Hot Property: 2 new floors, upgrades turn ranch into mansion

When it was first built, the modest 1950s ranch might have felt humbled by the Meridian Street mansions that flanked it to the north and south. Yes, it had a spacious lawn sitting behind it, but little of the grandeur found in other homes in the southern tip of Meridian-Kessler. But those days are long behind it.

A rehab into a three-story home in the late eighties, followed by the past two decades of upgrade after upgrade, have brought the home at 4515 Meridian St. into its own.

Current owner Jan Wechter and her late husband Larry had been looking for just the right home in Meridian-Kessler for years when they first toured the house in 1994. The house had been leased since its renovation a few years earlier and had not even officially gone on the market yet.

Larry demurred at the location, but once he saw the house, he was sold.

"We just loved it," Jan Wechter said. "We were the first ones to see it and we put an offer in right then."

Over the years, Jan and Larry, who died in 2012, raised four children there. His mother also briefly lived there, in the first floor guest bedroom.

At some point the family bought the cement pool that originally belonged to the house next door, which now has turned the backyard spread into an inverted L shape that includes a hot tub closer to the house.

Inside, the Wechter home emphasizes comfort. The main entrance faces south and flows into the two most comfortable common areas in the house.

To the right sits a large open kitchen that had once been a galley kitchen, and another room visible through a peek-a-boo window. Wechter opened up the two rooms, making one large kitchen with a six-burner gas range and full-size wine cooler.

To the left sits the large family room/living space, with space for a piano, sitting area, bar and a large stone fireplace that serves as the dominant feature in the room. The dining room to the rear of the home retains the only window original to the home.

Upstairs are the home's four other bedrooms, one of which currently serves as a workout room with a mirrored wall, and a laundry room. The bedroom to the southeast, with its walk-in closet and private bath, could be a junior master bedroom.

But the true master bedroom, also once two separate rooms, is one of the house's main selling points. A large Palladian window overlooks Meridian Street.

A glass fireplace provides a feeling of coziness and unites the sleeping area and separate sitting area.

The top floor, a converted attic, serves as both office and play space. Half of the floor currently holds a pool table and a bar with a sink and small refrigerator. The other half was Larry's home office.

Jan had wanted to redo the kitchen, but her husband had opted to create his cherry-cabinet and bookshelf-lined aerie of an office first. The custom woodwork alone took two carpenters eight months to finish.

"I always called this the Taj Mahal," she said.

Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.

About the home

• Location: 4515 N. Meridian St.

• Details: Five bedrooms, four full baths, one partial baths, three-car garage, 4,887 square feet, pool on extra lot, hot tub, multiple fireplaces, .54 acres.

• Asking price: $1.15 million.

• MLS: 21334948.

• Contact: Libby Somerville, RE/MAX Ability Plus, (317) 590-4470.