I have a lot of passion for remodelers with a lot of passion. And that’s exactly who Cody Ellison and his business partner, Ken Valencia, are. Recently they set their sights on DeSoto, a bit of an unexpected suburb, but they have good reason. They love the topography out there. The hills, the trees and in the case of his latest project — the larger lot.
See a Sapling, Take a Sapling
It’s set on one-third of an acre, and it’s shaded by 60-year-old pecan and oak trees. That alone is an interesting story. Ellison said the original and only owners built the home and lived there for 60 years. He said the husband was on his way home from East Texas when he saw a bunch of pecan and oak tree saplings in a field. He pulled over, dug them up, and planted them at his home in DeSoto. Now they’re massive and provide tons of shade in the summer and frame the home perfectly throughout the rest of the year.
You already get the sense that Ellison and Valencia do it differently. They get to know their sellers and create remodels that our worthy of these well-loved homes. Boy oh boy, that sounds cheesy, but put it on a Hallmark card. It’s true. They also always use the same contractor — James Vargas Remodeling.
A Statement Worth Making
As for what they do on the inside, Ellison calls it affordable luxury. It’s freaking gorgeous, completely on trend, and always has their signature feature wall. In this house, it’s the wall with the fireplace. The signature is the perfectly placed one-by-ones.
The wall serves a purpose, too, beyond just hanging there, looking pretty in this DeSoto flip. Ellison said in almost every older home there’s a built-in bookcase on one of the fireplace, and a built-in desk on the other side. By removing those and taking out those encroaching built-ins, the room looks so much bigger. And it actually is. Ellison said you gain real cubic feet. Then, the feature wall slides in and makes it look like that’s just the way it always was.
Beautiful Bonus Bathroom
In this house, there was an oversized primary bathroom which was lovely, but also an L-shape, so technically, that space was better served elsewhere. LIKE A BRAND-NEW HALF BATH. (But say it like a game show announcer.) Now the former three-bedroom, two-bathroom is a three-bedroom, two-and-one-half bathroom home.
Ellison’s favorite feature is the guest bathroom. He saw the marble wall in a million-dollar home and figured out how to recreate it with large tiles. It’s a stunner for sure. Ellison said when you have a vision and love home design, you can always find a way to make it happen — no matter what your budget. One extra bonus in this home is the designer wallpaper in the primary bathroom. Ellison originally bought it for his own home but wound up using it here instead.
Since “moving into the neighborhood,” Ellison and Valencia have set a record on sales price. (They remodeled the one across the street, too.) While nearby homeowners in this DeSoto neighborhood might balk at taxes, Ellison pointed out that it’s not a HUGE increase at tax time, but homeowners sure do appreciate the increase in value when it’s time to sell.
Ellison said Gustavo Vargas, a member of the prestigious Doris Jacobs Group, is their preferred agent because “everything sells so quickly.”
Allie Beth Allman & Associates’ Gustavo Vargas has 800 Misty Glen Drive in DeSoto listed for $359,000.
