May 4, 2005

Large crowd turns out for Willow Glen Homes Tour

By Carol Rosen
Editor

It was a lovely weekend for a home tour, and for a second year in a row, the expanded two-day Willow Glen Lifestyles Home Tour enjoyed a large following.

More than 1,000 people toured six homes on April 30 and May 1. This year one of the six turned out to be a preview house, which the owner and architect hopes will be completely finished next year.

Noel Cross stands next to one of the rammed earth walls at his new home. This year’s preview house, Cross expects the house to be finished by next year’s tour. All that remains is landscaping on the outside and minor finish work on the inside.

Amy and Noel Cross bought a small wood Craftsman bungalow that was falling apart on a deep lot. The house itself had a termite report that was longer than some short stories, said Cross, an architect. The couple began building their dream house, which resembles a French country house in 2001.

“We started building in 2001, we got the permit on Halloween. We moved in on Oct. 1, 2004.” Cross said. The house is built using what is called “rammed earth” in which thick earthen walls are shot into plywood forms that have been reinforced with rebar and are supported by a strong foundation. “It will never need painting,” Cross added.

The hardest part of building the house was getting the permit, Cross said. “The walls are five times stronger than they thought they would be. They were skeptical. But once it was under construction, the inspector knew exactly what to look for and everything worked out fine.”

The house, which is lacking much of its landscaping outside along with a driveway and walkway, needs just a few finishing touches inside too. Cross says that the landscaping will take place this summer and the molding and other finishing items inside will be done through next winter.

Plans are for the house to be on display during the home tour next year. But this time, it will be finished.

The other five houses were also special. The first home on the tour was gutted down to studs and rafters after owners Sunny and Bill Claggett decided to remodel. They increased the home’s footprint designing a large master bedroom with a door opening to a private courtyard.

Nanci Anne Viera recently bought her home, which was built in the 1940s. Without making significant structural changes, she redid the master bedroom by adding hardwood floors, crown molding, window trim, baseboards, new lighting and window shutters. She made color an effective change, using 14 different colors on the walls and ceilings.

The house contains a special retreat, which she calls the Cat’s Room.

When Karin and Tim Mulcahy moved into their newly built home, Karin extended the hardwood floors throughout the downstairs and added thick crown moldings, a kitchen skylight, a wooden mantel piece, new lighting and replaced the beige walls with colors. Many of the items used to furnish the living area were found by Karin at consignment stores or estate sales.

Bob and Judy Sanchez have lived in their home for 26 years. The couple made gradual changes adding two bay windows to the master bedroom to provide more light and a better view of the rose garden and courtyard. The kitchen was remodeled with a patio window over the sink, new appliances, additional cabinets and granite counters with special lighting.

Number six on the tour was originally built in an Eichler style as a one-story home with three bedrooms and two baths.

They first added a master bedroom to the second story and later created a large family room. Several years later, they gutted their kitchen and enlarged it adding an island with new cabinets, lighting and granite counters. The ceiling was raised and a former laundry room turned into an office.

Thanks to the home tour and the generosity of numerous people throughout the South Bay, the San Jose Day Nursery is finally getting its building project underway. By Spring of 2006, the nursery should be able to move back to its remodeled building on Eighth Street. The tour raises funds to help low-income families with the cost of childcare.