Patricia Altschul Sold Her House to a Familiar Face — Find Out How Much It's Worth
The Southern Charm matriarch explained why she's no longer the owner of her iconic Charleston home.
Patricia Altschul is no longer the owner of her iconic Charleston house — but the Southern Charm matriarch isn't packing any moving boxes.
On Season 10, Episode 4 of Southern Charm, Patricia sat down with Whitney Sudler-Smith in their living room to go over some house-related topics. "Since you now own all of this, I have things for you to be responsible for," Patricia told her son.
In a confessional during the January 2 episode, Patricia explained how Whitney came to take over ownership of the house.
"Several years ago, we had a meeting with our lawyers and estate planners and money manager," she said. "And they said when I kick the bucket, Whitney is gonna have to pay, I don't know, 46 percent in death duty [inheritance taxes]. Something extraordinary."
"The house is now worth, I don't know, $15,000,000 or something," she continued. "So we decided that Whitney should buy the house from me and put it in his own trust."
Now that Whitney is the home's official owner, Patricia detailed the long list of home tasks he would need to take on.
"There are things that are seasonal," she said. "For example, the gardeners ... and the landscapers," she said, adding in a confessional, "There are a million things to keep up an old home. For example, in the spring, you have the buy lilies at a certain place for the pond."
Taking all of this in, Whitney asked, "Did you ever anticipate when we got this house what a money pit it would be? Or has that completely evaded any kind of logistical reasoning?" To that, Patricia quipped, "Well, you can afford it."
Where do Patricia Altschul and Whitney Sudler-Smith live?
Whitney and Patricia's house is the Isaac Jenkins Mikell house in Charleston, South Carolina's Historic District. Built in the 1850s, the sprawling house spans 9,500 square feet and has 10 bedrooms.
Details on Patricia Altschul and Whitney Sudler-Smith's house and backyard
Whitney gives a tour of the house in the video above, showing everything from its "English country aesthetic" to its 18th century decor.
As the video shows, the backyard is particularly breathtaking. "You can see why I love to hang out here," Whitney says as he steps outside to show the "formal boxwood gardens" and "rare" architecture. "You feel like you're in a Greek temple."
Another unique trait of the backyard? The stunning pool, which Whitney notes is hard to come by in Charleston.
"It's hard to build pools in Charleston these days as they have to be grandfathered in," he explains. "This was built in the '80s. So, we're lucky that we have a house with a pool. But not many houses in Charleston have pools because they don't allow them."
Press play on the video above to watch Whitney give a tour of his house.
