From the Archives: Phenomenal Buckner Terrace Reno Goes Under Contract in 3 Days

Editor’s note: This piece originally ran March 24, 2015, and highlights the gorgeous work of Barton-Graham Home & Design Firm. We subsequently wrote a profile of them here and featured another renovation of theirs here.

If you want to see what an incredible renovtion can do for a house, look no further than the 1960s ranch at 5823 Canterview Dr.

Located near N. Jim Miller Road and Interstate 30 in the Buckner Terrace neighborhood, this 3-3 underwent massive changes during the past six months. When Raymond E. Graham and Casey Barton bought it, the property had been vacant for five years and was a total wreck—they called it “the zombie house.” The duo have been renovating and selling houses together for eight years and own the company, Barton-Graham Home&Design Firm.

Graham and Barton are both general contractors and interior decorators and they didn’t miss an inch in this reno. Their efforts paid off: This house went on the market March 13 and was under contract three days later, for the highest price-per-square-foot in the area. It is listed by Graham at William Davis Realty for $290,000.

The duo showed me some “before” pictures of this house and they are scary! It makes me appreciate their work all the more.

Buckner Terrace is an often-forgotten part of far East Dallas, south and east of White Rock Lake. The neighborhood is full of pleasant one-story pier-and-beam houses built in the 1960s and 1970s. The lots tend to be bigger and price tags smaller than what you’d find in many other parts of East Dallas.

“It’s crazy to me that you can live within a mile or two from the lake and the Dallas Arboretum and buy a house in this price range,” said Barton. “In other parts of the city, this would be a $500,000-plus property.”

Buckner Terrace is roughly bordered by I-30 to the north, Lawnview Avenue to the west, Forney Road to the south, and Buckner Road to the east. Our house for today is located in the small portion of Buckner Terrace that juts north of I-30.

Just look at that curb appeal. Barton and Graham have several “signatures” that show up here, including a contemporary frosted-glass front door with a painted frame (usually in a bright color like turquoise or lime green), a reflective address plaque, a marble-and-granite mosaic tile address numbers on the curb, and a painted brick exterior in gray with white trim with black accents.

The look is super eye-catching, and I love that they landscaped with the decorative kale and pansies in the flowerbeds.

The house is 1,948 square feet, and originally had a cramped floorplan with four tiny bedrooms. Barton and Graham opened it up and reduced the four bedrooms to three to create a space the flows easily from one room to the next.

There are new oak hardwoods throughout the house, as well as chrome fixtures and hardware, and an interior palette in three shades of gray. The house has new electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and a new window in the den.

Another Barton and Graham signature in their renos is a wallpapered accent wall. This is Velocity Wallpaper by Candice Olson and it highlights the huge changes they made to the fireplace, adding built-in bookcases on both sides, extending the mantel, and adding a Marmara marble surround. Total eye candy.

This kitchen was a closed-off galley and they opened it up into the former breakfast area, adding a breakfast bar, wine storage, built-in desk, and end shelves. There are stainless steel appliances and the cabinetry was built for the house.

For the counters, Barton and Graham wanted to mimic the look of marble, but use something much more durable, so they installed a light-colored granite called Colonial White.

Eliminating the fourth bedroom allowed Barton and Graham to create a half bath (the house originally had just two), which has marble on the floor and extending up one wall. The sink is a modern black glass and not pictured is a black toilet.

The master bedroom is the other area of the house that benefitted from removing the fourth bedroom, because it got a large walk-in closet with built-in dresser and shelving. It speaks to their attention to detail that the hardwoods extend into this area—owners often slap carpeting in a closet, even if the bedroom outside it has wood floors.

The master ensuite bathroom has contemporary chrome fixtures, marble floors, and a double vanity with marble counters. The shower-bath is tiled in a classic white subway tile laid in a herringbone pattern, which adds visual interest to the room.

The backyard is the finishing touch of the reno. Barton and Graham planted plum and peach trees, built a privacy fence, and created a covered patio with outdoor drapes.

I am dazzled by the design choices Barton and Graham made for this reno and the way it all came together so flawlessly. And I’m not the only one: they received three offers for this house in one day. A rejected offer came from a person who turned around and immediately made an offer on another house the duo are renovating nearby, which is still a construction site. Tell me that’s not high praise!

Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts on this house!