Neighborhood Building Blocks - Page 2

The Wolfs surely had their work cut out for them. Their new Burlingame find, Andrew says, had been a county halfway house for recovering addicts that housed as many as a dozen residents at a time, according to neighbors. There were holes in the walls, mystery stains in various places, faded paneling, leaky plumbing, sub-standard wiring, single-paned glass—you name it.

"We were giving them a reason to keep the bulldozer away," says Klopf. Though a veteran of many Eichler remodeling projects, he admits, "We hadn't worked on that particular floor plan before."

Then the Wolfs sold their San Mateo house, rented an apartment, agreed on a design with Klopf and contractor Scott Flegel of Flegel Construction, got their permits, and made one other request of Flegel as construction began in August 2013.

"We said we want to be in the house before Christmas and New Years—and he got us in," Andrew says of Flegel, who did return in January for some final trim and mirrors.

And with a complete renovation, Andrew says, they could get everything they wanted for their young family.

"I'm an engineer, and my wife is an artist—so she wanted it to look right, and I wanted it to be right," he jests today of the remodel, which he says has worked out great for the family, logistically and financially.

"We didn't change the perimeter [footprint] of the house at all," Andrew notes. After gutting the interior, the Wolfs had room to play with, and they knew one bathroom was not enough for the five of them.

"That was John Klopf working his magic, making everything fit in the same space," Andrew says of the eventual solution, which also put the laundry behind closed doors rather than in a hallway. "So, we traded a hallway for a laundry room and a half-bath."

"For the most part, we tried to keep most of the house intact to keep the price down," says Klopf. "I hesitate to say we're improving anything, because they [Eichlers] were nicely designed to start with."

Now the home meets the Wolf family's needs completely, and, as a bonus, they have received several indications that the combined investment of the house and remodel will pay off, based on recent real estate comparables in the neighborhood. "It seems like they're going for more than we spent," says Andrew, "so that tells me that it has appreciated."

Furthermore, Andrew adds, the Wolfs' Mills Estates neighbors have expressed their own appreciation for the newly remodeled home. "They've been very, very positive, and I think that is because the home is, in my opinion, attractive and adds to the neighborhood."

Read more about the Wolf family and their reborn Eichler—and all about the good life shared by 100 Eichler owners high in the hills of Burlingame's Mills Estates—in 'Hillside Haven,' a sneak preview of the spring issue of CA-Modern.

• Following the publication of our story above, the Wolfs' home renovation project was selected by Fine Homebuilding magazine as 'Best Remodel for 2015.'  Congratulations to all involved!