$1.5M Mediterranean villa on the Mississippi is car lover's dream home

The house Ed Klemz owns on the Mississippi River offers panoramic water views from every room. But what he'll miss most when he sells it is his garage.

A car buff who likes to tinker, Klemz designed his Coon Rapids home, built in 2007, to accommodate his hobby. There's an oversized heated two-car garage with floor drains, plus another three-car garage with a lift, a winch, a workshop space and a storage loft, including plenty of space for a boat and other water toys.

"You can pull in and have two cars with doors open, side by side," he said of the wide, high-ceilinged auto accommodations.

The house is also generously sized, with more than 5,600 square feet with an open floor plan and huge windows on the river side to make the most of the setting. "The views are stunning," said real estate agent Arthur Hays, Lake Sotheby's. And the location is conveniently close to the urban core. "You can get from downtown to being on the water in less than 30 minutes. I've actually done it."

While the house has many classical features associated with Mediterranean architecture, including arches, columns and wrought-iron detailing, the house was inspired more by Coastal Florida style, said Klemz, describing it as "Moditerrrean — a modern version. It's brighter and warmer." No dark beams or terra cotta. "There's a lot of tile, but it's cream," he said.

He and his wife spent two years designing their dream home with architect Hamid Kashani of Habitat Architecture.

Klemz is especially pleased with the design of the open kitchen, which has two islands — one for cooking and another for seating and savoring the outdoor view. White cabinets and Brazilian granite countertops finish the space.

There are plenty of other spots for gazing at the river, including three low-maintenance ipe wood decks, three paver patios and a balcony off the master suite.

"We built it with everything in mind for future expansion," Klemz said. There's electricity all the way down to the river, "so an outdoor kitchen is possible." There's also a roughed-in elevator shaft spanning all three levels of the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home.

Klemz is selling the house, listed at $1.55 million, because his wife, a transplanted Texan, wants to spend more time there. "We will have a place here, too, but a smaller footprint," said Klemz, who owns a computer consulting business. But even in a smaller house, he hopes to keep one supersized amenity. "I have to replicate those garages."

Arthur Hayes, Lakes Sotheby's, 612-805-5929, has the listing.