Homeowners: HeatherCaporiccio and Ron Anderson
Occupations: Physical Therapist (Heather); Carpenter
Pets: Weimarainer, Odie, 9
Location: 44th and Raleigh in Berkeley
Budget: Approximately $80,000 (proving that DIY laborpays off!)
Square footage: 2,000
Style: Story and a half
What makes it pop: Charming and intriguing exterior that looks like a little city
Total renovationtime: 4 years, 5 months and counting(five years total in the house)
By Jana Miller
FOR PHOTOS OF THE RENOVATION, GO TOhttp://www.northdenvertribune.com/index.php?s=Renovation+spotlight
--Jana Millerisan agent with LIVE Urban Real Estate,www.liveurbandenver.com. If you have a suggestion for the Renovation Spotlight, contactjana@liveurbandenver.com.
Passersby have seen it dozens if not hundreds of times: Thehouse perched above 44th Avenue at Raleigh Street being slowly transformedfrom a dull grey box to a sort of city within the city. There's something about it that evokes theCentral Library: sections of house that could exist in-tact on their own, but combinewith the rest to make a complete and delightful structure.
Ron Anderson, the carpenter, and partner Heather Caporiccio,have treated neighbors and fellow Northwest Denverites to one of the moreeclectic and loving exterior renovations. They love modern design but œdidn'tthink it was fair to the neighborhood to build a box, so chose to create asymbiotic design that sits comfortably among story and a half Victorians,Craftsman bungalows, 50s ranches and other nearby architectural styles.
Lucky for us, we were able to linger awhile to photographand enjoy the nooks and crannies. As readers can see, it looks a lot better ata stop light than a 30-mile-an-hour drive by.
Stay tunedthe interior isn't ready for its close-ups butmight be someday soon.
Favorite thing aboutHighlands: Walking toFirst Fridays, the local small businesses and restaurants within walkingdistance, and having a park close for running Odie.
Description of project: Full gut job on the 800 square foot interior; 600square feet added with master bedroom, dining area, and wrap around deck to thefront of the house. We are working on landscaping the lot, and havefocused on installing a sprinkler system for the lawn and a separate gardenarea, which includes five raised beds.
What makes it different: A charming and fun integration of new and oldwithout looking schizophrenic.
Favorite thing about renovation: Lots of light fromthe placement of windows, and the house is cool in the summer and stays warm inwinter.
Biggest regret and worst moment: Living in thehouse while construction was going on was VERY HARD. We slept in our hats andgloves one winter because we had no heat.
Where did you savemoney/sacrifice: Our timewas our biggest sacrifice. Ron has spent a great deal of time and energy tryingto get the long list of projects checked off.
Biggest splurge: Sprayed foam insulation and composite decking
Advice for home renovators: Try not to live in the constructionzone if at all possible. It makes everything take longer.
Best moment during renovation: Finallyhavinga working furnace so we could stop sleeping with our hats on.
Worst moment during renovation: Having the sink fall off the wallpinning Ron against the toilet.
Was it worth it? Would you everdo it again? We would do it again, but keep the project smaller.
Anything green or sustainable: High efficiencyfurnace, water saving toilets, low-e windows, on-demand water heater, sprayedfoam insulation (awesome), cork and bamboo flooring, and Paperstone countertops.
Who did the work? The homeowners designed the work. Ron hasdone the majority of work, except: foundation by KeithPuckett Construction, 303-485-8501; sprayed foam insulation into all the wallsby EcoFoam 303-838-8455; stucco by Steve Gunn 303-646-0577; drywall by SkipHunter's Drywall 303-593-1537; metal railings by Precision Metalworks, Inc.303-423-3667; gutters by Colorado Seamless Gutters 303-447-1555.
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