bates bunkhouse news

Around the House

We recently purchased an original California Ranch House. I say original, because it was hand built in 1960. There are rock walls through out the house. The rock was hand quarried off of the property it stands on. You can actually see where the rocks were hand chipped to fit within the wall and fossils in the rock that are visible.

The house as it stands is 3,000 sq ft all on one level (denoting it is a ranch home). It is a 4bd. 2ba on over 5acres in the foothills about a half hour drive from Denver Metro. It has 2 fireplaces, a ranchstyle large kitchen which includes a double oven, pantry and an 11 ft. long island. It has 2 x 6 tongue and groove pine with open beams in the ceiling. It also has cedar closets and radiant electric floor heating through out most of the house, as well as skylights. With a huge sun room off the masterbedroom and living room. I know it may sound wonderful, but there is just one little problem. It is a fixer upper and needs some work. Truly the only way we could afford something like this in this area with only the one income.

There was mold in one of the bathrooms due to leaky sinks and skylight, so we totally gutted a whole wall and ceiling so that we could expose the wood and bleach it all down, allowing weeks for it to dry out and make sure there wasn't a trace left. We have since put in new drywall, textured and painted. Put up new lights that are bronze to go with the mission/bunkhouse style. The mirror is an embosed bronze colored metal frame with a 6ft. mirror. I am still working on the tile counter top at this time and hope to have pictures once I am finished. The sink faucets will also be bronze.

We have a lot more improvements in store. We want to bring it up to date, but hold the integrity of the original California Ranch through out. As I walk through this awesome house, I often feel like I will see John Wayne standing in one of the doorways like on his movies. While I am remodeling, it feels as though he must have locked it up and left it that way for us to unlock it and start work on it. I do have a vivid imagination, but then again, the house really lends itself to that "bigger than life" feeling!