Saturday, March 22, 2014 • Page 1B
Retro Renovation
SUSAN PESL REALTOR® 713-397-1916 sp e sl@ flas h .ne t PREMIER PROPERTIES
Plan the work, then work the plan as funds allow
713-686-5454
Heights Office
2222 North Durham Houston, TX 77008 281.517.8760
By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader
It took Heidi and Kevin Walton, both architects, nearly five years to remodel their little ranch house in Oak Forest to perfection. Just as that labor of love wrapped up, though, they fell hard for a mid-century home in Candlelight Estates. “It was a nerdy architect’s dream home,” she recalls of that first sighting. The house was somewhat of an anomaly in the area due to the truly mid-century design, she says. “I think because it was so different, and in need of so much work, most potential buyers couldn’t see what it could be and/or didn’t want to deal with it.” The retro property, on a corner across from Candlelight Park, was designed by M. Arthur Kotch, a prominent Houston architect of the period. The original plans came with the 1965-built home, which still has its mod doors, polished brick floors, window walls, open stairs and a unusual closet with dividers that’s cited in the blueprint as “party chair storage.” (The couple uses the latter for storing artwork not on display.) GOING WITH THE FLOW Still, as floor plans go, the 2,596-sq.-ft. home clearly had entertaining in mind, Walton says. The first floor has several living spaces that open into each other. Meanwhile, a second floor at one end of the house has two bedrooms sharing a play room, so children have their own space - and the adults theirs. This recently became more relevant; the Waltons have become firsttime parents. After purchasing the property a little over a year ago, the couple whipped up a wish list for restoring its ‘60s vibe. They’ve been renovating (and re-remodeling some previous updates) as their funds permit. “We’ve gone at it piecemeal,” she says. “As we’re able to,
Scott Lester - Bank Office President Margaret Vandever - Senior Vice President Amy Ritter, Banking Officer/Lender
Pictured above is the kitchen prior to renovation. Below is the updated kitchen.
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we’ll do more.” Early on, they replaced the home’s HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, the roof, any Redwood siding that had rotted, and the double-wide entry door. They added a garage door to the carport to make it a fully functioning garage, polished up the original aluminum windows and refinished the mahoganyveneered built-ins. Polished concrete floors have replaced the
Jan Clark, J.D. A 2013 Top producer
281-686-0761
Janhtx@gmail.com
See Do-Over, P. 3B
Fisher foresees vertical trend By Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
Terry Fisher never forgot where he came from, and that simple fact has been important to his success as one of Houston’s top builders. Fisher, the owner of Heights-based Fisher Homes, grew up in Iowa and worked construction jobs before becoming a homebuilder. Fisher is just as comfortable working on a job site, as he is discussing business with bankers and investors. “I like to frame, I like to pour concrete or hang drywall,” Fisher said. “I’m blessed to be able to do that.” Fisher moved to Houston after the national housing market crash. He lost everything he’d spent years working for and had only $2,500 to his name. Over the past five plus years, Fisher has built a successful company by understanding the market and providing customers with quality homes. He now proudly considers himself a Houstonian and says the city’s transplant population creates friendliness. “People are very endearing to people who have moved here,” Fisher said. Fisher sees the next trend in Inner Loop real estate being condominiums and town homes. See Fisher, P. 2B
Terry Fisher came to Texas in 2008 with $2,500 to his name, and has become one of the top builders in the Houston area. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)
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