Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

SEA BRIGHT: NEW HOME FLOATS INTO VIEW

290-ocean-ave-sb-101016-1-500x406-2834071The house, at 290 Ocean Avenue, features an unusual tunnel underneath the living space. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

whatsgoingonhere-220x39-9915471

One of the more unusual construction projects on the Greater Red Bank Green has been catching the eyes of passersby on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright in recent months.

There, Red Bank builder Mike Villane is overseeing the creation of a house that appears to hover beside the Shrewsbury River, with a tunnel underneath.

sb-290-ocean-render-101016-1-500x329-1053600An architect’s rendering of the Staab house as seen from the river. Below, builder Mike Villane, from the same angle. (Rendering by RAAD Studio; photo below by by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

mike-villane-101016-220x165-8433028

Sitting atop an earthen berm that raises it more than 16 feet above base flood elevation, or two feet higher than necessary to protect it from severe flooding, the 3,000-square-foot structure consists of two flat boxes, one cantilevered atop the other.

“It’s built like a fortress,” with 450 cubic yards of concrete used to create a two-foot-thick foundation slab and support walls , said Villane, owner of Lead Dog Custom Homes.

A good deal of the concrete went into creating a tunnel that penetrates the berm for the entire length of the house. The tunnel provides access to the river side of the property, which features three outdoor patio levels.

New York architect RAAD Studio designed the three-bedroom house, which boasts an open floor plan reminiscent of a city loft, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of both the river and the Atlantic Ocean. A long horizontal window on the Ocean Avenue side does double duty as the backsplash to the kitchen counter, Villane told redbankgreen on a recent tour.

The is being built on a what was previously a vacant sitefor New Yorkers R.C. and Valari Staab, who’ve spent the past three summers in rental homes in town.

“Most homes in the area have a Cape Cod look,” R.C. Staab said in a prepared statement. “Our intention wasn’t to build a unique house. We were just energized by the idea of not bringing the suburbs to the beach, but letting the beach be the beach.”

Villane, whose firm typically builds Colonial homes, is jazzed by the project. “To do something like this is great,” he said.

The exterior is to be clad in Alaskan yellow cedar, and the landscaping plan calls for natural grasses on the berm, picking up on the appearance of nearby Sandy Hook.

Construction is slated for completion this spring, Villane said.

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...