked in
different homes so when it came time to design
our own, we knew exactly what we wanted to
incorporate.” That decisiveness helped the
Sullivans and their custom builder, Gulfstream
Homes, as they developed design plans. Having
some idea of what you are looking for, both in
size and in lifestyle needs, can help as you meet
BY CHANNING SPANO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BANYAN PHOTOGRAPHY