Can I just say WOW about our Inwood Home of the Week? Ya’ll have to know by now that we scroll through hundreds and hundreds of homes every day to find just the right combination of price, style, history, and va-va-va-voom for you. If it excites us, we think you might like to see it, too! When I spotted this chic Lakewood farmhouse at 6941 Lakeshore Drive, I’d have bet good money that it was one of my absolute faves, a historic 1920s home, with a lengthy history — but no! This absolutely adorable Lakewood farmhouse started life as an ordinary 1952 ranch. Not just ordinary, but also ugly!
“We bought truly the ugliest house on the block,” owner Shelby Teaster said. Shelby and husband Michael had outgrown their home. So, with three kiddos tagging along, they spent endless weekends looking for their next one. They knew they wanted Lakewood because, of course, schools, neighbors, lake, ambiance, charm … the list is endless!
“We found this as a hip pocket deal,” Shelby said. “We liked the block, but we originally thought we couldn’t afford a house here! The house was not cute, but it was in our price range! We stopped by on a whim, and there was someone in the front yard. We pulled over and introduced ourselves to what turned out to be the owner. She graciously let us walk in, with our three kids, and wander around. We fell in love with it!”
Although the house was decidedly ugly in Shelby’s own words, she saw the potential.
“The vision unfolded as we lived there,” Shelby said. “We had a fourth child while living in the house and that meant expanding. So, even though we didn’t want to remodel with four kids, we knew we would not find anything that would fit our family in Lakewood, and we loved our block. We hired Stocker Hoestery Montenegro Architects (SHM) for the remodel. And yes, we lived here while it was going on!”
That may sound like a nightmare, but Shelby made a great point about how easy it was to oversee all those details that crop up all day long during any remodeling process.
“There are so many decisions you have to make on a daily basis,” Shelby said. “When you’re living there it’s a lot easier than driving back and forth every day from a rental somewhere across town.”
It’s part of the reason transforming this Lakewood farmhouse went quickly and smoothly. The Teasters added a big den, a master bedroom, a master bathroom, and a laundry room. A bedroom over the porte-cochere was reconstructed with a vaulted ceiling. SHM popped the entire roof to re-pitch the whole thing, and that allowed for vaulting the master bedroom and their daughter’s bedroom.
This chic Lakewood farmhouse now has 3,403 square feet, five bedrooms, and four bathrooms. Most recently, English Heritage Homes of Texas updated one of the bathrooms and remodeled that lovely front porch.
“We tried hard to add charm to the house,” Shelby said. “There was not a lot of original charm, so we added things like arches, stained glass windows, and nice moldings.”
The family was also keen to maintain the backyard. So many builders today neglect green space in their construction plans. That is unfortunate. When you have children or enjoy outdoor entertaining, green space is fundamental. It’s nice to see this was a huge consideration in the remodeling plans.
The most heartwarming part of this home’s story is the fact that a young couple spotted the swan inside the ugly duckling. All it takes is a creative eye and a thoughtful soul to transform and preserve these beautiful traditional homes. They are, after all, why we love Lakewood.
This chic Lakewood farmhouse is listed with David Bush Realtors for only $1.15 million and will be open Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.
Run, don’t walk to that open house, because beauties like this don’t come along often
Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager for more than 25 years and 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
