There are a few Dallas homes that are so unique that they earn a permanent spot in the bit of our brains exclusively wired for real estate. For me, this Eastwood midcentury modern that was completely re-imagined by architect D’J Perkison is one of those homes. You probably had the distinct pleasure of touring this East Dallas marvel at 983 Sylvania during this year’s White Rock Home Tour and thought, “What a wonderful way to breathe new life into an outdated home!”
And that’s just the reaction Perkison, founder of Studio Perk, was hoping for. When she bought this home with her husband and set upon remodeling it, the goal was to use only the most sustainable materials possible. The results were stunning, of course.
Reclaimed white oak barnwood from Wisconsin was used on the ceiling and flooring. The bar counter in the kitchen was fabricated with a dense paper composite. “Finding a greater number of sustainable finishes was a challenge,” Perkison said. “We limited our material choices, but it was a case study for us.”
Besides using eco-friendly cabinetry and finishes, Perkison also focused on creating a tighter building envelope. They took the home to the studs, which was necessary due to some water damage, and then built it back up into a sleek, warm, LEED Gold structure. More efficient HVAC and insulation, as well as Low-E windows, were a must. Ample clerestory windows and LED lighting helps keep electricity costs low, and the standing-seam metal roof is not only beautiful, but durable, too.
But design details really set the home apart. Perkison loved that you could see trees from every single window in the home, and the screened-in back porch is the perfect spot for entertaining dinner guests. There’s also a huge courtyard that is perfect for children to play in, and stunning bathrooms that are functional, too.
Perkison hoped that the people who walked through her home during the tour would not only appreciate its beauty, but they might also be inspired to remodel homes in the area rather than raze them. “I’m just hoping that some of the homeowners in this area can see the value” in remodeling, Perkison said. “This was such a special home for me.”
Clay Stapp + Co. Realtor Barbara Arredondo knew that this was a unique home when Perkison asked her to market it before the White Rock Home Tour. “We wanted to wait until after the tour to put in on the market,” said Arredondo, who is also president of the nearby Old Lake Highlands neighborhood association. But before it went on tour or even on MLS, Arredondo said she already had two offers.
“We got a lot of people coming through the house and expressing interest in it,” Arredondo said of the home tour. “But we wanted to market to other Realtors, just putting the house out there.”
Arredondo said that broker open houses were a huge help in spreading the word on this unique property, but even before that, she put the property on HipPocket, the Realtor social marketing app devised by Clay Stapp and business partner James Bohan-Pitt. “It was actually the first place I put it,” she said. “What we’re struggling with since the market really picked up is all of the email lists and Facebook groups. We’ve got to get out there and try things. We have to find new ways to market houses.”
All of those pre-market strategies paid off for Arredondo and Perkison, who said that when the property closed, it posted one of the highest prices per square foot in the entire area at $318. “It’s going to change things in Eastwood,” Arredondo added.
“This was such a special home for me,” Perkison said. “We were looking for a Realtor that would understand it and take the time to learn about it and find the right buyer. Barbara was able to not only find a buyer, but find one who appreciated the things about our home that we appreciated.”
