Dallas has a lot of fabulous homes in neighborhoods that you’ll never find without the knowledge of an experienced Realtor. Our Inwood Home of the Week at 23 Ryddington Place is an excellent example of one of those hidden gems. Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate listing agent Megan Stern just put this Downs of Hillcrest contemporary on the market for $1.399 million. When you take a peek behind the front doors, your jaw will drop, and you most likely won’t be able to pick it up off the floor until you leave, if you can tear yourself away.
Al Lamb, owner of Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda (the only Honda motorcycle dealer within the city limits), had Jim Kienast build the home for his family in 1996. Lamb knew what he wanted. That included 5,933 square feet, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two powder baths, a media room, a dry sauna, and an indoor lagoon.
“Everybody builds a pool,” Lamb said. “You use it three months of the year, the plants die, or you can only use boring plants because that’s what will survive. I figured it could not be much harder to put a wall across the end of the pool and extend the roof over it. Then you enjoy the pool year-round and have a constant focal point. It was not expensive to create either. I’m a fan of the Caribbean and tropical foliage so I wanted my pool to look more like a lagoon you’d find in the islands.”
It looks as if Lamb’s wildest expectations were exceeded and all of his dreams came true in this Downs of Hillcrest contemporary. Although the lagoon provides the wow factor there are a lot more amenities that enhance the year-round resort vacation vibe, starting with the neighborhood.
The Downs of Hillcrest is a gated community of about 150 homes in North Dallas. Lakes and streams run throughout the grounds, so there’s an exclusive, serene, resort-like feeling before you ever get to 23 Ryddington Place.
“You have it all here,” Stern said. “You never have to leave the house. It’s like a vacation year-round. It starts at the door, of course, with the immediate view of the lagoon and foliage. The entire area is almost maintenance free due to the irrigation system and a phone app that controls everything. You do not need a green thumb!”
“The home has only had two owners, because why would you leave if you didn’t have to? “The present seller added an entertainment patio with a television, louvered roof , and a phantom screen,” Stern said. “This Downs of Hillcrest Contemporary offers a kick-up-your-feet lifestyle with a wow factor for the years to come.”
We could not agree more!
Open House: Sunday, April 8, 1-3 p.m.
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
