Not everyone feels comfortable joining a board, selling hotdogs, or volunteering at the events Grow Garretson hosts, but most members of the Garretson community agree that they love to see the town flourish.
One such couple, Will and Jo Paterson, own Wildwood Construction. They want to see the Garretson area be the best it can be. "We're not the type to be really social, so you're not going to find me standing on the corner selling hot dogs," says Jo, "but we found one way we can contribute to growing this community." A little over a year and a half ago, they bought the house on the corner of 3rd St and Canyon Avenue right next to the Catholic Church and began to remodel it.
"We took it down to the studs," said Jo. "Will did all the work, I just did the decorating, but it really was a family project."
The two make a great team. Along with their two boys, Jack (4th grade) and Tee (9th grade), they replaced all the flooring, the walls, furnace, electrical, plumbing, and more. "This room used to go into a bedroom, and that's how you accessed the bathroom on the first floor," said Jo as she toured the formal living room of the finished house. Apparently, it was also how one accessed the garage as well. Now, a short hallway leads off the kitchen, with the bathroom on the right and a master bedroom with an extra-large walk-in closet on the left. The master bedroom is part of a new addition, but one would never know it wasn't always there. Everything is seamless.
The open floor plan of the living room, dining area, stairway, and kitchen makes the house feel roomy but cozy. "This all used to be sectioned off. There was a wall with a door to the living room, wall to the kitchen, and wall to the stairs. We took all that out. In fact, I wanted to post some before and after pictures, and after pulling them out, realized it wouldn't work. Nothing looks anywhere near the same anymore."
They also fully replaced the kitchen cabinets with gorgeous hickory. Jo tells of a peninsula/cabinet that used to contain an ironing board when one opened a secret door. "I wish we could have incorporated it, because it was so unique. But unfortunately, when it came time to put the kitchen together, it just wouldn't work."
While working on the project, they had many local Garretson members stop in and express curiosity, and at the same time, share stories about the place. Since it was originally built in 1908, it's had a lot of interaction with the community. Remodeling a house in the center of town helps revitalize an area that can often be run down, as the houses are older. With the interest the community held, the Paterson's had an Open House on Saturday, September 2 that had many visitors.
"The house is gorgeous," said Jen Tremel, an open house attendee. "You've really done an amazing job. Good work, Patersons!"
"I love to see the investment in the community like this," said Kathy Winter, a fellow attendee. "It makes the community really grow when you've got people who are so talented do something like this."
The Paterson's plan to continue their ventures in growing Garretson via housing projects. They've already made another investment, this time for a new build. "Remodeling a house like this is fun and has its perks, but we want to try our hand at a new house to see what we can do with it," says Jo. If its anything like the remodeling project, it'll likely be amazing.
The house is now available for purchase. To schedule a viewing or to inquire about estimates for remodeling your own house, please call (605) 254-8460.
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