This Fully Restored 1913 Prairie Is the Gem of East Richardson

This 1913 East Richardson Prairie home is one of those that give every preservationist hope. It proves there is a new generation of buyers who not only understand and appreciate a home’s history, they are also willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of restoration.

In 2022, Nikki Barringer wrote about this home for Candysdirt.com, just as Tim and Amy Kahle put a contract on it. There could not have been a more perfect couple to restore and update the 1913  East Richardson Prairie.

That’s because it was not Amy and Tim Kahle’s first restoration rodeo. They’d submitted their fabulous A-Frame in Pagosa, Colorado, to HGTV’s “Building Roots,” which was accepted for an episode. 

Tim’s dad had a millwork shop when he was growing up, so he knows a thing or two about woodworking. After whipping the Pagosa home into shape with the hosts of the show, Ben and Cristi Dozier, the Kahles were looking for a home with character and charm, and obviously were not at all challenged by a fixer-upper.

“This house is well built and the structure was surprisingly intact,” Tim said.

It needed to be modernized entirely, so the Kahles installed new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and even a new sewer line. The back of the house had a poorly constructed addition, so that was ripped out and reconstructed. “Our goal was not to change but to update and polish,” Tim said.

As far as we can tell, this East Richardson Prairie home has had only two owners. If anyone out there has more information, please let us know. 

The intriguing thing to me is that this is a sizable home for 1913, with an abundance of windows, and, as Amy noted, a variety of woods were used for the floors throughout the house. All of this would indicate that an owner with money, resources, or both built the home.  The Huffhines family was among the earliest settlers, and this house is on Huffhines St., but again, we have no proof that anyone in the family lived here.

Tim painstakingly restored and matched existing woodwork.

“There was trim above the doors that was only done in 60% of the rooms. So we had it shipped off and knives cut to run the molding and complete it,” he said.

While working in what would become the pantry, the couple found a wooden slat with J.R. Smith 1912 written on it. So we know at least one person who worked on the house!

Amy even researched paint colors to ensure they were period-appropriate, and the family repurposed brick from a myriad of pathways to make a patio.

“We’ve loved this house,” Amy said. “The lot is huge, so our four kids can run around, throw a baseball, and play basketball. There is even enough room on he side of the house to install a garden.” 

When you have the remodeling bug, you are always on to the next project, so the Kahles are putting their fully restored 3,674-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom home on the market. In addition to the main house, there is an accessory dwelling unit behind it with a complete kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. This property just may be the ultimate score of the month!

On Demand Realty’s Buddy Priest has this East Richardson Prairie at 307 Huffhines St. available for $1.59 million.