It's all about never underestimating potential, and that's exactly what happened with this "Home of the Week."
The Bay Ridge home of Robyn and Jeff Gilbert and their kids, Lexie, 11, and Grayson, 9, began life very differently than the way it appears today.
"It was dark, it was covered in trees," Robyn said of the home they purchased in 1999. "It was just the ugliest house."
Jeff agreed with his wife's assessment.
"Cosmetically challenged" is how he described it.
"It was a 1966 ranch," Jeff explained. "It was a box - we figured we'd tear it down."
And then reality hit.
"We ran the numbers and it didn't make sense," Robyn said.
So they decided to make do with what they had for seven years. That's when consideration for their children began dictating the need for changes to the house.
"Either we just go for it or just sell it and move," Robyn said of the need to renovate.
The transformation from rancher to contemporary is a testament to the architect and Robyn and Jeff, who saw the potential.
"We were of the same mindset - we both like clean, contemporary," Jeff said.
Plus there was something else - a design element.
You know the commercial for the bathroom faucet where the homeowner asks the architect to design the house around a single faucet? It's the same idea here, only with some very cool garage doors instead.
"I had a picture," Robyn said, recalling the conversation with their architect.
"These are the garage doors I want," Robyn said. "The house has got to fit this - that's the design I'm looking for."
With black anodized frames and frosted glass, the doors make a bold and contemporary statement, particularly against the home's gray stucco exterior.
And that's just the back of the house. The front is equally impressive.
"Because our house is on a corner, I felt both sides of our house had to have some visual interest," said Robyn, who has a background in art design.
The interior
Upon entering the front door, I receive a big, gracious welcome from Paget, a 7-year-old vizsla, who I just can't believe is actually 7.
"It's because she gets to run on the beach every day," said Robyn, indicating one of the benefits of Bay Ridge living.
The muted lime wall opposite the front door matches the door's exterior color, but Robyn believes it's time for a color change. Jeff indicates this would mean added husbandly responsibility. Because this color is repeated inside as well as out and on the back of the home, color change is a big task.
We reach the dining room just off the entry. Here a picnic-style table in exotic wood comes with matching bench seating on one side, juxtaposed with white, midcentury modern, Eames-style chairs around the rest of the table.
It's a great look that furthers the clean lines the couple likes.
Just off this room is the living room, where Paget seems to feel quite comfortable.
Here an L-shaped sectional is surrounded by more imported furniture pieces, which adds aesthetic interest.
"I used to manage a home accessory store in Bethesda - we imported from the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Thailand," Robyn explained. "I also have a friend who imports from China."
She said the look works well in the house, even with kids.
"I bought pieces that were rustic, stripped down - any flaws my kids might add to them, it's easy," Robyn said.
Gorgeous, wide-plank Merbau wood flooring runs through here and much of the home.
Just off the living and dining rooms and open to both is the kitchen, with a minimalist and clean feel furthered by white counters, dark cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
"I wanted light and dark," Robyn said. "I chose Corian because I wanted a solid surface with no variations in color and I wanted white white."
The cabinets in cherry with a dark stain were quite a find.
"I got those at Home Depot," Robyn said.
Over the island, three pendant light fixtures in turquoise and white add visual as well as sentimental interest.
"Those actually came from Jeff's grandmother," Robyn said. "Those are my favorite things."
The bottom part of the island is painted in a Chinese red.
"I like blocks of color," Robyn explained.
A small sitting room off the kitchen provides additional entertainment space.
New space
Around the corner on the back side of the home is all new space, including a mudroom downstairs and Jeff's office/guest room upstairs.
It's also where Lucy likes to hang. She's the family's 14-year-old cat and, according to all, the one in charge of the rest of the four-footed gang.
At the top of the steps going to Jeff's office is a built-in desk area intended as a homework station - a fantastic idea and great use of space.
Jeff, who owns a technical recruiting company, has quite a bit of space in his office, with areas for both work and lounging.
Back downstairs and to the left of the entry finds the home's three bedrooms.
All the spaces are very modern, each incorporating an artistic flair.
In Grayson's room, we discover the final four-footed resident of the home: Darius, a 13-year-old Himalayan cat.
The house had been through quite a transformation.
"We literally blew out every wall in the house," Robyn said. "The only things that were left standing were the exterior walls. We started with a clean slate."
"When we started this project, we just wanted a mudroom and our bathroom, and look what happened," Jeff said with a laugh.
They credit both their architect, Annapolis-based Teresa Todd, and their builder, Kurt Tribble of Millersville-based K.T. Builders.
They started the renovation in December 2006 and were done by April.
"A month early and on budget," Jeff said.
"I love our builder - I'd recommend him to everybody," Robyn added.
Despite purchasing a "cosmetically challenged" ranch house, the Gilberts now have a contemporary and extremely comfortable, not to mention architecturally appealing home, oozing with cool factor.
They do indeed have a beautiful and graceful swan, complete with a happily ever after.
Donna L. Cole is a freelance writer living in Annapolis. If you'd like your house considered for "Home of the Week," please contact her at writerdle@aol.com.
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Home of this week - 2010-02-12 08:58:56
I nominate, Mr.Shubbie or Mr.Pearson homes for home of the week 2-13-2010.
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Anthony Forrest - crownsville, MD - Karma: Excellent
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Bay Ridge - 2010-02-11 16:33:52
I grew up in Bay Ridge and I'm saddened to see the huge houses that has taken over my old neighborhood. And the changes that has taken place over the whole community. Just not the same. :(
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Terri Cary - Glen Burnie, md - Karma: Neutral
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i - 2010-02-11 12:41:40
agree with you John, all these people bashing this couples taste and I commented about the them not having their kids in the paper and my comment gets deleted, I really don't understand why my comment was deleted. My take on them not putting their kids in the photo was similar to yours.
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Pat Magnum - Arnold, MD - Karma: Bad
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front vs back of house - 2010-02-11 10:51:15
I think someone missed something in the article - "With black anodized frames and frosted glass, the doors make a bold and contemporary statement, particularly against the home's gray stucco exterior.
And that's just the back of the house."
The garage is not in the front - the front actually looks pretty cool. And as someone who grew up in the area it fits in with old Bay Ridge just fine . . . the community always was an eclectic mix before all the lookalike McMansion rebuilds started popping up!
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Nancy Koval - Chester, MD - Karma: Neutral
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My 2 cents - 2010-02-10 20:33:55
Hey, the home is not to my taste, but I doubt mine would be to their taste. Isn't that a great thing? I just don't get the bashing at all. A local blog had an entire piece just deriding the column, the people, the house, and even their dog. Hey different strokes for different folks.
As for the kids...I am pretty protective of my kids in general and would likely not feature them in a piece that details their names, their address, their pets' names, what their house looks like etc. Too many whackos out there!
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John Frenaye - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent
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Mark's comment - 2010-02-10 05:49:48
"...the Gilbert children were not at home during my visit."
Sounds reasonable...thanks.
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Mark Conrad - Severna Park, MD - Karma: Excellent
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? - 2010-02-09 17:06:27
Home of the week? How does that happen. Who do I call?
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Anthony Forrest - crownsville, MD - Karma: Excellent
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E. Corbett - 2010-02-09 11:19:14
I don't know about way too much color, it is just that the colors are just dern hideous!! If they had used numerous colors that complimened each other maybe that would have been different.
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Jo Maize - Edgewater, md - Karma: Excellent
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Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2010-02-09 10:49:21
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Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2010-02-09 07:22:00
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Ugly Duckling? - 2010-02-08 16:51:53
Who cares if the house looks a bit awkward? It's set in Bay Ridge, an amazing neighborhood!
---
Also, the Gilbert's home is infinitely more interesting than the namby pamby chatter between Pearson and Shubbie (although I readily admit they can be very entertaining depending on the topic.)
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Stuart McGeady - Severna Park, MD - Karma: Excellent
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The bathroom - 2010-02-08 11:40:38
looks like the best part of the house. Way tooooooo much color on the walls.
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E. corbett - severna park, Md - Karma: Excellent
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Mark's comment - 2010-02-08 11:01:35
Mark - As my work hours coincide with school hours, the Gilbert children were not at home during my visit.
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Donna Cole - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral
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ugly - 2010-02-08 03:06:55
Shubbie, the house is still ugly the article is from an ugly duckling,it still looks like it has an ugly duckling and next door also,and since you did not answer my question I take it you are a transplant!Heck you might not know where Potomac is.
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jim pearson - seaford, de - Karma: Terrible
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beauty - 2010-02-07 13:39:44
This home is a home. To some it is ugly. I think 'normal' houses are less that appealing. Bay Ridge is a very interesting community with an eclectic assortment ( is that redundant?) of architectural styles. There is no ONE style that 'works' in Bay Ridge. I applaud this young couple for doing making their house a unique home. The aesthetic of the 1950's no longer applies Mr. Pearson, this is the dawning of a new age my friend.
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Fred Shubbie - annapolis , md - Karma: Terrible
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Interesting... - 2010-02-07 10:04:12
I find it interesting that they chose to be photographed with their dog as oppossed to their children.
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Mark Conrad - Severna Park, MD - Karma: Excellent
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shubbie - 2010-02-07 09:34:11
Since I am from Annapolis over 50 years there,the house is ugly and like the comment Tyler made looks more like a Jiffy lube and why would you put a patio in the front yard? I also would think you have not lived there 50 years!
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jim pearson - seaford, de - Karma: Terrible
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pearson - 2010-02-07 07:14:33
Obviously Mr. Pearson has not ever really been to Bay Ridge.
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Fred Shubbie - annapolis , md - Karma: Terrible
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house - 2010-02-07 05:07:44
The house is still UGLY,and why would you waste you money to do this in Bay Ridge?,this house might work in Davidsonville or Potomac Md. but not Bay Ridge.
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jim pearson - seaford, de - Karma: Terrible
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Graceful? - 2010-02-06 18:58:42
Why would you build your house around the garage? Is your Range Rover that important to you? I appreciate modern as much as the next guy, but this looks like a Jiffy Lube.
Teresa Todd seems to have a knack for building shrines to automobiles - she stuck a garage in the middle of someone's front yard over in Hillsmere.
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Tyler Durden - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent
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