He already had a house on Vanderbilt, in the part of town he loved. But he kept driving by the other one — the one on Vickery. It was a mess. Still … .
“My grandmother’s house had a wrap-around porch like this ,” says David Varner, sitting in the handsomely restored Craftsman bungalow he finally acquired. “That’s why I was always attracted to this house.”
Of course by the time of Varner’s purchase, contractor Jason Kelly had completed the major structural updates, and continued to work with Varner to make it perfect. The outdoors areas, however, still fit definitively in the “mess” category.
“We did all the work ourselves,” says Varner, conducting a tour of the now lush back and side yards complete with palm trees, Japanese maples and tropical flowers. The pool/Jacuzzi and Koi pond have matching fountains, and Varner and companion DuWee Engstrom planted 22 new trees.
There’s something special about bringing new life to a house that was one of the first constructed in Vickery Place — around 1912. While much of the original millwork had to be recreated, the home retained its windows and doors with overhead transoms, as well as the half columns separating the living and dining rooms. Kelly and Varner took great care in choosing new materials that were compatible with the structure’s age, style and charm, such as the small black and white tiles used in both baths. The overall effect is truly a step back in time.
“My parent come to town to visit from Illinois and can’t believe they’re in Dallas,” says Engstrom.
“The old trees, the character,” says Varner. “I wanted to stay in this neighborhood if nothing else for the proximity to everything. It’s a natural fit.
“My friends who’ve moved north all have buyer’s remorse.”
It’s hard to tell, looking around the beautifully appointed rooms, that this is the same house in Varner’s “before” photographs. The pale walls glow with a “hard coat” finish — a process whereby dye is mixed in with plaster to create a permanent tint. The new oak floors look as if they’ve always been there — Engstrom says that when their five Coton de Tulears embark on their daily game of chase it sounds like a herd galloping through. Coton de Tulear is a rare dog; Varner and Engstrom are among only four breeders in Texas for Europe’s most popular pet. The lovely eight to 12 pound bundles of fur were once the property of royalty and are surprisingly hardy; their genes hold hundreds of years of swimming across ponds and racing at the heels of horses. Today Modano, Mischa, Casee, Star and Naya are less active and their indignant yipping indicates their dissatisfaction at confinement in the back of the house. To add to the insult, cats Foo and Sebastian are roaming about, languishing on the stairs, staring down visitors. When asked the breed of this pair, Varner just grins and says: “Ah, they’re bums.”
The Vickery house is one of six that will be on tour in October. But Varner indicates that his home seems to be on tour more often than that.
“Especially if we’re working in the front yard, people will just come up and want to see it,” he says.
“I like to sit on the side porch and watch the sun set,” says Engstrom. “And people will walk up and talk.”
“This neighborhood has such a small town feel.”
