A couple has sold the 1920s-era bungalow they completely rebuilt in Palm Beach

A 1920s-era bungalow that at once appeared headed for the bulldozer has instead been sold as a completely renovated and restored home on one of Palm Beach’s famous “Sea” streets. The deed for the sale of 439 Seaspray Ave. was recorded at $7.497 million.

Dr. George Snelling sold the Midtown house through a Florida limited liability company, Landover Developments One LLC, which had paid $3.95 million in December 2021. At the time, he and his wife, Roberta, expected to tear the 1926 house down and replace it with a new one to accommodate their visits to Palm Beach from their home in Augusta, Georgia, Snelling told the Palm Beach Daily News for a November article about the property.

Near the Intracoastal Waterway, the house stands on a lot of a little more than a tenth of an acre on the northeast side of Seaspray Avenue’s cul-de-sac, about a block north of Royal Palm Way. The size of the lot ended up constraining the Snellings’ plans for building a new home on the property.

“The town’s rules and regulations made it almost impossible because the lot is small. So we rebuilt it. We did everything — you name it,” George Snelling said last fall about the three-bedroom house, which has 2,743 square feet of living space, inside and out.

A deed recorded March 12 shows the buyer was a Delaware-registered limited liability company named CWNPB LLC. Because of Delaware’s strict corporate privacy laws, public records did not immediately offer more information about the buyer’s side of the sale.

The sellers’ two-year renovation transformed the house so that it looks even more authentic to its era today, said Snelling, a dentist who no longer practices, having instead focused his career on real estate investments through his Snelling Properties.

Achieving a look of authenticity was important to the Snellings, because the house stands in the lake block of one of the so-called “Sea” streets, which are among the oldest platted roads in town. Like neighboring Seaview and Seabreeze avenues, Seaspray is home to many older homes and landmarked houses.

Palm Beach architect Yianni Varnav of Varnava Studio designed the down-to-the-studs renovation, which included reworking the interior layout and expanding the number of bathrooms from two to four.

Agent Steve Hall of Compass Florida listed the house in October at $9.6 million, reducing the price in December to $8.995 million. Agent Vincent Kessell, who also is with Compass Florida, acted on behalf of the buyer.

A prominent porte-cochère provides access to the front porch. The first-floor layout includes a living room with a fireplace, a dining room and the main bedroom suite, which has two bathrooms and a walk-in closet. On the second floor are two bedroom suites, and behind the house is a separate one-car garage.

Rooms have hardwood floors, and bathrooms are finished in marble and tile.

The house has no swimming pool, so the front yard’s patio, which has a fountain, served as the Snellings’ main outdoor entertaining area.

In addition to their Augusta residence, the Snellings have homes in South Carolina — a house in Hilton Head and a condo in Charleston.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Rebuilt 1920s bungalow sells for $7.5M on famous Palm Beach street