Boooooo! It’s Halloween and time for a little trick or treat. And every kid knows the best candy is in the ritzy neighborhoods like Park Cities, so off we go!
If you’re trying to squeak your way into University Park for the schools and bragging rights, I’ve got the two least-expensive, single-family listings not on a major road. Located on opposite sides of University Park and constructed in 1936 and 1941, these homes took quite different journeys to reach today. Of course both have been upsized from their humble roots from when University Park supported a variety of income levels.
While neither home is in the toniest section of UP, the Hyer property is a block off Lovers Lane and all the nearby shops. The Dyer house is a slightly longer hop-skip to Snider Plaza, but it’s tucked seconds north of Southern Methodist University – so you’d want to understand the level of student rentals nearby.
Let’s hit the treat at 4433 Hyer first.
It was built in 1941 and is currently 2,191 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Before the current owner purchased the home in 2015, this was a flip. So it’s pretty near brand spanking new, but with all the kinks worked out – you know, the oopsie light switch that simultaneously turns on the blender and opens the garage door. It’s been on the market since June with Clair Storey with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s starting out at $955,000 and currently asking $889,000.
For bearings, from the front of the house, the window in the left is the living room while the one on the right is the dining room.
The floors are great and extend throughout the house. This is the formal living room with a classic fireplace and plenty of window light. Personally, I like that the fireplace is perpendicular to the front door. I’ve never understood the plethora of Dallas homes with a fireplace next to the front door.
As you can see, opposite the formal living room and to the right of the front door is the dining room. I’m going to guess that the doorway has been widened both into this room and the kitchen you peek at on the right (more about that later). Like the living room, it’s a well-lit space.
Standing with your back to the dining room, you can see the other “new” opening to the less-formal living area. I have to admit I was initially confused by this. Why have two living rooms next to each other connected by a large opening? Sure it’s “open concept” but it’s not like it’s feasible to have a group in each room carrying-on separately without one annoying the other. But look closely – see that black “line” at the top of the opening? It’s a giant pocket door that can separate the two spaces when needed. Thumbs up!
On the other side of the pocket door is this more casual living space. In back of the photographer is a nearly full wall of windows and to the right is a large flat screen TV (do we have to keep saying “flat screen”, or is it just assumed these days?). In the distance is the opened kitchen.
Every home has some strangeness. For me, this home has two. The first is here. This intersection of rooms seems counterproductive to me. If that was removed, you’d have one giant open space. But unless you live alone like me, perhaps some separation is better? So what may be counterproductive for me becomes a godsend for those with kiddies or a surly spouse stomping around.
Anyway, back to the kitchen. It’s white-white with de rigueur Shaker cabinetry and Carrera counters and backsplash. I might have pimped-out the exhaust hood, but if my friends are any indication, I think I’m the only one left who actually cooks in Dallas.
From this angle, you can see how the space flows into the living area for a nice combo. Lots of countertop and storage in the peninsula. I know I use mine as a serving bench for appetizers and wine before I bring out the mains.
I could show you the bedrooms and bathrooms, but suffice it to say they’re in the same style and quality you’ve seen thus far. Great wood floors, cabinetry and an overall light color palate.
While my other strangeness was likely a personal quirk of mine, this one would be an easy fix for everyone. Hack out the concrete driveway and flip the garage door to face the alley. Plant some grass and foliage and bingo, much lusher backyard and deck. I’d also change out that Home Depot door on the deck.
Either way, it’s an easy house to move into – something you can’t really say about cross-town listing 2916 Dyer.
2916 Dyer, University Park
Built in 1936, this home currently claims 2,992 square feet (including above-garage quarters) with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It’s been marketed by Susan Johnson with Dave Perry-Miller since May beginning at $995,000 and currently resting at $895,000. What’s interesting about this two-block stretch of Dyer is that the lots go straight through to McFarlin Blvd. – no alley – but don’t face that busier street.
The photo above isn’t one of the listing photos, but it helps understand this house. Remember the joke about mullet hairstyles being business in the front and party in the back? Look closely at the right side of this home. You see the original façade and then about one room back the original house transforms into a 1970s gray box.
Some past president of the Bad Taste Club hacked off the rear of the home and tacked a 70’s McMansion on the back. Inside, there are no original 1930s features (in truth one bath retains its tile). The next owner will either be bell-bottomed disco diva or handy with a sledgehammer.
Behind the original front window, where the original living room and its period fireplace would have been, is this. Terrible ceilings covered in popcorn and an out of place fireplace and built-ins.
Looking back you see the magnitude of the ceiling problems and where the 1970s begin in earnest. A new owner needs to get a level ceiling for starters (I don’t think any adjacent rooms have the same ceiling height) and then tackle updating or backdating the fireplace wall.
Beyond the front living room, is this distressed kitchen. It’s a gut with new everything and soffits removed above the cabinets to extend them to the ceiling. It’s plenty big, so space won’t be an issue.
Extending further into the 1970s extension is this second living room that faces the rear yard of the home (and signaling the end of the extension). In addition to what you instinctively know has to be done, I’d remove the roof and eliminate the pitch. Square it off, ditch the fireplace that’s impossible to point furniture towards, and install a two-story glass wall.
I could go on through the rooms but suffice it to say that if you like the floor plan (big “if”) they’re all in need of a gut. The rear of the home tells its own story. Little grass, lots of flagstone and a tree worth saving. The garage at left just needs to be rebuilt. Minimally, the entire 1970s addition needs to be re-skinned to somehow connect it to what remains of the original structure. It may be easier to just rip it off and begin fresh. But at that point, is complete demolition a kindness?
There you have University Park on a shoestring. One lace on a well-renovated home, the other a big project – both waiting for the right buyers.
Remember: High-rises, HOAs and renovation are my beat. But I also appreciate modern and historical architecture balanced against the YIMBY movement. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, the National Association of Real Estate Editors recognized my writing with three Bronze (2016, 2017, 2018) and two Silver (2016, 2017) awards. Have a story to tell or a marriage proposal to make? Shoot me an email [email protected]. Be sure to look for me on Facebook and Twitter. You won’t find me, but you’re welcome to look.
