Frank Cole

Contributor to HGTV Dream Home

Dec 26

Visit the HGTV Dream Home in the Florida Keys

If you’re going to be in Islamorada in the next few months, you can visit the HGTV Dream Home for a tour! The home will be open for tours from Jan. 3 through March 2, 2008. Tours are being managed by the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the organization. You can find more information on the tours by visiting the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter website.

Also, starting New Year’s Day at 9am ET, you can enter the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway for a chance to win the gorgeous home in the Florida Keys, complete with all the designer furnishings, plus a new GMC Yukon Hybrid. It’s a grand prize package worth more than $2.2 million. And you can enter once a day from Jan. 1 to Feb. 19, 2008. You can find out more about the prizes, and read complete rules, right now on the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway page.

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Posted at 12:16 pm

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  • 245 Comments

245 Comments

  1. The day I win I will be hosting a party for all the doubters and crtics so that they can enjoy the beatiful scenery and ocean breezes. The design is typical Fla. keys the setting is great and if Ican only afford to stay there for one winter it would be well worth the effort of simply typing in my e-mail address. Go luck to all see you at my party.
    P.S. bring your own chair and sunblock, my not have enough for everyone.

    Chris on January 10, 2008 at 12:29 am
  2. Wonderful, spectacular. It's the most beautiful thing I could have imagined winning. Of course it will take nothing less than a miracle to win it. We are praying and claiming it every day. My wife has asthma and allergies very bad and when we go on vacation in Florida she is 100% better, so needless to say, this is why we would love owning it. Of course we will stay year-round unless a huricane is forcast then we would go northward till it is over. We can't wait to see our name as WINNER on TV.

    James A Davis on January 10, 2008 at 8:05 am
  3. I discovered your beautiful Dream Home while watching my favorite show, HGTV. My husband and I take pleasure living our lives one day at a time.I just underwent breast cancer surgery in July, 2007. Hopefully, God will smile on me for several years of cancer-free living. My husband is also a cancer surviver and also underwent a kidney transplant a few years ago.Recently retired, we cannot afford to buy our Dream Home because our medical expenses are so high. To be able to go to the Keys and be surrounded by such a beautiful home and environment would be trully a Dream Home come true. This is a wonderful thing your organizaion is doing and I know the sponsors should be happy to help with this project. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to enter your contest. Here’s hoping!
    Thanks, Donna Mouser

    Donna Mouser on January 10, 2008 at 10:12 am
  4. This is such a major disater! This “Dream Home” could use some remodeling and new decor. The past homes have all had a real “wow” factor, but this is worse than some hotels and condos we have rented.

    coolbreeze on January 10, 2008 at 5:21 pm
  5. My son was an auto mechanic. On April 26, 2006, he had motorcycle accident right by my house. He shattered his C-5 and he was a quadriplegic. He also suffered a brain injury. I brought him home last February. I was his mother, friend and care taker. Those 9 months I had him home, I became very close to him. I loved every bit of it. He was my life. This past November my son past away at home. I am so lost without him. I really need to get out of this place, because it brings back so many memories. So I am, really looking foward to move on with my life, and just cherish the moments I had with him.

    Laura on January 10, 2008 at 5:24 pm
  6. It just so happens I am heading from Virginia to Key Largo for a Girls Only Winter Warm Up in February. Can’t wait for a tour…

    Nena and the Barley family on January 10, 2008 at 7:29 pm
  7. hi all, I was very excited to here that the HGTV DREAM HOME tour proceeds would go to the FLORIDA KEYS CHILDREN’S SHELTER. there are so many children that dream of a good home too.. Christmas two years ago i went and picked up an 8 month old baby boy that had been abused. I have an extended family now. when he turned 2 we decorated his room with Kidcraft’s firetruck toddler bed and bookcase. i like to sew, so i made him curtains and sheets to match. Good night all and God Bless the FKCS with lots of visitors to the HGTV Dream Home.

    benita on January 11, 2008 at 2:38 am
  8. You guys did a great job on the house! We always wanted to move to Florida. Good luck to everyone who entered!

    Patrick on January 11, 2008 at 8:26 am
  9. im gonna win this house!!!! i have entered all day so i would say that none of you guys have a chance!!!

    kaitlyn on January 12, 2008 at 12:14 pm
  10. to all of you who have so much bad to say about the house, PLEASE, don’t enter. If you dislike it so much then why are you wasting your time posting negative crap on this website!!! Many of us would be grateful to win such a beautiful home regardless of the layout or the paint color, even the neighbors!!! Find another contest to enter that you approve of and let us normal people dream our dream!!

    megan on January 12, 2008 at 12:45 pm
  11. Amazing home in magical Islamorada! It was great touring it online. Good luck to all, who like me, are hoping and wishing for their own piece of heaven in the Keys!

    jude on January 12, 2008 at 7:23 pm
  12. I love reading your comments, however the concern of many is can we afford to win this home. How much are gift taxes, etc… If we win do we really win anything? A dream home is really nice home that we can afford to live in, if HGTV want to give something away as a prize then it should be a prize not a debt. I love HGTV and watch daily, but they really should communicate to us that love them a little better.
    I love HGTV anyway, from-cautious in Ohio

    cindy on January 13, 2008 at 12:06 am
  13. Thankyou HGTV for my beautiful home. I love everything about it. If Carter wants to come vacation in the keys he is oh so more than welcomed to stay at my house. that goes for anyone else at hgtv. i don’t drink margaritas but we can still have fun. i can’t wait to drive my new suv around in the keys. you just don’t know how excited i am. i’m not obsessed or anything; however, i own about 30 pairs of flip-flops. (don’t tell “WHAT NOT TO WEAR”).

    dlyn on January 13, 2008 at 1:07 am
  14. has anyone found my lost shaker of salt yet?

    dlyn on January 13, 2008 at 9:42 pm
  15. i cant wait to make my family’s dream come true…it would be a true blessing if we could all be together under one roof enjoying…love, laughter, peace and most important each other… may all our wishes come true… good luck to all…

    aurora on January 14, 2008 at 2:23 am
  16. Just a thought, wouldn’t it be nice if somehow the property taxes could be prepaid for a few years so the winner could enjoy these homes instead of having to sell it immediately. Part of the fantasy of winning these places is to picture ourselves living in a house that nice, not just winning something worth a certain amount of money.

    Uncle Sam on January 15, 2008 at 12:29 am
  17. My husband is a fishing fanatic and although we live in nearby Miami our dream has always been to have property in the Keys where we could keep our small boat and fish til we drop! We looked at the property online with our 2 boys and all they could talk about was the fishing room where they could store all of the rods. This would be a dream come true for our family. Thye say positive thinking makes things happen so we are all imagining ourselves living in this beautiful dream home! look forward to meeting you all in February…
    Ciao!

    Danielle Sosa on January 16, 2008 at 5:12 pm
  18. The decor and color scheme are boring, it looks like a hotel – very blah.

    Felecia on January 16, 2008 at 7:18 pm
  19. I WOULD LOOK SO GOOD ON ANY ONE OF THOSE BALCONIES…Ha…WHO WOULDN'T? I am a South Florida transplant (now in central Florida) who grew up taking day trips to the keys. I can't tell you how many homes I pointed at and wished they were mine. This one tops the list. I love everything about it. I dream of retiring and living by the ocean. I have looked at properties on all of Floridas beach coasts and sadly the only way I will have my dream home is to WIN it. Would the rest of you please stop entering:) I NEED TO WIN and share this great home with family and friends for years to come. I have loved all of the HGTV Dream Homes, but this one is exactly what I have dreamed of. WOW! Someone is going to be Very lucky!

    Beth on January 16, 2008 at 9:37 pm
  20. The last couple years we have been vacationg in the Keys. I would be great to have a home for the family to live in. One flies in from Seattle, Washington the other from Buffalo New York. This house would surely be a treat for the retireed Mom and Dad of an engineer and emergency room doctor and their wives.

    Elaine on January 16, 2008 at 11:38 pm
  21. I love this house! I want this house!
    If you have $700,000.00 in the bank for Federal income tax and make enough money every year to pay $20,000.00 plus in property tax, insurance, dues, ect. than you might be able to accept this gift.
    -Randy

    Randy on January 17, 2008 at 12:21 pm
  22. I, too,expect to win! But there are saddening issues of being able to afford to keep it and enjoy it. The taxes and fees would be prohibitive. Couldn’t the sponsors ensure a year or two of all expenses paid so the winner can enjoy the dream?

    Patricia on January 17, 2008 at 2:21 pm
  23. It is disappointing to think that most of us that hope to win can’t afford to keep the home. I live in Miami, and although we do not have state taxes, our property taxes are outrageous. Someone estimated that the taxes would be around $15,000, think again! My taxes are almost $10k and my house was only $500,000.

    I still want to win it. I’d sell it and build my own dream home.

    mf on January 17, 2008 at 6:09 pm
  24. This house is wonderful!!!! It is definitley my family’s dream house!!! We had always dreamed of having a beutiful house on a beach and we’ve been to the keys so many times and it is so great and peaceful!!!! This house is incredible!!

    taina on January 17, 2008 at 11:08 pm
  25. Of course beautiful house, great place. But I am disappointed in the floorplan. Only 3 bedrooms. And the kids bedroom in the first floor!!!! Crazy!! What were they thinking!!! Its a great home for a couple with an older child or parent, but definitely not for a family of 4 or 5. And I dont see an office room, everyone now has a computer and an area where they work on their computer or bills. Also who would have such an exclusive home in such an exclusive place with NO POOL and the Hottub, hello its Florida, every other home has a pool. yes you have the ocean, but its not really to swim in it. I think who ever designed it did not have have much experience in Florida homes, expecially in an island.

    I would love to see HGTV build a 5 bedroom home with a pool, large kitchen, 3 car garage, 4 bathrooms and a huge family room. I bet you will have a lot more entries. Catering more to families and their real lifestyles. How great would that house be in North Carolina!!
    Maybe they would like to hire me to help with the design concept!! just kidding. Don’t mean to be a grouch, but I am a mom with 3 small kids and know what a family would really like.

    Sandra on January 18, 2008 at 12:09 pm
  26. Today i listened to the video and toured the house what a dream i know the kind of luck we had so far his past year has to change.Well i can dream can’t i? Love the house.

    newfie on January 19, 2008 at 5:13 pm
  27. I think I found the Dream Home location on Google Earth, based on the little map at the “The Shore Islamorada” Web site. It’s somewhere in this general area on Google Earth:
    24 57’43.20 N & 80 34′ 13.00 W

    I don’t know how to make a little “degrees” circle, but it should be right after the first two digits (24 degrees). Maybe this helps.

    Cindy on January 20, 2008 at 12:00 am
  28. I have read all the comments posted. Love the house, and after having 8 funerals in 6 months, my husband and I sure could use a vacation.
    We haven’t taken one in 23 years, and we have both worked so very hard to make ends meet.
    Sure would be nice…guess everyone should have a dream.

    slm on January 20, 2008 at 12:50 am
  29. No duh… it’s beautiful, & anyone would love to live there, but unless you are rich you will lose it due to Florida’s TAXES.

    Randy on January 20, 2008 at 10:54 am
  30. Just returned from visiting the dream home in Islamorada. What a disappointing eye opener! (1) It violates nearly every rule of design that we learn on HGTV,(2) it is not a functional house and (3) the workmanship is poor.
    First, what are some of the “design to sell” rules we learn on TV: For example, have an eye catching front entrance and secondly don’t stuff your house with too much-too large of scale furniture. In the dream house the front entrance is bland and it is just a rough concreate slab (some paint or a tiled area would be a big improvement). The furniture in the main level sitting area is way too large; in fact it makes the room unfunctional–it is totally impossible to even sit as the coffee table and couches are nearly touching!
    Secondly, functionality! There is virtually no storage in this house. The “fishing” room off the garage would need to be turned into storage. The refrigerator in the pantry off the kitchen seems like an afterthought (“oh we forgot the refrig, where should we stick it”). The laundry area also seems like an afterthought and does not contain desired features–like a sink, a proper place for storage, a place to hang clothes, etc.). The outside dining area on the ground level of the house seems silly (espcially with a neighborhood pool going in front) when the kitchen is one floor up. South Florida also means bugs–which is why we use screened porches and caged lanais).
    As too workmanship: If you were paying a contractor to build this house you would object to nearly all the finishing workmanship. The drywall is not nicely down, the tile work in the master bathroom is (in some places) uneven, the paint on the wall is sparse and spotty and (for example over the shower door in the master) appears to be just smeared on! Oh, last but not least, the landscaping looks amateurish.
    What appears on TV is not always so.

    bob on January 20, 2008 at 12:08 pm
  31. Gorgeous home, lovely setting. It’s 16 degrees in Michigan today. Looks like paradise to me!

    Vicki on January 20, 2008 at 7:39 pm
  32. HGTV IS THE BEST!!!!!! FOR GIVING SUCH A NICE DREAM COME TRUE TO ANYONE WHO WINS THIS WONDERFUL DREAM HOUSE. IT IS DEFINITLEY OUR DREAM HOUSE!! LIKE EVERY OTHER US TOO ARE DREAMING OF OWNING THIS BEAUTIFUL DREAM HOUSE IN FLORIDA KEYS, AND I HAVE TO SAY IT SURE IS A NICE AND MOST WONDERFUL AND SPECTACULAR PLACE TO HAVE A DREAM COME TRUE LIVING IN FLORIDA KEYS, SO GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE AND LET THIS DREAM COME TRUE!!!!! THANKS AGAIN HGTV, TRULY YOU ARE A DREAM COME TRUE…

    Toni on January 20, 2008 at 10:11 pm
  33. This is really a dream house. Just to think that the beach would be steps away from my door takes me breath away. The kids and the dog to be able to just walk outside and be paradise is more than I can even dream of. Again, this is really a dream house!!!!

    Sarah on January 20, 2008 at 10:53 pm
  34. I LOVE IT!! Since I was born and raised in Miami, we always went to the Keys for our summer vacation and Islamorada was always the place we stayed. It is the by far the BEST Key of all the Keys. HGTV has picked the perfect spot to build the dream home.
    Now since I no longer live in Miami and now live in Kentucky, this would be the perfect home to have family and friends come visit. Most of my family still lives in Miami and this would be the perfect place for all us to get together and have family reunions!! LOVE IT!
    By the way, I love the color scheme and decor. It is PERFECT for the Keys. Anyone who comments negatively about the colors or decor don’t belong in the Keys. It is a different lifestyle and you captured it perfectly!!

    Karen on January 21, 2008 at 2:34 pm
  35. This home is a dream nightmare…not only can the average person not afford it due to taxes, but FIRE the interior designer!! Just because you live near water dosen’t mean you have to over kill with pastels and fishy stuff! The land
    scapeing is awful!!

    Mary Partin on January 21, 2008 at 3:12 pm
  36. I managed the Convention Bureau in Key West from 1966 – 1968 and many times have wanted to return to the area. I also managed the Howard Johnsons in Islamarada. Regardless of the healthy taxes that would be due, how could you not want to live in such a place? I would find a way. To return to one of the most beautiful areas in the world would be worth any effort to remain there.

    Ashley Jeter on January 21, 2008 at 6:55 pm
  37. What about the “noseeums”? Those little blighters who wreak havok on flesh in the area? I thought this area my dream place until I actually lived there for a week. I came home with bites from the “noseeums” and fever and then meningitis. How is this paradise? I want to know the pleasures of this area without illness. The area is all I’ve ever dreamed of…please tell me it is noseeum free!

    Amy on January 21, 2008 at 10:32 pm
  38. What about the noseeums? They caused me meningitis. I want this house, but at what cost?

    Amh on January 21, 2008 at 10:37 pm
  39. I don’t see my comment. I hate the Florida Keys. God Damned Noseeums! Related to bedbugs. The blighters gave me meningitis. I went to Key West with all hope of experiencing my dream. Hot weather, cool things to do. I wanted to spend my money and give to the economy. I just wanted to warm up and calm down. No one warned me about the noseeums. They took to me like white on rice. I hate the Keys. I want so very much to love the Keys.

    Amy on January 21, 2008 at 10:46 pm
  40. THIS IS TRULY GODS GIFT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH !!!!
    PARADISE ON EARTH…
    WHAT A VIEW..LOVE IT

    Johnnie on January 22, 2008 at 2:03 am
  41. This house is truly a dream home. My husband and I got married in Key West 10 years ago. Our dream is to be living in the Keys one day. This would only take us there faster. HGTV is really going to make one family very happy. I will be watching March 16th @ 9 p.m. to see the lucky family.=) wish everyone lots of luck…

    DeeAnn on January 22, 2008 at 11:06 am
  42. This house is in a great location, But the house is poorly designed. The kitchen should be on the first floor, off the patio, what a waste for a great outdoor living opportunity,who wants to schlep food,drinks and dishes up and down the stairs. What happened to the “triangle ” all designers talk about in a kitchen? Poor Design were the fridge is. I agree a child’s room should not be on the first floor by themselves. I was very disapointed in the design. Yes, where was Candice Olsen on this house??

    Tami ALexander on January 22, 2008 at 2:28 pm
  43. The house is really great and what a location but I do have one request for future Dream Home giveaways – can you giveaway something like a vacation cottage at a lower value ($500,000). The reason is this years house at $2.2M will cost the winner around $620,000 in Federal tax, somewhere around $180,000 in Fl property tax and I would expect $10,000/yr in insurance. Just the taxes alone would force the winner to sell the house (which is a shame given the house and location) or take out an $800,000 home loan (which I can’t afford either). It is a great house but it would be nice if whoever wins the house could keep it. I believe all previous Dream Homes have been sold for this reason.

    Thanks for a great network and great shows – David and the team on Color Spash are our favorites.

    Mike

    Mike on January 23, 2008 at 4:41 pm
  44. The house would be a great get away from the Michigan winter for me and my wife.I believe this dream house has my name on it.Its a beautiful dream house and I look forward to winning it.Thanks HGTV

    Darryl Moore on January 23, 2008 at 11:11 pm
  45. Please, if you are going to complain about the taxes…don’t enter. I would gladly like to have that problem. Either way, you’ll be ahead of the game if you are the winner. Hopefully it will be me.

    RD on January 24, 2008 at 8:59 am
  46. I took a tour of the dream house last week while on vacation in the Keys. It was very cute and the perfect size for a second home in an island paradise. Hopefully the future neighbors will be great! I’m looking forward to getting the suprise news that I’m the new owner. I’m ready to retire to the back porch, rum drinks in hand and a warm tropical breeze in my face.

    Jill S. on January 24, 2008 at 4:19 pm
  47. The reason this is called a dream home is because living here is not reality for most people. I love the outdoor spaces in this home they are beautiful. The only thing missing is the complete outdoor kitchen on the patio with a blender and ice machine. $30,000 + for the outdoor kitchen is reasonable, if you can afford to keep the house.
    I really liked the coral furniture in the living area of the home. I would have liked to see more bright colors used inside the home.
    If this was my house I would live on the second floor balcony with pina-colodas, the rest of the house is not that important. This house is designed as a beach vacation home, It is not supposed to be a colonial in the suburbs for a family of 5 the floor plan reflects this.

    shell on January 26, 2008 at 3:02 am
  48. i love it i want to win so my faimly will keep are hopes up

    mark on January 26, 2008 at 3:45 am
  49. Wow! I have fallen in love! My husband and I met and fell in love in Marathon, right down the road. We no longer live there but wish we did. The house is amazing. Sixteen years of marriage and five girls later, we could definetly make this house a home.

    Tina Adams on January 26, 2008 at 12:29 pm
  50. i have sign up every year in hopes of being the lucky one. but no luck.so i wish everyone good luck and enjoy it.

    laura grantham on January 27, 2008 at 4:28 pm