“We love the water, and this house is such a fun place to live,” Nora Spradlin says of the family waterfront home where the Coan River meets the Potomac in Virginia. Perched at the tip of a point, the property delivers wide water views from nearly every room, a draw for owners who value privacy, boating access and the rhythms of coastal living.
Nora and her husband, Tom, a retired air-conditioner distributor, purchased the five-bedroom, 5½-bath house in Lottsburg on Virginia’s Northern Neck 12 years ago. The 2.38-acre estate includes a 5,200-square-foot brick and brick-veneer home, an attached extra-long one-car garage, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and 1,100 feet of waterfront. For boaters and water enthusiasts the property is especially well-equipped: a dock with 6-foot depths at mean low tide and a covered boathouse with four slips, two of which have mechanical lifts rated for 10,000 and 8,000 pounds. The current asking price is $995,000.
Located at the end of a point and set apart from neighboring homes, the rectangular residence places most living spaces on the upper level to maximize the panoramic water views. From here the vista sweeps northeast across the mouth of the Potomac toward Maryland, east across the Chesapeake Bay and west up the Coan River, offering changing light and seasons to enjoy from inside or on the extensive outdoor terraces.
The 25-by-31-foot upstairs family room is a central living space anchored by a white-tiled fireplace tucked into a corner. Built-in bookcases and a wet bar line the rear wall, and three full glass walls with sliding doors open onto a broad balcony that runs the length and width of the house. The balcony culminates in an octagonal deck—an ideal spot for sunning, relaxing, or watching boats and sunsets.
The kitchen is L-shaped with a workspace centered on a black marble-topped island with a Jenn-Air ceramic stovetop. A separate waterfront breakfast area features matching cabinetry and direct access to the outdoor deck, where a grill invites casual dining and entertaining with waterfront views.
Two upstairs bedrooms, each with a private bath, overlook the Coan River. The lower level expands living and guest accommodations with a second family room and two guest bedrooms that open through sliders to the patio beneath the upper balcony. A third lower-level bedroom enjoys its own private bath, while two additional full baths connect to other bedrooms and are accessible from the family room. Practical spaces include a small den, a laundry/mud room, a half-bath and the long one-car garage.
Outdoor living spaces are thoughtfully arranged for family use. A patio leads to a screened octagonal gazebo with a tiled floor where grandchildren and guests gather and play, and several stairways connect the lower patio and garage up to the main living level. The gazebo sits between the tennis court and the 35,000-gallon swimming pool; both amenities are sited along the Potomac shoreline, which has been rip-rapped and reinforced by groins for erosion protection.
On the protected Coan River side, a 200-foot private sandy beach fronts the property and includes a brick barbecue grill, providing sheltered swimming and easy shoreline access. The covered boathouse contains four slips and two powered lifts, ready for pontoons, runabouts or other powerboats that benefit from the deep-water dock and protected moorage.
The house is served by a multizone heat pump, an artisan well and a private septic system. Although the Spradlins have primarily used the property as a family beach house, the lot is zoned for light industrial use. Annual property taxes are approximately $5,000.
Virginia’s Northern Neck offers a mix of shopping, dining and services within short drives, and the broader region remains accessible: Fredericksburg and Richmond—the state capital—are both less than 70 highway miles away, making this waterfront retreat convenient to city amenities while retaining a tranquil coastal setting.
For more information, contact Lisa Shultz at Long & Foster Realtors, Bay/River Office in Whitestone, Virginia, at 703-626-4868. The listing was featured in the June 2014 issue.