This 1960’s Remodel by Spruce Designs is a Modern Masterpiece

If anyone knows how to take a home from drab to fab, it’s Spruce Designs. We are continually amazed at their transformations. Our Inwood House of the Week at 4335 Glenaire Dr. is a 1960’s remodel they recently completed and it’s a perfect example of the right way to bring new life to an older home.

Spruce Designs is comprised of three talented gentlemen that have been friends since elementary school. When they grew up and found themselves in Dallas, they decided to form a company to design and remodel homes — in addition to their day jobs.

Micky Carr and Brent Conner are both Realtors with David Griffin and Company. Tyler Jones is in the pharmaceutical industry. Carr has built homes with his dad for years. He’s in charge of design, picking out finishes, and managing the subcontractors. Conner is the manager of Spruce Designs, and Jones is in charge of all the landscaping.

This 1966 contemporary had remained in the hands of the original family before being purchased by Spruce Designs.

“We bought the house from the granddaughter who had inherited it,” Carr said. “It was a custom build, and she told me some great stories about life and entertaining in the home.”

The team build two or three large custom homes a year and only remodel one or two, so there has to be a lot of potential in whatever they purchase.

Carr looks for homes that will trend toward modern. So many houses that began their lives with a sleek, contemporary look have been diluted with traditional updates over the years, but Carr can see through those.

“I look for the potential for drama,” he said. “The house has to have good bones and a good foundation because we take them down and start from scratch. We basically buy the framing, foundation, and bricks!”

With two Realtors in the mix, they also look for a great location.

“If you want to live within the loop, live new, and want one story, there is no one building new construction,” Carr said.

He’s right, of course. As any Realtor knows, the dirt value in the neighborhood is right around $650,000. So builders are constructing two-story homes because that’s what makes sense financially. However, there are plenty of buyers that don’t want a two-story home, especially buyers looking to downsize and remain in a home for many years.

Those buyers need to look no further. Spruce Designs has pulled off another magical makeover resulting in a modern masterpiece.

The ceilings were raised; walls were knocked down to create an open floor plan, and a deck with a flying gable was added off the master bedroom. Custom cabinetry, along with Carr’s expertise in finish-out, turned this home into 3,148 square feet of gorgeous. There are now four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder bath, and a backyard that has been designed for entertaining adults or a passel of kiddos.

Although the home was taken to the studs, Carr retained an original design element.

“I wanted to keep something that was part of the old house,” Carr said. “The grills over the front windows had about four coats of paint applied over the years — I took them down to the design district and had them stripped and painted a spicy orange to give a pop of color on the house. It not only looks cool from the outside, it also adds so much to the interior.”

This home has every single 2017 amenity you could wish for, but has also retained the cool factor we’re sure the original architect intended it to have. Spruce Designs does it again!

Carr and Conner are co-listing the home for $1.199 million. Remember the price of land here. This house is quite a find.

Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager for more than 25 years. She’s been a professional writer for 20 years. Karen is the mother of a son who’s studying music at The University of Miami. An ardent animal lover, she doesn’t mind one bit if your fur baby jumps right into her lap. Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com.