Hot Property: $530K College Avenue redo
This isn't your typical Broad Ripple home.
It's not a bungalow; the style might be best described as modern eclectic. There's no evidence of eaves or sloped roofs inside the house; instead, the home has soaring high ceilings and windows that let natural light pour in. Nor does the residence have a cottage feel; with nearly 5,000 square feet, it sprawls over its lot.
To think, that just one year ago it was a derelict duplex ranch home of about 2,000 square feet. The building on College Avenue sat vacant for at least a decade, said David Salemme, a real estate agent with CMS Real Estate Service and the person who oversaw the home's rebirth.
"I just thought this location would be a good place to do a project," he said. That project turned out to be a massive undertaking, which started in December.
The home had suffered damage to its roof, said Adan Segura, one of the partners in Construmax, the contractors who did the rehab of the home.
Instead of replacing that roof, Salemme and Segura decided to add a second floor to the single-story home built in 1951. That decision opened the door to 10-foot ceilings on the first level and nine-foot ceilings on the second.
But the standout feature of the house is the completely modernized open living/kitchen area with a small office set off by French doors. One wall of the two-story living room consists of the large fireplace that once separated the front and back apartments of the duplex.
Aside from that fireplace, just about everything else in the home is new, including the kitchen, the three full baths and the wood floors that run throughout.
The home has a modular feel with distinct spaces demarcated by doors and stairs. The front of the house — with an entry off College Avenue into a sitting room has a full bath and bedroom that can be shut off from the rest of the house by closing a door. In the rear of the house are two more bedrooms that share a bath.
Upstairs constitutes a three-room master suite, with a small bedroom and an attached flex room that could serve as a nursery, exercise room or office. A separate spacious sitting area overlooks the living room below. A balcony off the bedroom provides outdoor space.
Salemme knows the house will not necessarily appeal to every buyer in the area. "If you want a traditional Meridian-Kessler house, you're not going to be interested in this," he said.
The price might seem high for the neighborhood, but Salemme said few other homes in the area are quite as large.
"I looked at the price per square foot compared with here," he said, "and you're getting a brand-new house. It's very hard to compare it."
Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.
About the home
• Location: 5818 College Ave.
• Details: Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, 4980 square feet, two-car attached garage, updated kitchen, hardwood floors, high ceilings, unfinished basement that could be finished, and three-room master suite on second floor.
• Asking price: $529,900.
• MLS: 21378622.
• Contact: David Salemme, (317) 578-3827, david@cmsrealestate.net.