Who: Carol Veliotis
The home: Modest brick ranch
Year built: 1949 by Dr. Frank Nesbit
The basics: 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, less than 3,000 square feet on less than an acre lot
Amenities: gas fireplace, art studio, sun/garden room, dining room, living room, gardens, over 200 pieces of original art
Carol's favorite room: "That's a tie between the dining room, where I love to host dinner parties, and the living room, where I love to entertain, as well. They have totally different feel," Veliotis said. "The living room is more antiques and classic furniture and the dining room is more pop, red, eclectic art."
Why this home: "It was the first home I ever owned by myself. My dream home is a Spanish hacienda that has a walled outside with a courtyard in the middle and this is the closest thing I ever came to it with this backyard as the courtyard," Veliotis said.
Major renovation projects: "It [the house] had a huge fake chimney in the middle of the house and it was causing my roof to cave in, so when I reroofed it, I had them cut that chimney off," Veliotis said. "I bought the house in 1998 from the Nesbits' son and I did a massive renovation. The house was brown, I painted even the exterior pale pink and I put shutters on it. This room [the sun room] was real dark and gloomy and I tore down the brick planter and painted it white and made it very light and gardeny. The living room didn't have a door from the dining room, so I cut a door and tore [the wall mirrors] down and put bookshelves up. It [the house] had been on the market for two years and nobody bought it because it was so dated. So I did some major updates tearing stuff down and cleaning it up."
To-do list: "I need to do a lot," Veliotis said with a chuckle. "I need a new fan over the stove. I'd love to have a wood burning fireplace. I'd love a small swimming pool. My ideal pool is a round, 13-foot with a Greek key. But, I mean I'm happy. It's kind of funky and old-fashioned. I'd rather spend money traveling than on a house. It's not a mansion, but it's a great place to call home."
