By Gretchen A. Peck

Welcome to Baker’s Cove, a waterfront, luxury-home community in Groton, where the four-bedroom Cape at 792 Shennecossett Road is for sale for the first time in more than 13 years. The property is offered to the market for $2.15 million. Judi Caracausa, broker-owner of Market Realty, LLC in Mystic, is the seller’s Realtor.

Caracausa introduced Welcome Home to her clients, the homeowners, who spoke about the property they acquired in 2011. They’d been living for many years in another part of the state, when they spent a fateful weekend in southeast Connecticut. They recalled sitting at a local restaurant along the coast, new empty-nesters, and agreeing to “just look” at some real estate on the water here. They toured four homes that weekend and immediately fell in love with this one.

The four-bedroom house was built in 2001. The sellers are the second owners. Since the house was just 10 years old when they bought it, it didn’t require much work beyond routine maintenance. But they have made some significant improvements in the years since. They redesigned the main level, which had a more traditional aesthetic, creating coastal décor. They changed the cabinets in the eat-in kitchen and built an entire outdoor kitchen on a new terrace.

“The kitchen is very functional. We love it,” the co-seller said. “In our new home, we have a kitchen with the same floor plan. The original owners here thought to put in a second dishwasher, and there’s an alcove area for the wet bar. There’s lots of room and plenty of cabinets for storage.”

After Hurricane Sandy battered the Connecticut coastline, they decided to add hurricane shutters to all the windows and doors. Though they haven’t experienced a storm like it since, the shutters have proved a great addition for other reasons. When they’ve gone away for vacation, they lower the shutters for added security. On particularly bitter-cold winter days, they’ve lowered them for incidental “insulation,” and on the rare oppressively hot summer days, the shutters can shade the sun and keep the house cool.

Open-plan design well describes the main level, with easy transitions from the foyer to the living room, dining area and custom kitchen. Brazilian cherry hardwood floors are throughout the 3,508-square-foot interiors.

For buyers in need of one or more home offices, this home checks that box. One of the homeowners maintained a home office in a dedicated space next to the living room, and one of the homeowners leveraged a second-floor bedroom for a second home office.

Among the four bedrooms is a first-floor primary suite, with a cozy fireplace and a view of the cove. Upstairs, there are three more bedrooms, which share a connecting Jack-n-Jill bathroom, with a private water closet.

The homeowners noted how much they’ve appreciated the heated, oversized two-car garage with a workshop. It’s a flexible space, they concurred, adaptable to what the buyer may desire. “For example, we were speaking with our Realtor and talked about how it could even be a yoga studio,” the owner suggested.

Outside, the tiered bluestone terrace is a 48-by-10-foot outdoor living and dining area. “It’s a huge space for entertaining,” the seller said. “I have the grill, refrigerators and a warmer. The outdoor kitchen works out really well. Then you have a nice little bit of lawn before you get to the water and dock.

“Before we bought the house, we didn’t realize how valuable it is to have a private dock. We weren’t boaters before we came here, and now we travel by boat to Stonington, up to Essex or over to Long Island. Baker Cove is a little protected cove. We think of it as a little gem that people don’t even realize is down here,” the seller said.

The private dock is also a great place to launch a kayak or Zodiak, he added.

Bluff Point State Park, Avery Point, the Shennecossett Yacht Club, Shennecossett Golf Course and Groton’s airport are close by.

It’s an idyllic coastal setting, and both a home and a special event venue for their family. Their daughter was married in the backyard. Private showings of the property are by appointment only.

Property: 792 Shennecossett Rd., Groton

Bedrooms: 4

Baths: 3

Square Footage: 3,508

Acreage: 1.0

Asking Price: $2.15 million

Seller’s Agent: Judi Caracausa, broker/owner, Market Realty LLC; Mobile: (860) 912-9903; Office: (860) 912-9903; buymystic@aol.com