By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — Three modest houses are being rehabbed at the corner of Sunrise Road and Saugatuck Avenue.

The neighborhood, across from Dunville’s Restaurant and the tail end of Franklin Avenue, is a place thousands of people drive by daily but might never have given much thought. Small houses on small lots. Hilly topography.

One lot, 1 Sunrise Road, is notable for its stone wall motorists try not to clip when making a tight right from Sunrise onto Saugatuck Avenue, heading for Interstate 95. 

The duplex there has been worked on about a year. It appears near or ready for occupancy and has a William Raveis broker sign at the curb, though details are not easily found online. A call to the firm shed little light. A listing for the property couldn’t be found, said an employee, who added it might be under contract.

The structure on 0.16 acres was built in 1960. Each of its units has two bedrooms and hardwood floors, according land records. And each has a garage. A building permit on file with Town Hall states two dormers were to be added.

The next house uphill on Sunrise, No. 3, is a single-family built on 0.14 acres in 1948.

It has been stripped to its bones, which in this case is a cinder-block construction.

That style of construction started being used in the first half of the last century. It’s unusual, but not unseen for the era. Might look funky in its birthday suit, but will likely fit in with the rest of the houses when clad in siding.

A building permit for the property says a one-and-a-half-story addition is planned.

The third property, 58 Saugatuck Ave., has a classic, two-family bungalow perched high over the street.

The property includes a small, disused retail storefront at the foot of Saugatuck Avenue. 

The bungalow this year is 100 years old, as is the retail space. It has an imposing, steep staircase from Saugatuck Avenue, not likely scaled by many lately. 

The retail space, a few feet at best from the busy state road, was last home to a caterer (Cabbages and Kings a couple decades ago).

The bungalow has been gutted and stripped of its formerly red siding, and the grounds cleared of brush and bramble. Perhaps unnoticed by many in recent years, its handsome construction is once again clear.

The building permit for this property is for a new second floor.

Bungalows, like Capes and ranches, are increasing rare in Westport. They’re being torn down for larger, more modern homes.

Another bungalow sits to the south of 258 Saugatuck, but it appears to have seen several modifications, including its porch being enclosed.

The three properties in transition technically have different owners: 1 Sunrise Road LLC, 3 Sunrise Road LLC and 58 Saugatuck Avenue LLC.

Those entities share a common address in Norwood, Mass., and that address pops up for an outfit called Helpful Home Buyers LLC, which is about three years old.

One of those involved in that LLC, Dan Riccio, is listed on one of the local building permits.

Riccio did not return a call for comment on what is envisioned, and how the work is progressing.