Home of the Week: Rhode Island beach house with water views on both sides for under $2m

408 Atlantic Ave., Westerly, R.I.

$1.780 million

Style Contemporary cottage

Year built 1987

Square feet 2,724

Bedrooms 3

Baths 3 full

Sewer Private

Water Public

Taxes $11,125 (2025)

Atlantic Avenue is the last road in Westerly before the waters of Block Island Sound. It’s the way to Misquamicut State Beach, Rhode Island’s most popular public beach, and it’s where this home sits at the crown of a horseshoe-shaped driveway.

The contemporary cottage is across Atlantic Avenue from the beach, but behind the house is another Westerly draw: Winnapaug Pond. As the state describes it, Winnapaug is a “a salt pond that provided a sheltered place to sail and a protected place for a children’ s bathing area.”

From the house, a kayaker can launch directly into the 476-acre pond and then paddle to the breachway connecting to the Atlantic.

Beauty doesn’t come without some work, which in this house means walking up to the 210-square-foot rooftop deck to admire the full views of both the beach and the pond.

Down one flight of stairs, on the third floor, is the primary bedroom and a white-framed slider to its own 67-square-foot balcony overlooking the pond. The expansive 230-square-foot bedroom has hardwood flooring and a pair of closets with bifold doors. Adjacent is a 192-square-foot family room, a 53-square-foot storage room, and a full shared bath.

The 99-square-foot full bathroom has a single sink in a long vanity with shaker-style cabinets, and the vanity has an unusual feature: a minifridge. There is a curtained shower/bath combination and ceramic tile flooring. The bath doubles as a laundry room with full-size appliances.

Stretching the legs once more, the second floor beckons. The stairwell ends in a foyer from which two bedrooms and a full bathroom flow. The bedrooms, near mirror images at about 180 square feet, each have sliders to the rear deck that runs the length of the home. The 82-square-foot bathroom has a white vanity inset into a shallow nook, white ceramic tile flooring, and a curtained shower.

A door at the opposite end of the foyer from the bath leads to an open floor plan combining the kitchen, dining area, and living room.

The 176-square-foot kitchen (updated in 2024) is on the left and is a U shape with an extra-large stainless steel refrigerator on the left and a six-burner gas stove on the right. The sink is in the middle and underneath a pair of windows. The Shaker-style white cabinets are backed by a white subway tile backsplash. The countertops are Fantasy Brown leathered granite, and the flooring is hardwood. There is a coffee/wine bar.

An 8-foot-long island with seating for four separates the kitchen from the living area, but also presents a great viewing opportunity. The seating is positioned to look directly through the clear glass sliders leading out to this level’s 393-square-foot deck. The living room has recessed lighting, but draws natural light from skylights at each corner of the cathedral-style ceiling. A large ceiling fan assists with cooling. The 123-square-foot dining area has two light sources: a large clear glass window and a pendant light with a lantern-like shape.

A final descent to the first floor leads to the aforementioned horseshoe driveway. Standing outside, there is an attached single bay garage on the left, a 158-square-foot patio in the middle, and an entry door on the right. The door opens into the 249-square-foot recreation room that makes its way to the rear of the home and a slider to the rear 359-square-foot deck. It’s one of the ways to get a kayak in the water from the backyard.

There are also two rooms, both with views of the pond, storage areas, and a full bath.

Listing agent Lori Joyal said the home has been rented for up to $9,000 a week and that the current homeowner’s annual flood insurance premium for $250,000 in coverage is $1,609.

The homeowner and their guests also have access to Misquamicut Fire District’s three beaches.

Joyal is in the Watch Hill office of Lila Delman/Compass.

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