Home & Garden
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In real estate jargon, the three-bedroom house in Olomana, Kailua, was a typical "gem in the rough." It had "good bones" but was in desperate need of TLC. Olomana opulence
Renovation transforms a house bought
for investment into a beloved homeThe interior was dark and dingy, and the exterior was nondescript. If the corroded window fixtures didn't give away its age, the blue metallic wallpaper, heavy drapery and linoleum flooring were screaming "1960s."
But the house had a good, open floor plan, and the basic structure was in decent condition. An earlier renovation had created a roomy, combined living and dining area that looked out onto a large (but neglected) garden. The cul-de-sac location ensured privacy and quiet.
Chuck Parks and Robert Harris bought the fixer-upper, thinking they would give it a makeover and sell it for a profit. The do-it-yourselfers lived in the house and spent their evenings and weekends sprucing it up.
A fresh coat of paint the color of oyster shells, tan-colored ceramic tiles and off-white carpeting lightened the interior. Built-in shelves for books and an entertainment center added function and charm to the living area.
The two made a clean sweep through the house, fixing all the little things that needed repair or updating.
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After about two years the house was looking great. The only problem was the two men had become emotionally attached to their real estate investment."We got to know the neighborhood and the neighbors, and we realized we really liked living here. The people are so nice, and the community is well kept and clean.
"We fixed up the house so it was very comfortable for us to live in it. So we decided to stay, and that was 16 years ago," Parks said.
The two still have no plans to move away from the friendly neighborhood that has a tradition of communitywide cleanup and beautification. The Olomana Community Association engages the 350-plus households in annual spring cleaning through garage sales, bulky-trash pickup and beautification awards. Blue ribbons and "best of" awards will be given next weekend for homes with improved exteriors.
"We like that people keep up their houses, although there are always a few who don't. The fact that it's a nicely kept neighborhood is why we bought here in the first place," Parks said.
THE VISIBLE signs of pride of ownership not only add to the charms of the neighborhood, but also the value of the real estate, Parks said. He and his real estate partner are regular winners, particularly for their festive Christmas decorations during the holiday contest.
Faith Evans, who oversees the awards and Christmas decoration contest, said the "best of" awards began more than 10 years ago as recognition for residents who maintain attractive exteriors with beautiful lawns, driveways, gardens and other exterior appearances.
"Olomana is a pretty nice community, and we want to keep it that way," she said, adding that the awards provide added incentive for residents to clean up their properties.
Communitywide cleanup began about four years ago, the brainchild of Earl Walker and Gary Wiseman, who also bought a house as an investment but turned it into their permanent residence.
"We thought of the cleanup as a way to help our neighbors who can't get the bulky things down to the city dumps by themselves. We just help arrange to have trucks to pick up the stuff and get people to help them if they needed it," Walker said.
Community businesses help by giving professional home improvement advice. The nearby youth correctional facility provides a big truck and labor to remove the bulky items.
Being a restless handyman, Parks is popular among his neighbors for his know-how and skills. His reputation is based on his own showplace home, which has undergone major improvements inside and out since he and Harris decided to stay.
The two added a fireplace in the living room, which required extra professional help to tear down a wall and replace it with a double wall. Recessed lighting brightened the living space, while stained-glass hangings created by Harris brought more colors through the windows.
One bedroom became a home office, while more natural light and breezes were allowed in through sliding doors in the other two bedrooms (used by Harris and Parks). The two bathrooms were updated with new fixtures and tiles.
Their most ambitious project was a complete renovation of the kitchen. They tore down the galley kitchen and rebuilt it into a bigger family-size kitchen with ample counter space to accommodate a large wire rack.
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"One Saturday morning, over breakfast, we looked at each other and decided it was time to do the kitchen. We basically got hammers and crowbars, and by that evening we had no kitchen," Harris recalled.Their impulsive decision worked to their advantage. They had looked at kitchen cabinets before, agreed on the general style and assumed whatever they picked would be in stock in Hawaii. But that was not the case.
"We had to wait for weeks before the cabinets got here from the mainland, but that extra time gave us more time to decide where we wanted everything in the kitchen," Harris said.
The two used masking tape to mark the new floor plan in the kitchen. The marking allowed them a better feel for the space and traffic flow, giving them opportunities to redesign the kitchen while they waited for the cabinets.
On the outside, Parks terraced the garden and created several water features, including a three-tiered waterfall.
"Sometimes I just come out here and sit in the (waterfall) pool. I just love looking at it, and I never get tired of the sound -- a sheet of water falling is just beautiful to me," Parks said.
Gardening Calendar
Suzanne Tswei's gardening column runs Fridays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI, 96813
or email stswei@starbulletin.com
