With the reboot of the UPHA, we are bringing back one of the most popular features – the Home of the Month!
Our first featured home of 2023 is the quintessential University Park bungalow located at 3201 Clark Avenue. This home, owned by Quentin and Liz Parker, was built in 1929 and is an incredible example of attention to detail and the ability to combine old and new.
The original portion of the home includes a sun filled formal living and dining, a large center foyer typical of bungalow style homes of the 1920s, kitchen and bedrooms upstairs. In 1950, homeowners at the time built a knotty pine addition with a flat roof out the back of the home. Liz moved into the house in 1971 with her parents (father a former professor at NC State) and many siblings. Liz and Quentin purchased the home in 2009 form Liz’s parents, John and Elsie Koop. The Parkers have kept the incredible original portions and a cozy knotty pine office and have added a vaulted back den as well as a screen porch and most recently, a garage that looks so like the original home, you would never know that it is a 2022 build.
Thank you to the Parkers for embracing the character of our neighborhood and balancing history with renovation.
Our next featured home of 2022 is Sam and Amy Guess’ renovated stone cottage on Montgomery Street. They moved from Austin, Texas in June 2020 and jumped right into renovations beginning with the second level, which was originally a separate apartment.
One of the two bathrooms was converted from the original upper level kitchen. It was remodeled embracing a vintage-style using hex tile on the floor and subway tile in the shower. The bathroom also contained washer/dryer connections which were relocated into an adjacent hall linen closet.
The other second level bathroom was also remodeled to close an interesting open pathway through a closet into a bedroom. The opening was replaced with shelves and cabinets found in the basement and framed out a door to the bedroom closet using one of many old doors stored in the basement.
Next, the kitchen was renovated. The space was quite unique because it was the old carport, so it had a partial stone facade and an original window from the back of the home. The kitchen was remodeled most recently in the 1990’s and played to that decade well.
In addition to replacing cabinets, islands, and appliances, we completed the stone facade to the ceiling using original granite blocks from the 1930’s discovered in the backyard! We also converted a pantry that was originally the first level galley kitchen into a separate pantry and office. The kitchen enjoys one of the home’s three fireplaces as well as a sitting area that is open to the kitchen.
Most recently, we began renovations to our master bath which we hope to complete in the next few weeks! We enjoy updating these spaces, but we strive to maintain a vintage style with an emphasis on a warm, inviting, and casual feel.
We love to work in the yard and have enjoyed landscaping and renovating our backyard space. We have recently enclosed our side porch with railings and we enjoy sitting outside to enjoy the nice fall weather.
The side porch overlooks three small raised gardens. Sam has given this space a makeover with cedar framing. Our tomato, cucumber, kale, and pepper plants thrived this summer!
We have adored our neighborhood and all the wonderful neighbors that fill up these homes around us. We are so grateful for our neighbors and appreciate being selected as the next UPHA featured home!
Our second featured home is Allison and Adam Ottley’s home at 2613 Van Dyke Ave. Adam and Allison have worked hard to update their home with space-saving, creative construction to maximize the size and flow in their 1941 home. Similar to so many other houses in our neighborhood, overflowing with charm and details from the time, the Ottley’s chose to enhance those characteristics in their thoughtful remodel.
At this point they have made both the interior and exterior their own, adding a driveway and terracing the steep face from Van Dyke, creating an outdoor dining space in the back as well as beautiful work on the interior. Their family of 5 is comfortable in this home as they make use of every square foot with planning and detail. Take a look at some amazing before and after pictures including their complete kitchen remodel, opening the stairs, amazing use of space in their playroom with built-ins and bathroom reno with modern fixtures.
“We moved to Raleigh in 2016 and ended up in a great rental spot in Five Points. We loved our street and our neighbors and were looking for a similar feel when it came time to buy a home. We were considering several different neighborhoods and had heard great things about University Park. It definitely seemed to check all our boxes (quiet, walkable, lots of families, good schools). The first time we toured our now home we met our next door neighbor who pointed out all the houses on our block with young kids (almost all!) and we were sold.” –Allison
Our first featured home is Sara and Nathan Mogilski’s beautifully renovated house at 3012 Mayview Rd. Hear about their adventures modernizing their house in their own words.
This month Sara and I (Nathan) will celebrate our 19th year in our home on Mayview Road. We love where we live! We started out as a newly married couple buying our first home and are so lucky to land where we are because University Park may just be the best place to live in Raleigh!
Upon moving into our new place, the first thing we did was renovate the bathroom. The Smurf blue toilet, tub and vanity was not to our liking. The house was less than 700SF, but it was cozy and having a nice new bathroom was bliss.
We liked working in the yard and constantly had projects going on with the house (we still do!). Slowly, but surely, the small house we bought became our home and the neighbors around us became close friends.
Over several years, there were many changes to our yard and house. We tiered the front yard, added a running stream, a relaxing room in our attic, insulated the walls, etc. But, when our first son was born in 2012, we thought we might need to expand. Sara continued her work and I became a stay-at-home dad. From there, both of us started to plan and design our home.
We embarked on an ambitious project to design and build a home that stayed true to the style of the neighborhood while incorporating green and sustainable building principles. I came up with design concepts and Sara provided feedback. We arrived at our “phase 1” design and construction began.
Long story short, I undertook the project and our house grew up, out and under, with an expanded upstairs, living area and basement. It features solar panels, rainwater collection in a cistern installation sub-terrain and garden that our family enjoys cultivating year-round.
I’m excited to report there is more to come here at the Mogilski mini-homestead. While nothing is perfect, we’re always striving to do our best and create an oasis for our family and neighbors.
We’re so grateful for our neighbors and appreciate being recognized for Home of the Month!
University Park Homeowners Association 