$2.2M 'Tackle Box' home on Fairfield Beach from 1917 was rebuilt by an avid fisher

"I have caught, within literally six inches of water, a thirty-pound striped bass. I worked very hard for that fish, but I got it. I only take one fish a year, so that one ended up on the dinner table, that's my rule," Bonilla said. "Last year was a stellar year. The beach was just totally lit up with fish at the end of the season." 

Aside from the fish, Bonilla said she has had a "plethora" of other wildlife in and around her property, including swans, deer, turkeys, coyotes, migrating birds, possums, skunks and loons. One winter she spotted seals on Sunken Island, a sandbar near the beach.

"I have seen deer on the Long Island Sound swimming, they run the beach," Bonilla said. 

After purchasing the house, which was built in 1917, Bonilla stripped it down to its bare wood structure and rebuilt it into what it is today. One of Bonilla's goals when upgrading the property was to let more light into the home, adding sliding glass doors that take residents out to the beach. The 1,572-square-foot home has three bedrooms, one full bathroom and one-half bathroom.

"What I saw was a diamond in the rough," Bonilla said. "We had to bring it up to code, which meant new headers, new footers and securing a windproof roof. What I wanted to do was open up the house so it was a completely open floor plan. No walls downstairs, so when you walked in the first thing you saw from the front door was the water. Almost like being on a boat."

A waterfront home on 1895 Fairfield Beach Road — nicknamed the "Tackle Box" — has hit the market for $2,199,000. Brown Harris Stevens / contributed

From Fairfield Beach, Bonilla has done paddle boarding and kayaking. Over the years some of her vessels have been washed away, however, new ones also washed ashore on occasion. 

"I used to have a dinghy, which I lost many many moons ago. One of those big nor'easters picked it up and it went bye-bye," Bonilla said. "I have lost boats and I have gained boats. The lord giveth and the lord taketh away on the beach."

The house is protected from flooding through the jetties on Fairfield Beach. The only time seawater entered the house during a weather event was Superstorm Sandy, according to Brown Harris Stevens listing agent Helen Cusa. 

The 0.1 acre home can be further upgraded by making it bigger, however, it cannot be built closer to the ocean, according to Helen Cusa, Changes to the size have to be approved by Fairfield. 

"Everybody that has seen the house, and is considering it, their vision is to make it bigger because it truly is just a small gem," Helen Cusa said. "You would have to go through the process with the town ... You can take it back, towards the street, but you can't go any closer to the water." 

Real estate tracking firm Redfin listed median home prices for the home’s 06824 ZIP code at $850,000 in January 2023. Redfin notes average homes in the area sell for around the asking price and are off the market in about 40 days, while the hottest homes sell for three percent above the asking price and are only on the market for about 22 days.

Brown Harris Stevens listing agents for 1895 Fairfield Beach Road in Fairfield, Helen Cusa and Cheryl Cusa, can be reached at (203) 451-7731 and (203) 258-6117 respectively.