By Andrea Stetson originally posted in the News Press.
Don Koogler is a trendsetter. The Cape Coral builder looks for things to make life easier, more enjoyable and unique and then sets out to incorporate it into his homes.
“I lay in bed and just think up all this stuff,” Koogler said. “I just want to come up with stuff way different. God gave me a nice gift. I push the envelope all the time.”
The outdoor space is huge and includes a sitting area, dining area, outdoor kitchen, pool, spa, putting green and a sunken
area under a chickee roof, with seating for 20 in front of a 105 inch television.
His newest home, that was just completed and will be showcased in the 38th Annual Lee BIA Parade of Homes, has lots of those unusual features.
It all begins as soon as you enter the three bedroom, plus flex room, three full and two half bathroom house along a canal in Cape Coral. There in the entry way are two gigantic pieces of art from Switzerland made from petrified moss and surrounded by a rustic wood frame. Nearby is the bar which at first appears to be two stories high. But a closer look reveals a mirrored ceiling. The 44 inch by 44 inch white tiles in the great room have black and brown streaks of color that are an opposite to the kitch- en countertops that are black with the lighter streaks of color. You will proba- bly never see a mess in that kitchen because hidden behind the main kitchen is another large kitchen complete with gas burners, ovens, a refrigerator, lots of counter space and even built in dog bowls.
Koogler said people like to congregate in the kitchen so the one in the great room is more for show and a place to gather, while the hidden kitchen is a place to cook and keep the mess hidden.
This is one of the jewels of the new Koogler home. This sitting area, has a linear fire pit, seating for 20 and a 105
inch television. Additional people can join the fun by sitting on the seats in the pool.
Every ceiling in the house is a piece of art with things like wood beams and various angles. But the most unique ceiling is in the master bedroom where black grill like features drop down from the ceiling and reveal a soft pinkish-or- ange light behind it.
There are not many places in the house where you can’t watch television.
There is one in the bar, in the great room, in every bedroom, two in the game room, and a couple more outside. Bifold, glass doors open completely to give a 30 foot opening to the outdoor space. The humongous outdoor living area features a kitchen, dining area, sit- ting area, putting green, pool and spa.
The pool has a zero entry ramp.
“That is because I am getting older so it is easier to get in and out, and it is great for young children,” Koogler said.
One of the greatest gems of this new home is the chickee hut. It is a sunken area by the pool that seats 20 people around a linear fireplace in front of a 105 inch television. Even more people can join the fun by sitting on the benches in the pool beside the chickee hut. “Nobody has done this,” Koogler said. “I knew this could be a big hit for future houses.”
Trinity and Marc Stone, of Cape Coral, recently took a tour of the new home and were amazed by all the features.
“We loved everything,” Trinity Stone began.
“Don is always ahead of the trends,” Marc Stone add- ed. “We have been coming to these open houses for five years, and every time we go to one we are just blown away by the progress, by the technology and the finishes. I look at this and I feel like I am in coastal California. It is like what you would see at the Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons. There is no one doing this type of stuff in Cape Coral, not even close.”
Behind the kitchen in the great room is this hidden kitchen. It has everything a full kitchen would have from a stovetop and ovens, to a refrigerator and lots of counter space. The washer and dryer are also in this room.
“Don builds a great house,” said Phillip Ford, Lee County BIA executive vice president. “When he is in the parade, he always comes up with something nice.”
While the house embraces luxury, it is also very practi- cal. Koogler said three bedrooms and a game room, that could be used as a fourth bedroom, is much more useful than the huge six bedroom homes that some builders are constructing. He said his home has plenty of space for guests. Each guest room is a suite with a large closet and a feature wall.
“I think it’s a homey house,” Koogler explained. “There is nothing here that you won’t use. I think every room has its own little surprise.”
There are no bathtubs in this house. Koogler said people rarely use one.
“There are very few homes I build that have tubs; one out of 10 will have one,” he stated.
Since his homes are custom, his clients can opt for a tub, more bedrooms or other features.
Koogler named this house the Crowned Jewel. It spans 3,600 square foot under air and a total of 8,300.square feet including all the outdoor space and garages. Koogler said he can build this house for a client for $3.2 to $3.5 million. The house is in the Parade of Homes, but it is not for sale.
“This is mine,” Koogler said, adding that he will move in when the Parade of Homes is over. “As long as I can, I will live in it. I think it turned out really special.”
The bar area looks like it is two stories high, but it’s just a mirror ceiling that gives it that illusion.
Koogler is also using the Parade of Homes as a way to help a local animal shelter. The Blueprints for Pawprints program raises money for the Cape Coral Animal Shelter. Kooger helped build the shelter three years ago and is now raising money to build an 18,000 square foot expan- sion. A poster at the house will explain about the project and include a QR code that people can use to donate.
The 2024 Lee BIA Parade of Homes features 49 hous- es to visit and three virtual tours. That is twice as many homes as last year. It offers residents and visitors an op- portunity to take a self-guided tour through Southwest Florida’s communities and see home’s created by the area’s premier builders. There are both single and multi-family homes priced from the low $200s to over $4 million dollars.
This one-of-a-kind art work is from Switzerland. It is made of petrified
moss and was custom designed for the new Koogler house in Cape Coral.
Every room in the house including the half bathroom is full of details such as tile walls and decorative lighting.