Lee Wetherington Homes gives Siesta Key couple a coastal contemporary gem

As a commercial contractor and the vice president of Gilbane Building Company, Tim Hensey knows the construction business well. “I would say I’m a pretty tough customer.” So when Tim and his wife, Melanie, became empty nesters and decided to downsize, they looked at several model homes by various local builders before they made a decision: They would build home by Lee Wetherington Homes on a lot they owned on Siesta Key. “We were looking for that big all-in-one room with a kitchen, dining room and great room,” Tim said. “I studied lots of floor plans, and I just liked the Lee Wetherington Homes floor plans the best.” Tim grew up on Sarasota’s Bird Key, so he was excited to get back to the water. He and his wife had owned a house on Siesta Key for about 10 years that they used as a weekend getaway and as a place to keep their boat. But the Henseys wanted something different than the existing 60-year-old house on the property, so they tore that house down and got to work designing a new house with Lee Wetherington Homes’ architect Steve Nelson. “He took our ideas, and he listened to exactly what my wife and I said,” Tim said. “He did a great job designing the house, inside and out.” The home, which took about a year to build, is a 2,800-square-foot coastal contemporary-style house. The Henseys have been living there since September after downsizing from their 4,600-square-foot home on the mainland. “We’ve lived in the house for four months, and I can’t think of anything I would have done differently,” Tim said. “We’re very happy – it’s exactly what we hoped for.”