Most of the time, the reason for relocating from a marvelous address like this one is the desire to downsize to a more simplified life, with fewer square feet to maintain and fewer floors to scale. But in this case, David and Linda Hargreaves are actually upsizing from their custom-built 6,590 square foot home, which they've listed for $15 million.

Located in Lido Shores on Lido Key, overlooking New Pass, the neighborhood is ground zero for everything emblematic of the Sarasota School of Architecture and its legacy. Although the home was built in 2011, it adapts some of the design elements the midcentury Sarasota School style is known for, like clerestory windows, simple lines and lots of glass to bring the outside in. It’s almost directly opposite the famed Umbrella House, and its address, at 1325 Westway Drive, has been included in Sarasota MOD Weekend home tours.

The three-story home, which also has a guesthouse, is the couple's first truly modern single-family home. David admits they have a modern-looking penthouse back in England, where they're from—but "it's not like this," he says. 

In 2010, the Hargeaves bought the 2,000-square-foot ranch-style home that previously sat on the lot for $2.2 million and knocked it down after David retired to Sarasota from Rhode Island. That was after 35 years with Hasbro in various executive positions, from chief financial officer to chief operating officer. If you don’t know Hasbro, you know its portfolio. The company owns brands like G.I. Joe, Peppa Pig, Play-Doh, Nerf and Transformers, to name just a handful of its more than 1,500 global brands.

The architect on the Hargreaves' project was Mark Sultana, founder of local firm DSDG Architects. It was built in less than a year by Voigt Brothers Construction.

That's because it was on the heels of the 2008 Great Recession. “If you remember, in 2010, no one was starting anything like this. Custom builders were looking for work and subs,” David says.

Today, the same home would probably cost roughly $10 million to build, thanks to the sharp increases in labor and material costs since then. At the time, David says, it cost roughly half that. "Today, you'd be lucky to find the land and it would be a year before an architect could even start. It would then take years to reproduce," he says.

This is after the Hargreaves vacationed in Sarasota and fell in love with the area. They bought a condo in 2006. And although the plan was to retire here, David still works. He partnered with Patrick DiPinto and started Seaward Development, which has spearheaded projects like Park Residences of Lido Key and the 18-story Epoch in downtown Sarasota. More recently the firm had plans for Mira Mar Plaza on Palm Avenue, also downtown, but those fell through.

Since the Lido Shores lot is narrow, the Hargreaves chose to build a courtyard-style house, with two buildings on either side, and the pool and terrace area strategically placed in between for a private, sunny getaway complete with a summer kitchen, fire bowls and a bridge. The main home has three bedrooms and the guesthouse has two.

“I wanted glass and a modern look, and I had some parameters,” David says. Embracing the priceless waterfront views, the main living area and kitchen are on the second floor, with the office and a guest bedroom downstairs. 

There's also a deep-water dock, two boat lifts and a waterside hot tub. The rooftop terrace is laid with artificial turf for a putting green. "It's not permanent, but you can practice with little add-ons up there," David says.

Happy with the results, DSDG and Sultana will also be the architect of the Hargreaves' next, bigger project—a Longboat Key lot that can be divided into thirds.

"At the moment, it's covered with 65-foot-tall Australian pines, but it boasts 425 feet of Gulf of Mexico beachfront," David says. “I thought that was too good to let go, so we'll design a new home there and move." 

Plans are for the new home to have a similar style and flavor, just bigger. The main house will span 6,400 square feet, and the guest house will be 2,000 square feet. It already has a name: Frame II, a play on the first house, which the Hargeaves and Sultana named Frame I—inspired by the outlines of the exterior of the home.

So is all this space for just the Hargreaves? Well, no.

“About half of the time, our family from England visit,” David says. Two adult children in the area and a local nephew also visit regularly. The new home will also house David's special bikes—he's a triathlete who swims, bikes and runs. In fact, he earned third place in the world championships in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in November in the 70- to 75-year-old age group. That might explain the 60-foot, heated lap pool and home gym.

However, twelve years after building this home, the industry has transformed, and things are busy. Finishing Frame II will probably take almost two years, David thinks. In the meantime, plans for the Hargreaves include travel.

And for those who are partial to the Hargreaves' interior design, the home's existing furniture isn't included in the sale—but is negotiable. There are lots of luxe furniture brand names like Cassina, Roche Bobois, Rolf Benz and original Eames. But parting with the pieces might make sense since they “might be small for the new house’s scale," David says.

Interested? Contact Roger Pettingell at (941) 387-1840 or Nicholle McKiernan at (860) 205-4053 both of Coldwell Banker Realty Longboat Key.