History Anew

Steve Gardner's Hillcrest is meaningful in many aspects. “I proposed to my wife Kim on this empty lot,” he says. “The original structure had to be torn down due to safety concerns, and we proceeded to build a home in the same spirit and style of the area.”

Taking cues from the neighborhood, Steve, builder and owner of Gardner Custom Homes, designed his new house to appear as though it had been through remodels. “Many of the homes around here have been added on to over the years, and they have extended rooflines and additions on the back side,” he says. “I designed this home to look like that, and several people have asked me how old the original home is and when I expanded it. It keeps the integrity of the neighborhood, and I particularly enjoy the style of it.”

Throughout the home and especially in the landscaping, he was able to reuse materials from other building sites. “I did all the rock landscaping myself, and I took rock from other remodeling projects and built the edging,” he says. “I also transplanted several trees from buildings sites that were being demolished, including the crepe myrtles, a maple tree and a dogwood. It's an easy way to build green, which actually saves money and materials.”