Sunset first home first remodel: our guide to buying and fixing up a starter house - The Changing Western Home

Sunset, May, 2003 by Mary Jo Bowling

The Aris-Gurneys' hints

* Look for structural flaws. "When we saw this house, no one was going in the basement because the owners had a mean dog down there," Aris says. "We insisted the real estate agent hold back the dog while we looked at the foundation."

* Figure out what you can do yourself. The couple bought several home-improvement books and started studying. They saved money by doing their own demolition and drywall installation, then hired a contractor for the rest of the remodeling.

* Measure twice, buy once. The day they took possession of the house, Ails and Gurney went to the Home Depot and "went hog-wild and bought $1,000 worth of supplies," Aris remembers. "When we got home, we realized that everything was the wrong size. We had to take it all back."

* Sketch out a floor plan for your remodel. The couple had trouble figuring out how many improvements would fit in their kitchen, so they hashed it out on a sandy beach. "We had a disagreement about whether we should put an island in the kitchen," Aris recalls. "We resolved it by drawing out the floor plan in the sand."

Vital stats

Sharon Aris and Andrew Gurney, San Francisco

Ages: 38 and 38

Jobs: She designs snowboard clothing, he's a database developer.

Home: 1,200 square feet with two bedrooms.

Price: $430,000

No time to remodel

The Bullocks opted for a brand-new developer house

Phoenix residents Julia and Joe Bullock started searching to buy their first home in long-established neighborhoods. They wanted space for a growing family and a room where Julia could practice yoga. "But then we realized that it would take a few years and a lot of money to redo an older house," Julia says. "We found that we could get a brand-new home with a mountain view and large rooms for the boys for the same price as a fixer-upper."

The Bullocks bought a new house in the South Mountain Village development built by KB Homes. The family is within 10 minutes of shopping, school, and work. "It was the right choice for us, because we just don't have time to remodel," Julia says. She owns Yoga Planet in Tempe, Joe has his own mortgage and real estate company, sons Jackson (8) and Malik (6) attend school, and Cameron (3) stays home with his mom.

The Bullocks' advice

* Look for a community that will develop quickly. "There are 12 other new-home communities in this area," Julia says. "You can see how this one will develop and have more stores in time. That's important for resale considerations."

* If you have children, choose a place where families flock. "I have great childhood memories of playing with kids in my neighborhood," Julia says. "I wanted the same kind of place for my kids. We chose a community where there were several large homes. We figured other people with kids would choose large homes."

* Think beyond the builder's floor plan. The plans designated one room as a library or an office, but Julia needed a place for yoga. A few simple tweaks made it the room she craved. "We asked them not to put in the shelves, cabinets, or carpets designated for the space," Julia says. "To make it a yoga room, we selected wood floors, mirrored closet doors, a peaceful wall color, and Asian-style blinds."