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Lisa Strickhausen carried over the eucalyptus tea green hue from the kitchen into the custom built-in shelving in the den, highlighting a display of family and friends photos.

By Diane S. Morales, Caller-Times

June 19, 2005

Eddie Seal/Caller-Times

A decorative entry table in the foyer makes an impressive display against a tan painted brick wall and an ornate gold-framed mirror.

Lisa Strickhausen recently moved back to her childhood stomping ground in the Lamar Park area. She’s a little older, a lot wiser and rightfully proud of the home she renovated.

The local real estate broker, who celebrated her 50th birthday earlier this month, achieved another personal milestone — tackling a major renovation of her Coral Place home.

“My daughter and I moved in during the renovations,” Strickhausen said. “We used a plastic tub for a kitchen sink and a microwave. We survived on Lean Cuisine.”

Strickhausen and daughter Ashley Thaxton, 18, moved into the 4 bedroom-, 2 1/2-bath home in September 2004, surviving the completion of the home eight months later.

But Strickhausen isn’t a stranger to the remodeling experience. She said she has transformed about 20 homes in 20 to 25 years.

“Most of them have been older homes. I just love their character and I try to maintain it,” Strickhausen said.

What Strickhausen maintained in the 3,500-square-foot home was her prized terrazzo flooring in the living area, some original crown molding and dark wood paneling throughout the home that was brightened with a fresh coat of beige paint.

No small undertaking

The nearly 50-year old brick home had seen better times though, requiring an electrical wiring overhaul, stripping walls to the studs, removing walls, replacing carpeting, gutting the bathrooms and filling a backyard swimming pool with concrete for a new lawn.

Eddie Seal/Caller-Times

Strickhausen’s first attempt at remodeling an entire kitchen results in pure success. The Realtor often invites friends for cooking sessions with Andrea McCullough, Strickhausen’s friend. “She probably uses the kitchen more than I do,” she said.

Renovating an entire kitchen and filling a swimming pool were new challenges for Strickhausen. She oversaw the transformation of an outdated kitchen to a culinary paradise and a concrete pit to a lush lawn for their dogs to romp.

In the kitchen, a partial wall was removed, opening the space to overlook the den and into the backyard. Maple cabinets painted in a walnut stain are punctuated by the eucalyptus tree green walls and slick granite tiled counters speckled in gray, black and taupe.

“I spend a lot of time here, not to cook but to work,” Strickhausen said. “One of my life goals is to become a better cook.”

Strickhausen said she often does office work at the kitchen island where a view of Lamar Park, her backyard and feline friends are always within reach. But Strickhausen always makes time for friends, opening her home for barbecues or homemade lasagna, her grandmother’s famous recipe.

“I entertained 60 people once and it was easy,” Strickhausen said. “I just opened all of the doorways and actually used the living room.”

Go with the flow

The home’s warm, traditional décor is introduced in the living room near the entrance where a beige tapestry sofa and earth-toned armchairs upholstered in zebra and lion print fabric invite guests to lounge. Family photos and Ashley’s childhood photos decorate a dark wood piano.

Eddie Seal/Caller-Times

The outdoor greenery of the side yard and Lamar Park in the distance softens the formal dining room, bringing the outdoors inside.

“We don’t play. That’s another life goal for me,” Strickhausen said.

A step up from the living room is the formal dining room overlooking a side yard filled with colorful plants, a tranquil space enclosed by a cedar privacy fence.

“It’s almost my signature. I always install a side fence for privacy,” Strickhausen said. Strickhausen replaced all of the leaded glass windows in the home, including four picture windows in the dining area that overlook the side yard and into Lamar Park.

A built-in white credenza with glass paned cabinets above it display Strickhausen’s collection of glassware, lessening the weight of the dining room’s dark wood furnishings.

In the den, Strickhausen continued with the traditional flair, working with her existing furnishings such as a floral fabric sofa and wicker chairs with palm tree print cushions.

“You don’t need lots of money to decorate,” Strickhausen said. “I like to buy things that look expensive, but really aren’t.”

Another cost cutter Strickhausen employed was using granite tiles in the kitchen instead of a granite slab, an idea she borrowed from a friend.

Back yard revived

Bringing the backyard back to life meant doing something with an empty 20 by 40 square foot swimming pool.

Eddie Seal/Caller-Times

In the master suite, family antiques, such as Strickhausen’s grandmother’s 100-year-old sofa add an extra personal touch. “This is my great aunt’s 100-year-old hope chest. I store Ashley’s baby clothes, her dolls and other family mementos,” Strickhausen said.

“It was an Esther Williams swimming pool,” Strickhausen said. “It was less expensive to fill it with concrete than to bulldoze it.”

An equally spacious backyard and patio not only provide extra space for entertaining, but plenty of play space for mother and daughter’s dogs Lexi, George and Gucci.

“In Corpus Christi, you always have a third living area outside,” Strickhausen said.