In Spring 2012, while others competed to buy pristine homes in popular Lafayette CA neighborhoods, Kelly and Ned Wood took a different tactic. They sold their high value home in Lafayette’s Silver Springs neighborhood and bought a fixer-upper on a large flat lot along Reliez Valley Road.
Banking half the substantial price differential, the Woods slated the rest of the money towards a budget-friendly “Phase I” remodel that will make the new home as big as the Silver Springs one and significantly more updated.
The transformation is a big task. Determined to stay on budget, Kelly and Ned are prioritizing and thinking creatively as they work with Lamorinda Construction to move forward quickly. Work has begun and the focus is to get to move-in ready by mid-August, before the first day of school.
Since Kelly is one of the Dana Green Team home stagers, she’s offered to let us share the lessons they learn along the way in a series of blog posts. With this first article in the series, let’s start by taking a closer look at what inspired the move.
The Move Decision: Matching House to Family Needs
The Wood family’s decision to sell their Silver Springs home and buy a fixer upper further from downtown was as simple as it was complex. It boiled down to what makes any of us move: Needs changed.
“We were living in the wrong home for our family,” explains Kelly Wood.
She and her husband Ned moved their family to Silver Springs four years ago after selling their first Lafayette home on Moraga Blvd, a home they’d lived in for 17 years and updated twice before selling it for top dollar.
The Silver Springs property offered more space and the promise of family poolside moments. It was great in many ways, says Kelly, but had become a mismatch for their family’s changing lifestyle.
Listening to Kelly explain it, you can almost see the sell-stay list tilt to the obvious conclusion:
- The Silver Springs house had a 1955 kitchen that needed big dollar updating the family didn’t want to pursue anytime soon
- The pool took up valuable yard space and needed expensive maintenance but was rarely used by the family
- There were limited storage options to support Ned’s growing cattle company and no good place to park the trailer without impacting neighbors
- College tuition times four children was a looming reality, top of mind even though their youngest child is still in elementary school. Gaining extra financial liquidity now and lowering home carrying costs would set them up better for the future.
The one perfect thing about almost any Lafayette home regardless of size or condition is access to schools. Keeping their children enrolled in Lafayette schools became the top priority as Kelly and Ned searched for a new home.
After almost submitting an offer on a different property that matched their family lifestyle priorities but failed to solve Ned’s business storage and trailer parking needs, they found a better option that scored well on almost all accounts and included bonus creek access and privacy. The one big negative was something they knew they had the experience to change — the house. It was too small and dark, and needed a serious kitchen remodel.
“When I walk into the door, how I feel is really important to me,” says Kelly. “When I walked into (our) Silver Springs and Moraga Blvd (homes), I felt happy. I loved that they were light and bright. I need to have that wherever I am.”
That’s why, in addition to adding bedrooms and bathrooms, this Phase I Remodel prioritizes reworking the kitchen and master closet placement to maximize light and backyard views.
Note: This is the first article in the series. Look for more articles throughout the summer that will share lessons learned as the Wood family transforms the fixer-upper into their family home. Next up: Concrete Lessons.
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Articles in the Anatomy of a Remodel Series:
Anatomy of a Lafayette Remodel: Matching Home to Budget, Lifestyle & Business Needs (Remodel Series #1)
Flooring Design Assumptions versus Concrete Realities (Remodel Series #2)
Taking Something Out to Let Light In (Remodel Series #3)
Landscape Design: Think Ahead Even If You’re Implementing in Phases (Remodel Series #4)