The Oklahoman Real Estate

LISTING OF THE WEEK

REDEVELOPMENT

Two-story home

Paseo revival

The Listing of the Week is a large, traditional, two-story home with a large pool and kiddie pool in the Fairview Farm addition in northwest Oklahoma City.

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The Paseo Arts District offers one of Oklahoma City’s more striking back-from-the-brink stories, especially to those who remember when blight and crime stalked the streets there.

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REAL ESTATE

Kenneth Harney

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★ THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

Technology boosts growing home automation market TECHNOLOGY | HOMEOWNERS HAVE MORE CONTROL THROUGH SMART PHONES, COMPUTERS, OTHER DEVICES

THE NATION’S HOUSING

PROGRAM’S DOWNFALL If you’re underwater and plan to use the new Fannie-Freddie short sale program later this year, don’t bank on any special favors when it comes to your credit score.

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IN BRIEF

BY DYRINDA TYSON For The Oklahoman dyrinda@gmail.com

Peter and Debby Getz’s home talks to them all day — in a way.

Their home automation system sends text messages to their mobile devices, alerting them every time a door opens, a light flips on or the thermostat changes the temperature.

“If we’re out and about, I know who’s in and out of the house,” Peter Getz said. “I get a notification — I know if the garage is left open or closed. There’s so much to it, I probably under use what’s available.”

The world of home security has morphed into something more encompassing, fueled by much of the same wireless technology that has put telephone land lines on the endangered species list. Systems still monitor and seal off a home, but technology has put more control into homeowners’ hands through their smart phones, computers and other devices.

And business will boom, according to a recent Reuters report, which cited figures from Ingersoll Rand PLC — one of the world’s largest manufacturers of home locks — showing today’s $1.5 billion home automation market could bloom into a more than $2.5 billion market within five years.

Only about 3 percent of U.S. homes have automation service right now, according to Reuters.

Among them are the Getzes, who replaced a long-term system in their home on SW 21 last year with a wireless system from Vivint. The wireless capability caught Peter Gentz’s attention.

“They no longer use a

‘BUDDY’ AIDS ROOF WORK

Peter Getz shows the phone, which he uses to control and monitor his home security system in Oklahoma City.

PHOTOS BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN

The control panel for the Getz home security and monitoring system.

hard line into the house,” he said. “So you don’t have to worry about anybody

cutting your telephone line and losing your alarm capability.”

It also means not having to turn around to go home and check the locks, much to Jazz Kennerson’s delight.

“I can secure my home from anywhere,” he said.

“You know those days when you’re rushing and forget to set the alarm? It doesn’t matter because I have my phone. I can check my phone and see if I set the alarm or not. If I didn’t, I can automatically set it from my phone.”

Kennerson, who lives with his wife, Shaunte, and daughter Aniyah in the Heritage Oaks neighborhood in northwest Oklahoma City, had Vivint install a system in July after hearing too many stories about burglaries and break-ins.

“It finally got me concerned,” he said.

But home automation is saving him money, too.

“When you’re gone, the system knows nobody is in the home, so it’ll adjust the thermostat accordingly,” he said. They can also turn lights off and on remotely, furthering the savings.

For the Getzes, who both work at the Federal Aviation Administration, it means never really being too far from home. They can look in on their home via computer throughout the day thanks to cameras stationed at various spots, offering reassurance if someone is home sick.

One co-worker uses the same kind of system to keep tabs on his elderly father-in-law, Peter Getz said.

Separate entry codes SEE TECHNOLOGY, PAGE 2E

How to quickly cut clutter, when selling A widow in her late 80s had lived in her classic Colonial for more than 40 years before resolving to move to an assisted-living residence in another state. One day her grown children arrived with a truck to take her and her basic furniture — a bed, dresser and kitchen table — to the new apartment.

Happily resettled, she phoned her listing agent, Ashley Richardson, to say her house was ready to sell. But when Richardson arrived, she was startled by what she found.

“The house was a disaster — in truly terrible condition, and filled with junk. Buyers could never see past all that stuff to picture themselves living there. The place was simply unsalable until it could be cleaned up,” she said.

Every room was crammed with dusty accumulations, including books, magazines, clothes, bedding and knickknacks. And the kitchen counters were laden with many small appliances, among them blenders, coffeepots and mixers.

After a major weekend cleaning by the family removed 45 bags of

Ellen James Martin SMART MOVES

junk, the house sold quickly, attracting four competing offers and fetching nearly the full asking price.

The moral of this true story?

Through teamwork, focus and diligence, even a heavily cluttered home can be cleared out relatively quickly. And the reward for all that hard work can often translate to a speedy sale and more money in the bank.

Mark Nash, author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home,” said the removal of clutter is the most important step sellers can take to ready their home for market. “(Buyers) can’t fall in love with your house if it’s filled with junk,” said Nash, a veteran real estate broker.

Here are a few pointers for home sellers:

I Formulate an action plan.

As an initial step, Nash recommends you plot the available space in your new property before deciding what to take with you. To do an accurate estimate, buy graph paper and plot the floor plan and storage space you’ll have in the next home.

I Take a systematic approach to sorting your stuff.

As you sort by category, Nash recommends you use a “threebox” system. One box should be labeled “keep,” a second “give away or sell,” and a third, “I don’t know.”

To ensure you keep up your momentum, make immediate arrangements to have your “give away” items removed quickly. Doing that will yield you more time to go through the things in your “I don’t know” box, which require additional scrutiny.

“You don’t want to secondguess yourself on what to keep. It’s the decision-making process that gets people paralyzed. Making decisions is easier if you have fewer things to look at,” Nash said.

I Reach the endpoint of your work by calling in reinforce-

ments.

Even for organized people, culling through a house full of belongings can prove a difficult and emotionally tiring process, especially if they’ve lived in their home for a long time and have many attachments. Nash encourages such beleaguered home sellers to seek the help of friends, neighbors or family members.

“It’s not ideal for relatives to help. They’re not objective and could start reminiscing along with you. That might take you off on tangents and slow you down,” he said.

If there’s no one in your circle you’re willing to ask for assistance, Nash recommends you run an ad to find reasonably priced help. In many cases, high school or college students are eager for this work to earn spare cash.

“Students are very good for the grunt part of the job. And their sheer presence should help keep you going at a good rate of speed,” he said.

To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

When you’re working on a roof, it’s hard to keep tools and supplies from sliding off. The Bucket Buddy is designed to solve that problem. It’s an adjustable platform that attaches to the pitch or peak of a roof to provide a flat surface for a 5-gallon bucket of tools. That saves the need to make repeated trips up and down a ladder and reduces the danger from falling objects. The Bucket Buddy is adjusted to the pitch of the roof and nailed or screwed in place. Attachments are available to accommodate a water cooler, umbrella or scaffolding.

It sells for $139.99 plus shipping at www.bucket buddyllc.com, or order by phone at (216) 407-3012.

SMALL-SPACE GARDENING Who needs a yard?

William Moss believes you can grow food almost anywhere. Moss is a horticulture educator who has appeared on TV shows such as HGTV’s “Dig In.” He’s also a practitioner of small-space gardening, the topic of his book “Any Size, Anywhere Edible Gardening: The No Yard, No Time, No Problem Way to Grow Your Own Food.” Moss offers ideas for finding space to garden, techniques for creating gardens and basic growing information. The bulk of the book is dedicated to details about plants that grow well in compact spaces. Published by Cool Springs Press for $21.99 in softcover.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

INDEX Stone Permits

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

Left: Ashley Getz, 15, and her mother, Debby, are seen on an iPad app used for motoring their home in Oklahoma City.

PHOTOS BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN

Technology: Control panels update FROM PAGE 1E

prompt the system to send out messages indicating who is entering the house, be it a cleaning crew, guests or daughters Ashley, 15, and Elizabeth, 8. If something does trip the alarm, monitoring center personnel can check in through the control panel as well as by phone. And customers can contact the center the same way.

“It’s a really nice peace of mind,” Debby Getz said.

The newest control panel, the brains of the outfit, is far ahead of many others including the model it replaced three years ago, said Steve Blood, lead technician for Vivint Inc., based in Provo, Utah.

“Most panels are circuit boards like a radio,” he said. “You can’t reprogram a radio to be a television.”

The panels in the Getz and Kennerson homes, on the other hand, are computers. “So we change the programming, it does something new.”

Firmware updates come through the control panels the same way operating system updates come through a personal computer, he said, and customers often don’t realize something has changed.

Last year, Vivint added a tornado alert to its firmware. Firmware is embedded code and programming in a system or device.

“When we came out with the tornado alert, we had all these panels out there that did not have a tornado alert on them,” Blood said. “So it took us about two weeks to push out the update to almost a million panels, and they all got updated about a week before Joplin happened.”

A massive tornado plowed through Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011, killing 158 people and injuring about 1,000 others. “We had customers call us and tell us their panel warned them, but they didn’t even know (the control panel) had a tornado warning,” Blood said.

The Getzes said they got a similar wakeup call earli-

Peter and Debby Getz with their children Ashley, 15, and Elizabeth, 8, are shown with their dog, Sparky, in their Oklahoma City home.

PHOTOS BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN

er this year when storms moved through the Oklahoma City area. “The panel activated before the weather (radio),” Peter Getz said.

Vivint engineers are working on the next generation of control panels that will offer bigger screens that offer more of a personal computer environment, right down to wallpaper, Blood said.

They’re also working on other devices, including one that can remotely open garage doors.

Peter Getz said he is already on board for that device.

“I’m waiting for that — something I’d love to have that they don’t have yet,” he said.

A smart lock, which can be activated remotely, is shown at the Getz home.

The Getz home security system includes cameras that stream video to the Internet. The feed can be accessed over a computer, phone or iPad.

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

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If selling short, expect a hit on credit scores WASHINGTON — With generous new guidelines from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac likely to stimulate large numbers of short sales by underwater homeowners, what impacts can these sellers expect to see on their credit scores?

It’s a crucial question because short sales typically cause FICO scores to plummet, sometimes by 150 points or more. This, in turn, complicates sellers’ credit capabilities for years and makes additional borrowing — whether for auto loans, credit cards or new mortgages — tougher and more expensive.

The issue arises now because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the dominant sources of home loan funds, recently outlined plans to approve short sales for underwater borrowers who are current on their loan payments, provided they face an imminent “hardship.” Though the numbers of participants in the plan won’t be known for months, the two companies combined have about 3.7 million underwater mortgages in their portfolios on which borrowers are making their payments on time, according to federal regulators.

Short sales traditionally have been associated with extended periods of delinquency by borrowers. The technique itself — where the lender agrees to accept less than what’s owed and the property is sold — usually has been employed as an alternative to foreclosure.

Kenneth Harney THE NATION’S HOUSING

As a result, FICO credit scores, the major risk predictive tool used in the mortgage industry, have severely penalized borrowers who opt for short sales. VantageScore, the FICO rival created by the three national credit bureaus, also hits short sellers with triple-digit point losses.

In a recent blog post, Frederic Huynh, FICO’s senior scientist, said statistical reviews of short sellers by the company concluded that they “represent a high degree of risk” to lenders. More than 55 percent of short sellers in a sample of borrowers between 2007 and 2009 went on to later default on other credit accounts after completing the sale transaction. This ranks them in “the same heavyweight (risk) class” as people who’ve been foreclosed upon, filed for bankruptcy, had a tax lien or collection account.

But hold on. Won’t underwater homeowners who qualify for the upcoming short sale program be fundamentally different? Won’t they have solid mortgage payment histories despite being underwater? Why should they have to take the same heavy hits to their scores earned by people who

didn’t pay their mortgage for months on end?

Good questions, but it appears that these sellers won’t get the break they deserve. The current scoring system, credit experts say, isn’t set up to recognize or properly report short sales by on-time mortgage customers to the national credit bureaus.

And the credit score companies aren’t planning to make any changes to the penalties their models assign to people who participate in short sales.

Anthony Sprauve, a spokesman for Fair Isaac Corp., developer of the FICO score, said that “in general,” when a “loan (is) paid off for less than the full balance,” it is “classified as a severe negative item” by the FICO scoring model. And “there are currently no plans to change,” Sprauve added.

Sarah Davies, senior vice president for research and analytics for VantageScore Solutions LLC, said in an interview that her company won’t likely modify its scoring algorithms either, despite the fact that the seller was not delinquent and came to a mutually satisfactory resolution with the lender.

Terry Clemans, executive director of the National Credit Reporting Association, an industry trade group, said this is all inherently “unfair” for borrowers who’ve continued to make timely payments on their loans. Crushing them with deep credit score penalties “doesn’t reflect the fact that these people are actually excel-

First rebuilt home begins to take shape in Colo. canyon MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE INFORMATION SERVICES

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.

— Hundreds of people pledged to quickly rebuild after the Waldo Canyon fire raced over a ridge in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood on June 26 and destroyed 346 homes.

But thus far, just a few have been able to start building. As of last week, four homeowners had been granted permits to rebuild, according to records from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

There are many reasons there aren’t more homes being rebuilt yet, said Bob Croft, of the regional building department.

Some people are negotiating with their insurance companies while others are searching for builders or figuring out permits.

Some, Croft said, are still coping with the tragedy and haven’t decided what to do.

“To me, personally, the most important thing is to be understanding of people who have obviously gone through a unique emotional experience,” he said.

“People are people and emotionally they all deal with this differently in a different time frame.”

The fire devastated the Parkside community, burning 141 of the community’s 178 houses. The Parkside houses account for 40 percent of the burned homes and, thus far, none have been granted a permit to rebuild.

Part of the holdup is making sure that the new homes adhere to the original planning documents, which hasn’t been an easy task, said Kyle Campbell, interim director of planning for the city. The patio homes were closely spaced and if one plan for a new

RICHARD MIZE Oklahoma Property Lines

http://blog.newsok.com/ ok-propertylines and in

Saturday’s Business

home is too big, it could affect the neighbor’s plans, he said.

Also, the planning documents call for a certain style and size of house on each lot and some neighbors want to change their house.

“People are rethinking their homes and this is an appropriate time to do that,” he said, adding that the city is reviewing the original development plans and seeing if there is any way to “get around” that requirement.

lent credit risks. They simply encountered an extraordinary situation,” namely, the national home value bust, which put them underwater.

A Fannie Mae spokesman, Andrew Wilson, said his company has no control over how short sales — whether of people who paid on time or those who didn’t — are scored. However, when borrowers do a short sale rather than force the lender to foreclose, Fannie rewards them: They are potentially eligible for a new mortgage again within two years af-

ter a short sale. People who go to foreclosure, by contrast, may not be able to get a new Fannie loan for up to seven years.

Bottom line: At the moment, if you’re underwater and plan to use the new Fannie-Freddie short sale program later this year, don’t bank on any special favors when it comes to your credit score. It looks like you’re going to have to take a big hit, despite all your on-time payments.

Ken Harney’s email address is kenharney@earthlink.net.

WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

If you’re underwater and plan to use the new Fannie-Freddie short sale program later this year, don’t bank on any special favors when it comes to your credit score.

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

Home fragrances offer variety, seasonal scents

BY LISA A. FLAMM For The Associated Press

When the lazy days of summer give way to hectic fall schedules, there is nothing like dashing in from the cold and being enveloped by a home filled with delicious smells.

These days, there are endless ways to add a special scent to your home.

Home fragrance products have exploded into a $5 billion industry, with candles, diffusers, room sprays and oils offered every place from drug stores to high-end retailers.

There are many use-whatyou-have, do-it-yourself options as well.

The idea is to create an inviting, comforting and calming environment, whether you’re having 20 people for a sit-down dinner or simply hanging out on the couch for the evening.

“This is a time when people are spending more time at home, and they want that cozy, holiday, warm feeling, and maybe you want that even when you’re not entertaining — you want it on a Tuesday night when you’re watching TV,” said Jessica

A Jo Malone London Luxury Candle in Pomegranate Noir.

AP PHOTOS

Romm, lifestyles editor at Martha Stewart Living.

“Fragrance is a really nice way to do that.”

Once comprised mostly of candles and potpourri, the home fragrance market took off in the mid- to late 1990s, and retail sales in the United States hit a high of $5.3 billion in 2011, according to Karen Doskow, industry manager for consumer products at Kline and Co., a market research company in Parsippany, N.J. Sales last year were up 4 percent over 2010, she said.

Today’s offerings in-

clude candles, room sprays, reed and plug-in diffusers, wax melts, essential oils and old standards like drawer liners and sachets. Many products now offer a more sophisticated scent and they’re more decorative as well, Doskow said.

Just as there are scores of scents to choose from (Yankee Candle has about 200 candle fragrances), the prices vary greatly. “It can range from a Renuzit adjustable (air freshener) for 99 cents up to a Jo Malone scented candle that’s in excess of $100,” Doskow

LISTING OF THE WEEK

The Listing of the Week is at 15301 Fairview Farm Road.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Traditional 2-story home has 4 bedrooms, large pool The Listing of the Week is a large, traditional, twostory home with a large pool and kiddie pool in the Fairview addition in northwest Oklahoma City.

The 4,511-square-foot home at 15301 Fairview Farm Road has four bedrooms, 41⁄3 baths, three

Updike’s Pa. childhood home to be restored

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SHILLINGTON, Pa. — John Updike’s childhood home in Pennsylvania has been purchased by a group that plans to restore it and turn it into a museum.

The John Updike Society bought the home in Shillington, about 50 miles northJohn Updike west of Philadelphia, for $180,000. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author lived there until he was 13.

The society hopes the 1900 house can be preserved and re-created to how it would have looked in Updike’s youth. The Reading Eagle newspaper reported that organizers will seek donated materials for display.

Best known for his novels chronicling the life of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, Updike won Pulitzers for two of those stories, “Rabbit Is Rich” and “Rabbit at Rest.” He died in 2009 at age 76.

living rooms, three dining rooms and an attached three-car garage. The home has wood blinds throughout, an upstairs game room and study off the master bedroom.

The formal living room has a ceiling fan. The family room has a built-in bookcase and fireplace.

The remodeled kitchen has a work island and breakfast bar. The master bedroom has a fireplace and bath with double vanities and tub and shower. Secondary bedrooms have full baths

and ceiling fans. The home has a 2012 roof, covered patio, outdoor spa and wet bar, security system and underground sprinkler system.

The home, built in 1996, is listed for $745,000 with Laura Terlip of Covington Co. For more information, call 834-0805 or 8404141.

Nominations for Listing of the Week are welcome. Send a copy of the MLS information sheet on a single-family home to The Oklahoman, Richard Mize, P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Nominations may be faxed to 475-3996.

A Yankee Candle Signature Reed Diffuser in Spiced Pumpkin.

Glade’s Seasonals Fall 9.7 oz. Premium Room Spray scented with Maple Pumpkin.

said.

In fact, Jo Malone’s luxury candle offers 230 hours of burn time and sells for $425, while a large Yankee Candle that offers up to 150 hours of scent costs $27.99. Crabtree & Evelyn

has scented sprays for $19, while French perfumer Frederic Malle’s “perfume gun” spray sells for $145.

Whatever your budget, try to capture the natural smells of the season in a simple and minimal way, Romm said. She mentions scents like wood and leather, and the smells of seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as pumpkin, ap-

ple, pear and squash.

“You’d think about meals that you’re cooking or things you would have around — fruits of the season or spices you might use,” Romm said. “Our philosophy in terms of home fragrance is to not battle or compete with what you would naturally have in your home during the fall.”

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

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Consider tin ceilings for classic look Q: I have been researching how to fix my horrible plaster ceilings and found a few solutions. My question relies on any or all knowledge you have regarding classic tin ceilings. Can you provide any answers to this? The American Tin Ceiling Co. seems to have some cool products for homeowners. Do you know of them?

A: I’m familiar with these products, and in my opinion they’re quite good.

They have a number of different sizes and patterns to choose from, along with all the necessary trim pieces and other items you might need to complete the installation.

The most important thing to consider is that the panels need to be attached to something solid — you can’t install them directly over the old plaster. You can cover the old ceiling with plywood, OSB (oriented strand board), or even strips of 1-by-2 or 1by-3 lumber.

Whatever you do, remember that the plywood or wood furring needs to be as flat and even as possible, so that may entail shimming the wood or removing some of the old plaster. Also, the panels need to be supported on all four sides, since that’s where the attachment nails are installed.

If you opt for the furring strips, they will need to be installed on 24-inch centers, with cross pieces installed every 24 inches as well; in other words, you need to form a 24-by-24inch grid across the ceiling.

After the plywood or furring is installed, the tin panels are installed one at a time, either hand nailing them or using a small brad nailer. This is a two-person job: one to set and hold the panel, the other to nail it in place.

This is not a particularly difficult do-it-yourself project, but it does require a lot of planning to have it come out right. Also, you mentioned that your old plaster ceilings are “horrible.” If that also means any mold or water damage, be sure that you get that cleared up first; do not just cover up mold or moist building materials.

Q: I have insulation in

Paul Bianchina HANDY @ HOME

my unfinished attic in the rafters with the paper facing in toward the heated part of the house.

My problem is the paper is brittle and the insulation is falling down, rows at a time. I could put the wire up to hold the insulation in place, but it will not look pretty. What else can I put up over the whole surface to hold the insulation in place?

A: If you don’t want the expense of replacing the insulation, here’s a solution that’s a little more labor intensive but it won’t cost you very much. One row at a time, remove the insulation from between the rafters. Peel the paper face off the insulation — it should peel off pretty easily — and discard it, then push the insulation back into place between the rafters. Friction should hold the batts in place temporarily.

When you’ve done several rafter cavities, or even one entire half of the attic if the insulation will stay in place OK, you can then cover the insulation with 4-mil clear plastic sheeting. Simply staple the sheeting to the face of the rafters.

If you have to seam the plastic in any areas, make sure it overlaps at least a couple of inches. If you live in a high-humidity area, the seams should also be sealed with tape. The plastic sheeting will hold the insulation in place and also act as a vapor barrier.

All this assumes that you have adequate ventilation behind the insulation to prevent any potential problems in the event that any moisture does get into the cavities. If you’re not sure about the ventilation, it’s best to contact a qualified roofing or insulation contractor to inspect the situation before you proceed.

Remodeling and repair questions? Email Paul at paulbianchina@inman.com. All product reviews are based on the author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by the manufacturers.

INMAN NEWS

Maria Torres works in the kitchen of a home she and boyfriend Joe Borst remodeled from a 1952 cookie-cutter home to a modern, eco-friendly style and full renovation in Marina del Rey, Calif.

MCT PHOTOS

Cookie cutter no more: House remade for $150 a square foot

BY LISA BOONE Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — When Joe Borst bought a rundown 1952 house in Marina del Rey, Calif., he and girlfriend Maria Torres hoped to transform the 1,200square-foot cookie-cutter plan into something that felt larger, more open and modern — a tall order given the limited budget.

The couple could afford to renovate the house but not to expand it, so the mission became to rethink the floor plan — to leave the perimeter of the house intact, adjust how the existing space was used and make the most of the backyard.

Borst called on his close friend Robert Sweet of the design-build studio Ras-a in Redondo Beach, Calif., to handle the makeover.

“I gave him free rein,” Borst said. “I had seen a lot of his work, and he knew what I wanted: lots of light and open space.”

The house came with low ceilings and a complicated series of rooms. One bedroom was sealed off from the rest of the house as a separate rental unit. In the backyard, Borst said, marijuana plants were growing amid the rebar remnants of a partially completed garage.

Sweet took the house down to the studs. Working with a reconstruction budget of about $150 per square foot, he started by opening up the home’s three-bedroom, twobathroom layout, which had made the interiors feel dark and cramped.

“Everything was com-

Maria Torres and Joe Borst took typical 1952 home space and went wide open.

This view shows the living area.

partmentalized, and there was no open space,” Sweet said. “That was not the way Joe wanted to live.”

Going against prevailing wisdom about resale value, Borst went along with Sweet’s proposal to reconfigure the home with two bedrooms instead of three.

The kitchen was moved from the front of the house to the back, so it connected to a relocated and enlarged living area that flowed onto a new deck.

“We decided to use the backyard deck as our dining room and the giant bar in the kitchen as informal dining,” Borst said. “In Southern California, it works perfectly.”

Sweet improved natural light and cross ventilation by deleting partition walls, adding a cathedral ceiling in the living area and installing operable skylights to each quadrant of the house. He made the master bedroom larger by forgoing a closet and building

a long wardrobe instead.

Clerestory windows above the cabinetry and the bathroom vanity allow light to pass through and make both spaces feel bigger.

In the kitchen, Sweet installed inexpensive white IKEA cabinets along with some upgrades: a custom peninsula, a Blanco sink and Emtek hardware.

Sweet said he saved about $15,000 by using IKEA’s Applad cabinets, leaving money for other premium touches such as the Miele cooktop and counter made of Prima Decora, a Corianlike surface by Basix International. Windows in the kitchen look out to a fire pit, barbecue and meditation garden.

“I wanted it so that when you are standing at a work surface, you never have to face a wall,” Sweet said.

In the minimalist living area, Sweet created a TV and desk console using a

prefab system by Rakks (commonly used in stores), which he combined with custom cabinets. The desk acts as a screen, further separating the master bedroom and living area.

Three outdoor rooms extend the indoor floor plan. The garage was pushed toward the alley behind the house, creating an L-shaped courtyard in back. Because the garage was so prominent, Sweet designed it to look like a modern shed with a sloped roof. He also painted the James Hardie fiber-cement plank fence along the alley in alternating tones of gray.

After five months of construction, Borst got what he wanted: a lowmaintenance house that feels brighter and more open without growing in size. Small-space living isn’t for everyone, he said, but it works for him and Torres.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

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REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

Group rallies to rescue Paseo neighborhood REDEVELOPMENT | POSITIVELY PASEO RECEIVED BOOST FROM CITY FUNDING

BY DYRINDA TYSON For The Oklahoman dyrinda@gmail.com

The Paseo Arts District offers one of Oklahoma City’s more striking backfrom-the-brink stories, especially to those who remember when blight and crime stalked the streets there.

For decades the Paseo has stood out as an artists’ Mecca and haven for those whose ideas might run against the current, where even the shopping district offers a feast for the eyes in the soft lines and bright hues of its Spanish revival architecture.

But time and the 1980s oil bust were hard on the Paseo. Property values dropped. Residents cleared out, heading for cheaper, newer housing in the suburbs.

A 1987 historic architectural and housing survey — the prelude to becoming a historic preservation district — served up equal dollops of good and bad.

The good: The 27 square blocks making up the Paseo retained about 75 percent of the original housing stock. The bad: Almost 50 percent of those houses were vacant.

Ron Franz, neighborhood association president in 1987, told The Oklahoman then: “Today, a house (in the Paseo) will not sell, and an apartment building is more likely to be burned than bought.”

Franz, an architect, was among a mix of residents and business people who joined that year in effort to reverse the decline. It was a diverse group, ranging from Betty Bruce, who founded what may have been Oklahoma City’s first after-school program at nearby First Presbyterian Church, to business owner Michael Smith. Attorneys, real estate professionals and others all brought something to the table.

Residents from surrounding neighborhoods, fearing the “black hole” in the Paseo might pull down everyone’s property values, also joined the effort.

It included Heritage Hills East resident Debbie Blackburn, who now serves as Positively Paseo’s president.

Paseo’s commercial area was holding up, Blackburn said, but the residential area was in a free fall.

Boarded up houses and empty, overgrown lots blighted the landscape while crime and gang activity blighted the lifestyle.

“There were some really good people living there, so we thought this would be a logical place to start (revitalization efforts),” Blackburn said.

But it was slow going.

City officials were leery of using Community Development Block Grants to rehabilitate buildings instead of demolishing them. They were also hesitant to focus those grants on a single area instead of spreading them across the Neila Crank-Clements, executive director of Positively Paseo, looks at two additions on the back of 729 NW 26 city map. that will be torn off as the house is restored.

PHOTOS BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN Ward 2 Councilman Mark Schwartz got on on board, Community Deboard early on, though, velopment Block Grants helping the Paseo group began coming in, and Poscraft its plans. It incorpoitively Paseo was finally rated as a Community Deable to buy land and pay a velopment Corporation in staff. The group started on 1991, legally called Oklaits first house in 1994. It homa City Housing Serrecently sold its 24th vices Corp., to encompass house, and rehabilitation its wider-ranging mission work has started on the to revitalize neighbor25th. hoods throughout OklaStoll left the city amid homa City. In the Paseo, it discord in 2000, but does business as Positively Blackburn said she still rePaseo. members the last bit of adBut without money, vice he gave her: “Do not Positively Paseo couldn’t give this up because you all carry out that mission. are at the top of the hill,” he City officials assumed told her, “and you are Positively Paseo would do ready to roll down and reits work through private ally make a difference.” funds, but they weren’t The spark and vitality in forthcoming. One family the Paseo bears out Stoll’s donated its restaurant site estimation. Property is in and two adjacent lots to high demand, and it’s the organization in 1992, drawing a mix of young but the properties had to families, young professit idle. sionals and retirees. Art But in 1993, Garner Stoll galleries, music venues changed the game for Posand restaurants keep the itively Paseo. Stoll, direccommercial area lively, and tor of Oklahoma City’s the residential streets are newly created planning normally quiet. department, pulled money Blackburn said she defrom a city trust fund to lights in seeing the result pay for an Urban Land In- The house at 729 NW 26 is being restored by Positively Paseo. from what was essentially stitute study of an area ina bunch of neighbors putcluding the Paseo. a perfect fit for revitaliza- thing that we had said Vindication got things ting out a call to action.

That study, in a nut- tion efforts. since 1987,” Blackburn rolling for Positively Pa“It’s wonderful now to see shell, found the Paseo was “It backed up every- said. seo. The city council got where it’s gone,” she said.

A cool patch of living greenery

BY SUSAN SMITH-DURISEK Lexington Herald-Leader

LEXINGTON, Ky. — For dedicated aquarium lovers, the creation and maintenance of their own underwater-microcosms is not just a hobby but a beautiful and compelling obsession.

Even for casual observers, a surprising otherworldly encounter with an aquarium offering a window into the world of water creatures is mesmerizing. Brightly colored fish cruise back and forth; exotic coral structures form contorted, hide-and-seek caves and tunnels; and plants sway gently with the flow of otherwise undetectable currents.

Besides that, aquariums offer a cool patch of living greenery when outdoor temperatures rise above 100 degrees, a mind-massaging hideaway when life gets stressful and a natural source for maintaining humidity in the home.

Bryan Jones has designed, installed and maintained aquariums for homes and business settings in central Kentucky for more than 26 years through his business, Rent-aFish. He has been involved with aquariums most of his life.

“I got my first 10-gallon tank, with black mollies and a cory catfish, when I was 5 years old,” he said.

By the mid-1980s, his aquarium count was up to nine. After pursuing degrees in biology and art from the University of Kentucky, he managed and eventually owned Regency Pet Center in the Southland, Ky., area; it eventually closed, he said, mainly because of strong competition from Internet sales in a struggling economy.

Jones then found a niche in service.

“It becomes a big part of your life and who you are,” he said. “This is what I use to share my art, creating aquarium systems and designs. People ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ about them.”

Jones stresses to his clients that he thinks fish should not just exist but thrive in their new home. The system

A giant squamosa clam opens and closes as fish swim by in a saltwater reef aquarium owned by Mark King of Lexington, Ky. MCT PHOTO

has to fit the needs and personality of its keeper: Do you want a freshwater or saltwater system? What kinds of fish do you want, and do they suit your personal style — from flashy and energetic to relaxed and laidback — and are they also compatible with each other by personality and habitat needs?

Results vary widely. In one set-up at client Cooper Hartley’s Pine Mountain Lumber office in Lexington, Jones created a calming freshwater “community tank” that brings together fish from around the world that are not aggressive with one another and can live harmoniously.

They include Boeseman’s rainbowfish from Oceania, Congo tetras from Africa, neon tetras from South America and cherry barbs from Asia.

They coexist peacefully in a forest of

teardrop rotala plants, which look like an underwater jungle of long, narrow, green bottle brushes.

In another tank at Hartley’s home, they decided on different freshwater varieties of flashy, energetic African cichlids. In addition to being active and prolific, these mouthbrooding fish are interesting to observe as they protect their newborn young by holding them in their mouths. Because cichlids would chew up living green plants, artificial plants were installed in the home set-up.

“Keeping an aquarium teaches you so much about your environment, for instance being responsible about water quality and aware of the delicate nature of the world we live in,” Jones said.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

.

7E

Did home inspector blow the fuse?

DEAR BARRY: Our buyers hired a home inspector. When he was here, the outside temperature was 105 degrees. After he tested the heating and air-conditioning system, the outside condenser stopped working, and that night our house got up to 91 degrees. Our HVAC contractor found a blown fuse in the condenser, and he said the inspector might not have followed “standard power cycle procedures.” Because of this, we question the inspector’s report on our system.

His report says, “The furnace data plate indicates a temperature rise of 45-75 degrees. When tested, the rise was approximately 35.9 degrees. This is not within the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Barry Stone INSPECTOR’S IN THE HOUSE

Routine maintenance by a qualified HVAC contractor is advised.”

Is this finding reliable, and can temperature rise be reliably measured when the summer temperature is over 100 degrees?

Irene DEAR IRENE: Testing the temperature rise in a forced-air heating system is highly unusual for a home inspector because it exceeds the standards of practice of the profession.

Home inspection addresses the safety and function-

al performance of a heating system, not its technical accuracy. A heating system that emits air 35 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature will effectively heat a home in a normal and reasonable amount of time. One question that arises is whether the home inspector’s measurement of temperature rise is accurate.

Temperature rise in a forced-air heating system is the difference between the ambient temperature in the house and the temperature of the air as it leaves the heat exchanger inside the furnace. In order to read the output temperature at the heat exchanger, specialized testing equipment is needed.

The inspector in your

Testing the temperature rise in a forced-air heating system is highly unusual for a home inspector. home may have had such equipment or he may have measured the output temperature at one of the registers in the house. At those locations, the temperature rise would not be as great, and the measurement would be invalid.

Your contractor also suggested that the condenser fuse may have blown because the inspec-

tor might not have used “standard power system procedures.” This procedure is simply to allow a few minutes after the heating system has turned off before turning the airconditioning system on.

Switching immediately from one function to the other is called “short cycling.”

Actually, the inspector may not have caused the fuse to blow because most thermostats have timed lockouts that prevent short cycling. The fuse may have blown because the system was having to work continuously on a very hot day. Fortunately, you have already complied with the inspector’s recommendation to have routine maintenance by a qualified HVAC contractor.

DEAR BARRY: I read one of your archive articles about ventless gas-log fireplaces and have just one question. Are they safe or not?

Alan DEAR ALAN: Ventless gas-log fireplaces are safe in nearly every case. My issue with ventless fireplaces is not the likelihood of failure. It’s the manufacturers’ claim that these fixtures are fail-safe. In my opinion, nothing manmade is fail-safe. Instances of failure with ventless gas fireplaces are very rare, but they do exist. If you purchase one, just be sure to install a carbon monoxide detector nearby.

To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com.

ACTION COAST PUBLISHING

8E

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

HOUSE PLAN

Kansas home’ s Compact country-style home rare swimming pool is cool year-round

The Cambridge is that rare exception to the rule — a compact countrystyle home.

Typically, homes with gabled rooflines, dormer windows and a wraparound front porch are out of reach for first-time homebuyers and far too large for empty nesters.

But this plan is designed for economy and efficient maintenance, making it equally well suited to the needs of singles, families with young children, or couples who’ve graduated from parenthood to grandparenthood.

And placement of the front bedroom, adjacent to the front porch, makes it an ideal location for a home office. Relocating the closet would allow installation of a door for direct access from the porch.

Day-to-day living takes place in a bright, vaulted family room-kitchen combination that faces the rear. Naturally illuminated by skylights, side windows and a high dormer, this area rarely needs electrical lighting during daylight hours.

Sliding glass doors in the eating nook open onto a wide deck, allowing meals to move outside when days are warm. Utilities are just a few steps away, tucked in the passageway to the garage.

Potted plants flourish on 8-foot-high recessed plant shelves that flank the vaulted entry hall, arch over the entrance to the family room and highlight the passageway to the owners’ suite. Families with brown thumbs can use these shelves as display space.

BY DANIE DUNN Kansas City Star

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the most spectacular features of a Mission Hills, Kan., home is its indoor swimming pool.

The natatorium is 55 feet long, with a spa at the end and a fountain in the center. A brick-paved deck surrounds the pool. Through French doors at one end of the pool is a ballroom that seats 90. The bar is on the other end.

The bar area was designed with drama in mind.

The first feature that captures your eye is the recessed, deep-rose-stained glass in the ceiling.

Next is the mirrored back bar with glass shelves and indirect lighting. There are wine racks on either side of the mirrored wall, with cabinets below for extra storage.

The bar has a granite countertop, with glass shelves below that hold the owner’s personal collections.

The most recent additions to the pool room are the 84 reupholstered cushions for the iron furniture. The berry and pistachio colors complement the deep-rose-stained glass in the ceiling. These sherbet colors give the room a Palm Springs look. This room is always ready for a party!

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

Luxury amenities in the owners’ suite include a large walk-in closet and twin basins in a dressing area separate from the toilet and shower.

While the Cambridge

lacks a formal dining room, it does have an impressive living room with a wide bay window. Built-in bookcases flank a fireplace with a wide hearth, providing display space for

family mementos.

A review plan of the Cambridge 10-045, including floor plans, elevations, section and artist’s conception, can be purchased for $25 by phone, mail or online. Add $5 for shipping and handling.

Associated Designs, 1100 Jacobs Drive, Eugene, OR, 97402. www.associated designs.com. (800) 634-0123.

An indoor pool in Mission Hills, Kan., has a bar on one end and a ballroom on the other with a fountain that graces the center of the pool.

MCT PHOTO

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

.

9E

Quilt designs on barns aim to spur tourism

BY MARY BETH BRECKENRIDGE Akron Beacon Journal

AKRON, Ohio — Paintings of quilt squares are popping up on barns around the country.

But they’re more than just a folksy attempt to beautify the rural landscape. These are the engines of a movement to promote tourism and spark economic development across rural America.

The movement was started by an Ohioan, Donna Sue Groves, and is the subject of the new book “Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement” by Suzi Parron.

It all started with one boring tobacco barn.

That barn belongs to Groves, who lives in southern Ohio’s rural Adams County. It’s on the nonworking farm she and her mother, Maxine Groves, bought in 1989, and its plainness bothered her.

She got the idea of painting a quilt-square design to beautify the unadorned exterior and honor her mother, a quilter.

But years went by, and she never followed through.

“It got to be a joke among my friends,” she recalled. “They’d say, ‘Did

"Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement," by Suzi Parron with Donna Sue Groves.

Crown Point Ecology Center has a quilt barn in Bath Township, Ohio.

you paint that quilt square yet?’ ” Still, the idea stayed in the back of her mind. And when she went to work for the Ohio Arts Council and saw how murals painted on buildings could be used to build community pride and spur tourism, she recognized that her simple idea could have similar implications.

Why paint just one quilt

square on one barn? she thought. Why not paint quilt patterns on a bunch of barns and create an art trail?

Tourists could come to see them, and the dollars they’d bring would benefit hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, gas stations, restaurants and all sorts of businesses.

She was part of a group of volunteers that devel-

MCT PHOTOS

oped the concept, and in October 2001 Adams County put up the first square. “Mother didn’t get her quilt square till three years later,” Groves said with a laugh.

But a movement had begun.

In the years since, the quilt barn movement has spread to 43 states, where communities have created and installed quilt squares

NOTICE

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OWNER CARRY 3313 NW 24 th 3bd 1.5 bth, 1 car, Nice historic, Totally remod. $5k dwn 348-2108 Auction Sat. Sept. 8, 10am 3400 N Western 2300sq ft brick, 4bd 2ba Historical Charm ¡ 301-6495 FSBO 3/2/2 8317 Arlington Dr, 1440 sq ft., fireplace, $99,900, 866-867-3801 4 Great Investment Properties $21K-31K Rlty Experts 414-8753

The OK Department of Human Services, wishes to lease or lease-purchase an existing house or facility which is approx 3,500 4,000 sq ft, in OKC, OK, within the perimeters of NW Expressway on the North; Meridian Ave on the West; Reno Ave on the South and Lincoln Blvd on the East and be within the NW Classen High School District. The possibility of 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is preferred. Responses should be submitted in writing by the end of business, September 14th, 2012, to: OK Dept. of Human Services, Property Management Unit, P.O. Box 268833, OKC, OK, 73126-8833, Attn: Linda Borowske, (405) 272-4157; Linda.Borowske@okdhs.org or you may fax your response to (405) 235-0262.

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Brand New 2 Bed 2 Bath

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Xtra Nice 3 bedroom, 1BA, 1 car, CH/A. No pets. $650 + dep.

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Large 1 & 2 beds. Stove, refrig,

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3bd 2ba 2car 1370sf $975+dep 3bd 2ba 3car 1570sf $1200+dep 4/2/2, 1750sf fireplace $1350+dep WAC Home&Ranch Rlty 794-7777

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$549 Casady 751-8088

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3bd, 2ba, 2car, 1200sq ft, CH&A $750/month +$700dep. 414-5530

Large 2bd Special

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3410 Cameron Court, 2/2/1 Appl $695 no pets JW Rlty 755-2510

Bills Paid

Furnished/Unfurnished Weekly/Monthly 370-1077

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CH/A, 1000sf, dishwasher, $675 mo, $350 dep 409-7989 no sec 8

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MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

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on barns or other sites and organized those sites into tourist trails.

The creation of a quilt barn trail is usually a wellplanned undertaking that follows guidelines first established by the Adams County group and continually refined by groups that have followed. But “there are no hard-core rules that you have to follow,” Groves said.

Communities typically identify barns to highlight and then come together to paint the designs on 8by-8-foot plywood squares and mount them on the barns, she said. The trail is then publicized to bring in tourists.

The effort tends to build camaraderie, Groves said,

especially around the creation of the quilt squares.

“Children, elders, everybody can paint on them,” she said.

It also tends to spark entrepreneurial efforts by farms along the trail, such as corn mazes, shops and petting zoos.

Some communities have tweaked the idea to display quilt squares on significant buildings or even create freestanding displays of squares mounted on posts.

Of course, sometimes individuals put up their own quilt squares outside of organized trails, and that’s just fine with Groves.

“That will be a unique surprise along the trail,” she said. “I keep reminding people there are no barn police.”

Author Parron, who lives outside Atlanta, first encountered a quilt barn when she took a wrong road in Kentucky during a cross-country camping trip in 2008. She said she was impressed when she learned about the quilt squares’ purpose and especially liked that they honor the often-overlooked contributions of women to American agriculture.

4008 NW 14th 2/1/1 $625 6500 N Grand #106 2/1.5/2 $995 4519 N Shartel 2/1/1 $725 3012 Fairfield 2/1/1 $720 12817 Burlingame 4/3/2 $2195 12305 Cedar Springs 2/2.5/2 $975 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com

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Unique Opportunity Efficiency apartment With Section 8 All utilities paid CALL TODAY! Charles Atkins 405-424-3142 1917 NE 20th Street

10E

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

Permits Oklahoma City J.E. Dunn Construction, 5401 W Memorial Road, hospital, erect, $13,000,000.

Lippert Brothers Inc., 914 W California Ave., boarding house-dormitory, add-on, $2,200,000.

Gardner Constuction, 6005 S Air Depot Blvd., office, remodel, $2,000,000.

Marc Morgan, doing business as Morgan Homes LLC, 15309 Fairview Farm Blvd., residence, erect, $750,000.

Capstone Estates LLC, 3600 NW 175, residence, erect, $625,000.

Sawatzky Construction, 200 Trinity Industrial Court, office-warehouse, erect, $625,000.

CTA Architects, 3501SW 15, office, remodel, $600,000.

Canterra Signature Homes LLC, 8324 NW 132 Circle, residence, erect, $450,000.

Red Rock Builders LLC, 12424 Hidden Forest Blvd., residence, erect, $350,000.

Allenton Homes & Development LLC, 7032 NW 159 Place, residence, erect, $310,000.

Landmark Fine Homes LP, 18312 Orozco Circle, residence, erect, $305,000.

Nextec Home LLC, 15305 Grayson Drive, residence, erect, $300,000.

Miller-Tippens Construction Co. LLC, 560 E Memorial Road, officewarehouse, remodel, $300,000.

Landmark Fine Homes LP, 18501 Salvador Road, residence, erect, $286,000.

D.R. Horton, 2304 NW 156, residence, erect, $275,990.

Landmark Fine Homes LP, 18437 Salvador Road, residence, erect, $272,000.

Olde Towne Homes LLC, 1033 SW 110 Terrace, residence, erect, $265,000.

Olde Towne Homes LLC, 10908 Meadowlake Farms Drive, residence, erect, $265,000.

Katleron Construction Inc., 12624 Horsepen Road, residence, erect, $250,000.

Braxton Homes LLC, 3908 Wayfield Ave., residence, erect, $240,000.

Braxton Homes LLC, 4013 Wayfield Ave., residence, erect, $230,000.

D.R. Horton, 2312 NW 155, residence, erect, $226,990.

Kenneth Park, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $221,000.

Todd Cooper Homes Inc., 15909 Angie Kaye Lane, residence, erect, $220,000.

Todd Cooper Homes Inc., 15916 Angie Kaye Lane, residence, erect, $220,000.

Todd Cooper Homes Inc., 15909 James Thomas Court, residence, erect, $220,000.

D.R. Horton, 4209 NE 119, residence, erect, $219,990.

R&R Homes LLC, 13208 NW 1, residence, erect, $200,000.

R&R Homes LLC, 13116

NW 1, residence, erect, $200,000.

Todd Cooper Homes Inc., 15921 Angie Kaye Lane, residence, erect, $200,000.

Witt Construction Inc., 4104 Windgate West Road, residence, erect, $200,000.

Progressive Constructors Inc., 13111 Broadway Extension, automotive sales, remodel, $200,000.

The RLA Co. Inc., 7316 Jack Drive, residence, erect, $200,000.

Manchester Elite Homes LLC, 14600 Sedona Drive, residence, erect, $199,600.

Red Door Custom Homes LLC, 9101 S Choctaw Road, residence, erect, $195,000.

4 Corners Construction LLC, 10025 Volare Drive, residence, erect, $193,000.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 4612 NW 155, residence, erect, $190,000.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 4705 NW 155, residence, erect, $190,000.

Westpoint Developers LLC, 1500 W Interstate 240 Service Road, retail sales, remodel, $190,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC, 15224 Western Vista Drive, residence, erect, $180,000.

D.R. Horton, 4113 NE 119, residence, erect, $179,990.

D.R. Horton, 10809 NW 118 Place, residence, erect, $176,990.

Timber Craft Homes LLC, 8412 NW 143 Terrace, residence, erect, $176,512.

Timber Craft Homes LLC, 14324 Paddington Ave., residence, erect, $176,512.

Quail Springs CV LLC, 2300 W Memorial Road, restaurant, remodel, $175,000.

Quail Springs FG LLC, 2300 W Memorial Road, restaurant, remodel, $175,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18201 Cristobal Blvd., residence, erect, $173,000.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 12014 Jadesdale Circle, duplex, erect, $170,000.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 12016 Jadesdale Circle, duplex, erect, $170,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC, 4900 NW 152, residence, erect, $170,000.

Brass Brick Platinum Series Homes, 3308 NW 163, residence, erect, $166,000.

Brass Brick Platinum Series Homes, 3320 NW 164 Terrace, residence, erect, $161,000.

Gary Owens Carpet & Construction Inc., 11812 SW 17, residence, erect, $160,000.

Gary Owens Carpet & Construction Inc., 11900 SW 17, residence, erect, $160,000.

Two Structures LLC, 8308 NW 142, residence, erect, $160,000.

Two Structures LLC, 8309 NW 141 Circle, residence, erect, $160,000.

Two Structures LLC, 8405 NW 143 Terrace, residence, erect, $150,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18512 Las Meninas Drive, residence, erect, $148,000.

Dodson Custom Homes 1LLC, 3108 NW 181Terrace, residence, erect, $146,400.

C-Jay Management/ BDC Construction Inc.,

REAL ESTATE 4821 SW 127, residence, erect, $142,500.

Weatherford, 10920 NW 10, automotive repairwash, add-on, $138,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 2429 SW 139, residence, erect, $136,000.

Home Creations, 12025 NW 138, residence, erect, $130,600.

American Building Contractors & Developers LLC, 10929 SW 30, residence, erect, $130,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18317 Allora Drive, residence, erect, $130,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18513 Las Meninas Drive, residence, erect, $127,000.

Home Creations, 12021 NW 138, residence, erect, $121,700.

Sooner Traditions LLC, 19417 Vista Ave., residence, erect, $120,000.

C-Jay Management/ BDC Construction Inc., 4824 SW 120 Terrace, residence, erect, $113,500.

Harbor Homes, 417 SW 170 Terrace, residence, erect, $110,000.

Harbor Homes, 304 SW 168, residence, erect, $110,000.

Harbor Homes, 312 SW 168, residence, erect, $110,000.

Home Creations, 9900 SW 36, residence, erect, $109,300.

Home Creations, 18220 Scarborough Drive, residence, erect, $102,800.

Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 608 SE 60 Place, residence, erect, $100,000.

Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 6108 Cielo Terrace, residence, erect, $100,000.

Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 6104 Cielo Terrace, residence, erect, $100,000.

Massey (Rex) Construction Inc., 636 NE 14, residence, add-on, $100,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18612 Agua Drive, residence, erect, $97,000.

Cresap Capital LLC, 5125 NW 17, residence, erect, $96,000.

Cresap Capital LLC, 5121 NW 17, residence, erect, $96,000.

E.V. Cox Construction Co., 10220 W Reno Ave., automotive repair-wash, add-on, $95,000.

Home Creations, 2421 NW 197, residence, erect, $86,200.

Home Creations, 2429 NW 197, residence, erect, $83,600.

Home Creations, 12033 NW 133 Terrace, residence, erect, $83,600.

Home Creations, 2424 NW 197, residence, erect, $82,800.

No name provided, 6210 Northwest Expressway, retail sales, remodel, $80,000.

Home Creations, 2416 NW 197, residence, erect, $78,700.

Home Creations, 12029 NW 133 Terrace, residence, erect, $78,400.

Four Seasons Sunrooms, 15108 West Lake Drive, residence, add-on, $73,000.

Southwest Builders, 9704 Trafalgar Drive, residence, add-on, $54,000.

Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation Department, 3809 NW 10, canopy-carport, erect, $50,000.

Nashert Constructors Inc., 9618 Ritter Road, res-

Couple sue Sotheby’s regarding New Mexico adobe home claims

BY MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE INFORMATION SERVICES

SANTA FE, N.M. — A New York City couple are suing Sotheby’s International Realty and the former owner of an eastside condominium, claiming the residence was advertised as an adobe building, when it actually was made of frame and PenTile.

Michael F. and Whitney B. MacLeod bought Unit A at 112 La Vereda St., just off E Palace Avenue, from Penne Poole, formerly known as Penne Poole Fuehrer, on Feb. 15 for $865,000.

They say Sotheby’s had advertised the property as a “graceful and rare historic adobe,” and although the MacLeods were informed that the second story was frame and stucco, they were led to believe the first floor was made of dirt-and-straw bricks.

Later, during remodeling, the MacLeods learned the first-floor exterior walls “were constructed of an inferior building material identified as structural clay tile — also known as PenTile — rather than adobe,” according their complaint filed

last week in state District Court by Michael T. Pottow of the Catron, Catron, Pottow & Glassman firm.

PenTile was made at the old New Mexico Territorial Penitentiary, which was near the south end of what is now known as Pen Road between 1885 and 1955. Many Santa Fe structures, including Isaac Rapp’s 1917 New Mexico Museum of Art, are made of the hollow tiles or bricks made of clay from the eastern foothills.

The MacLeods were not available for comment. The lawsuit does not seek to negate the sale but seeks a judgment “to compensate ... the MacLeods ... for the damages they have suffered” from both Sotheby’s and Poole, who “knew or should have known that her Property Disclosure Statement was inaccurate.” Poole could not be reached for comment. Sotheby’s declined to comment.

According to the Zillow real estate website’s online description of the property at 112 La Vereda St., it is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence, built in 1929, with 2,224 square feet on 0.11 acre with an estimated value of $706,136.

idence, add-on, $50,000.

Lingo Construction Services, 324 N Robinson Ave., business, remodel, $50,000.

Kenny Holmes, 10108 Gee Drive, accessory, erect, $50,000.

Witt Construction Inc., 516 NW 16, residence, addon, $50,000.

JHBR Architects, 18101 N Western Ave., school, move-on, $50,000.

JHBR Architects, 18101 N Western Ave., school, move-on, $50,000.

Boise Surplus 2002 Ll Hawkins Co. LLC, 2237 W Memorial Road, retail sales, remodel, $50,000.

James Park, 19300 Newsom Road, manufactured home, move-on, $30,000.

John Wade, 1412 NW 188, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $29,958.

Greg Smith Homes LLC, 5528 Monte Drive, accessory, erect, $27,000.

Liming Zhang, 2713 SW 29, restaurant, remodel, $18,000.

Pamcorp, 7202 W Reno Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Pamcorp, 7202 W Reno Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Pamcorp, 612 S Lincoln Blvd., tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Pamcorp, 14625 S May Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Pamcorp, 5803 W Britton Road, tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Pamcorp, 1415 W Reno Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Pamcorp, 6910 S Sunnylane Road, tower-antenna, install, $15,000.

Donald Powers, 4033 Cherry Hill Lane, residence, remodel, $14,000.

Jeff Brown, 111 E California Ave., office, remodel, $12,200.

Sun Tae Kim, 7844 S Western Ave., restaurant, remodel, $12,000.

Morton Buildings, 2200 NW 192, accessory, erect, $10,000.

Cypress Ridge Apartments, 1209 W Hefner Road, apartment, remodel, $9,375.

Cypress Ridge Properties LLC, 1209 W Hefner Road, 15 permits, apartment, remodel, $9,375.

McLean Homes, 500 SW Grand Blvd., accessory, erect, $9,000.

McLean Homes, 1301 NE 101, accessory, erect, $9,000.

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM Christina and George Alhaj, 2124 Shadowlake Drive, office, add-on, $8,500.

John Troung, 4121 Lake Drive, accessory, erect, $8,000.

Rahi Razavi, 3604 N May Ave., business, remodel, $8,000.

Morton Buildings, 2200 NW 192, accessory, erect, $8,000.

Jose Ariel Rivera, 3637 W Park Place, residence, addon, $7,000.

Airport Maintenance, 7100 Terminal Drive, office, remodel, $7,000.

John Troung, 4121 Lake Drive, cabana-gazebo, erect, $6,000.

Elliot Architects, 544 N Pennsylvania Ave., warehouse, remodel, $5,000.

Charles McIntyre, 4601 NW 154, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,895.

Floyd J. Vail, 10300 Casa Linda, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,600.

Larry and Debi Willis, 2820 SW 115, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,595.

Danny and Christi Wood, 12721 NW 6, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,100.

Emmitt Cole, 2200 NE 22, residence, remodel, $4,000.

Flat Safe, 10629 NW 37, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,925.

Dave Carr, 15300 Daybright Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,500.

Dave Carr, 15304 Creek Vista Circle, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,500.

Holly Howard, 11912 Dalton Drive, storm shelter, remodel, $3,500.

Raza C. Ritzade, 5412 SE 84, residence, add-on, $3,500.

Jack and Alice Wells, 1830 N Markwell Ave., storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,450.

Jerry Stewart, 5100 Trail Ridge Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,450.

Michael McBride, 7524 NW 134, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,395.

No name provided, 2209 Wheatfield Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,350.

Jason W. Currie, 11101 Leaning Elm Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

John Bennett, 17301 Pi-

casso Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

Tracy Bain, 7813 Dripping Springs Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,195.

Carl Mincks, 6101 SE 55, residence, install-storm shelter, $3,025.

Fred Cofer, 6312 N Styll Road, canopy-carport, erect, $3,000.

Michael Ousley, 4817 Republic Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Trent and Marcia Scott, 1825 NW 176 Terrace, residence, remodel, $3,000.

Vernon McVea, 801 Musgrave Blvd., canopycarport, erect, $3,000.

Hossna Masum, 2601 NE 10, retail sales, remodel, $3,000.

Jon Virostek, 3105 Red Oak Road, residence, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Trevor Wiseman, 16016 Rim Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Harold and Vera Stallworth, 5804 SE 84 Terrace, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,900.

Laural Hume, 2505 SW 120, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,900.

Loretta Bradford, 7100 Marianne Drive, manufactured home, move-on, $2,800.

Southwest Builders, 2201 Jamie Drive, residence, add-on, $2,719.

Hector Castor, 3540 SW 22, canopy-carport, addon, $2,500.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 317 Partridge Run Road, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,300.

Ground Zero, 3829 NW 27, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,200.

Charles Nance, 2521 NW 111, residence, add-on, $1,600.

Lourdes Macias, 513 SE 39, canopy-carport, erect, $1,500.

Carole Wolf, 7201 S Shartel Ave., residence, remodel, $1,200.

No Boundaries, 32 SW 42, accessory, add-on, $1,000.

Demolitions Midwest Wrecking, 214 E Madison, office.

Midwest Wrecking, 2220 S Interstate 35 Service Road, manufacturing.

Gary G. Townsend, 10701 S Peebly Road, single-family residence.