A Great Family Home Is Really All That Matters
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When Compass realtor Gretchen Brasch sent me the link to this beautiful home, it struck me in a way most don’t. This one is not about drama or an excessive price tag. It’s a reality check on what really matters and what people want today: a great family home.
That’s what we all care about. We want a place to call home that meets our needs and is in a location that makes sense. Indoor swimming pools and bowling alleys may turn heads, but when it comes right down to it, we want a timeless, sensible home with good bones, great proportions, and a floor plan that works for family life.
When John Cowden purchased a home in 2003, he was a single dad. The house needed work, and he had every intention of remodeling it, but two years later, he was remarried with a baby. Suddenly, it became crystal clear a new house was in the cards. The location was perfect, so he had the existing house torn down, and John Young Construction built a brand-new home for the expanded family.
The great thing about having lived in a house for some time is you know how the light hits various rooms and how you feel in certain parts of it. You also know what the kids need and how you use the home. All of this informs new construction in a very personal way.
Cowden knew being on the corner of Caruth Boulevard and Douglas Avenue allowed for a lot of light from the east, so he planned for the main rooms to open towards Douglas where big pear trees line the street. It’s very private. ” On the west side, no one can really see in because of the way we placed the windows,” Cowden said.
He drew up a plan, knowing he wanted a central hall layout. “John took my plan and redrew it and made it so much better,” Cowden said. “I knew I did not want the whole first floor open. I wanted the kitchen to be a bit closed off and open to the breakfast room but not the main living area. I also knew we needed a big family room and a big patio with a fireplace and TV, basically an outdoor living room.”
The resulting 5,444-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom house exceeded all of Cowden’s expectations. The room proportions are generous, the ceilings are high, and the custom craftsmanship is evident throughout the house.
Secondary bedrooms offer en-suite baths and walk-in closets, and the game room with an adjacent full bath above the garage could become a fifth bedroom if needed. It’s important to note for any musicians out there that the game room has been treated to acoustic sheetrock. You or your kids can wail away on the drums and not disturb any of the neighbors!
Another excellent feature that is not immediately obvious is the storage in this home. “There is probably more storage here than in any 5,000-square-foot house you have ever seen,” Cowden said. Storage should be a huge factor in any great family home.
“I will really miss the patio,” Cowden said. “We have had lots of family events, cookouts, and parties here. It was where all the neighborhood kids hung out in high school.”
Cowden will also miss the location. The family could walk to church, Hyer Elementary School, Highland Park High School (for plenty of football games), and Preston Center, which is only two blocks away. There is also easy access to Dallas North Tollway. It’s a lot to give up, but the Cowdens are now empty nesters. So, it’s time to pass on this great family home to a new owner.
