Old-School Ranch Gets 3 Times Bigger, 3 Times Pricier ... 3 Times Better?

When Sunset magazine editors pick a property to overhaul with new trends and concepts for their annual Idea House, they mean business. Big business.

In the case of this once-1,744-square-foot brick ranch house built in Denver in 1954, they added 3,356 square feet, including two bedrooms and 2.5 baths, an entire story and a basement theater room. Purchased as a remodeling project last year by Sunset collaborator Jonas DiCaprio of Design Platform for $670,000, the house is now on the market for $1.9 million.

We have to wonder whether such a big overhaul clashes with the character of the neighborhood. According to DiCaprio, he was cautious to ensure that wasn’t the case. In fact, he told Yahoo Real Estate that in order to preserve the architectural integrity of the home, he consulted with its first and most recent resident: a 93-year-old furniture shop owner and design aficionado, who is said to be thrilled with what’s been done to the place.

The house is in one of Denver’s most sought-after communities, Hilltop. “Many homes in this neighborhood are from the same era, were built with the same materials and have large additions like this done to them,” DiCaprio tells us. But “the majority show little or no sign of their previous lives.”

DiCaprio says he took pains to maintain the house’s midcentury modern look and feel, even though just about every inch is updated or part of the expansion. For example, he tracked down matching brick for the expansion, and had masons copy the original tuck/point installation work. “Keeping the new brick in plane with the original was a great challenge, both structurally and in meeting current energy codes,” he says.

The before-and-after images tell the story. The house may have been built in the 1950s, but when DiCaprio bought it, it didn’t exactly ooze that super-cool midcentury modern vibe that has become so popular of late. You could say the humble ranch has been midcentury-modernized. (But what do you think? Tell us in the comments.)

Megan Hudacky of CKY Design “nailed the style of the era” with colors, textiles and surfaces such as stone and wood, DiCaprio said. Turquoise and oranges pop up everywhere, from the kitchen to the bathrooms to the bedrooms and deck. Bold geometric patterns dominate, and the same light hickory-colored wood is on the floors, ceilings, walls and staircases in the minimalist style of the era. Sweet, clean simplicity rules the day.

And as mouthwatering as additions like extra rooms, a rooftop deck, built-in storage, fireplaces, an outdoor kitchen and a wine bar may be, DiCaprio has some surprising renovation advice:

“Spend money on the non-sexy things that will provide the long term benefits to your comfort in the home, save on your energy consumption and create a home that will thrive for several more generations. It would have been easy to pass over the messy work of updating all existing systems (furnace, air conditioning and water heaters), but we knew it was the right thing to do for the home. Too many times these things are overlooked in quick ‘fix and flip’ remodels, and the new owners inherit a multitude of problems.”

One thing above all else, DiCaprio advises: “Take your time and do it right.” (What do you think? Did he succeed? Let us know in the comments!)

The listing is represented by Scott Nelson of Rivendell Real Estate.

Love a good before-and-after? How about a nice time capsule? We do, too – stick around!

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