Karp Associates - Custom Homes, Renovations, Construction Management


		Play Rooms That really Got Game By Robin Stansbury - Excerpt from Homes & Real Estate, Sunday, February 9, 2003 It's referred to as the "Cocoon Boom" - the trend of homeowners transforming their houses into personal oases. A retreat. A setting were the home truly is the castle. Local builders say home buyers and remodelers are increasingly asking for extras that provide comfort, be it a larger master bedroom with space for a sitting room and small kitchenette, a home theater with deluxe sound and seating, or even an inviting spa the whole family can relax in. Of course, some take it further than others. Luxury home builder Arnold Karp is used to meeting the demands of his clients in upscale Fairfield County. But it was his own idea to build a 900-square-foot indoor basketball court over the garage of a home he was building in New Canaan last year. "Many of our clients want gyms, but I thought, why not build an actual gymnasium," Karp said. "This space was the logical place to do that. The basketball court has a regulation-height, 10-foot hoop and backboard, and is a long, but not as wide, as half of a regulation court. Karp said he even located a company to install the maple wood floor, using the same materials used for the court in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The total cost of the basketball court was about $150,000, Karp said. The home, which Karp rebuilt on speculation without a buyer lined up, sold in early 2002 for just under $9 million. The basketball court also has space for a television - stored behind Plexiglas for protection - as well as a seating area and built in speakers. There's even wire mesh over the windows to resemble a gymnasium of the 1920's or 1930's, a style meant to match that of the overall house which was built I the 1910 but renovated and expanded. "This room has turned into the centerpiece of the house, and has become a real gathering spot," said Karp, owner of Karp Associates. "Everyone has a living room and everyone has a dining room, but only a few very lucky people have an indoor basketball court."