Found mostly in the Caribbean, or locally at the Treehouse Villas at Walt Disney World, a rare Topsider pedestal house is now for sale on Pine Island in Hernando County.
Located at 3449 Cyclone Dr., the mushroom-style home was built in 1996 by St. Petersburg native Joe Kruse, a chairman for the North Carolina-based Topsider home company.
Built to withstand 160-mph winds, the home's octagonal design allows it to not take a direct hit from a hurricane, and is reinforced with nine pilings anchored to the ground. According to a 1996 article from the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times), the home sits incredibly close to the Gulf Mexico, thanks to a variance that allowed Kruse to place the dwelling's 13-foot footprint just nine feet from the water's edge, instead of the typical 50 feet.
When Tropical Storm Josephine hit Hernando County, reports the paper, "the only damage Kruse's home sustained was the erosion of a little sand under the bottom step."
The 1,145-square-foot home comes with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as floor-to-ceiling glass, two open air decks, and a 360-degree view thanks to the home's 20-foot perch above the tree line.
The Topsider house is currently asking $545,000, and the listing agent is Kevin Landry or Tropic Shores Realty.
Photos via Realtor.com