PROPERTY POST

100 Buck Avenue: The Cornerstone of Historic Downtown Vacaville

We’ve all spent plenty of time lately thinking about our homes, wondering if it’s time to replace the wallpaper, open up the kitchen or create a garden in the side yard. Mark and Lu Ann Chambers didn’t have the luxury of such optional enhancements when they purchased the Hartley House in Vacaville 20 years ago. Built in 1922 by Clement Hartley, a prominent fruit grower and banker, the historical home was in dire need of repair, from a leaky roof to electrical upgrades. Over the next two decades, the Chamberses transformed the Spanish Colonial Revival home on historic Buck Avenue into an exceptional family compound. Getting there became a full-time labor of love. The resulting masterpiece and compound has proven well worth the effort. Unlike many new occupants, who might have gutted the interior for a more contemporary and practical rebuild, Mark and Lu Ann set about making the home first livable and then exceptional. Although half a dozen five-gallon buckets stood in the living room to collect water from the leaky roof, Mark and Lu Ann were determined to preserve the coffered ceiling. They also kept the crystal doorknobs and other historical details. Of course, modern conveniences, from three-phase wiring to a new pool house, were added as well. Today, this five-bedroom Spanish Colonial Revival, which sits on almost an acre of land, presents an extraordinary opportunity to own a historically significant house on Vacaville’s most picturesque residential street. Over the years, Mark and Lu Ann’s plans for the home have incorporated all the amenities of a prominent Bay Area home, starting with an in-ground pool. They discovered before offering to buy the home that a side lot that was full of debris was also part of the sale, increasing the plot to just shy of an acre. This allowed Mark, who’d earned his contracting license at the start of the project, to add the expansive pool house and build a four-car garage with a studio apartment above. This studio space has undergone several evolutions, from office to teen rec room for their boys. The pool house can also be used for offices or an in-law suite. As one would expect, the new owners will enjoy a formal dining and living room, updated kitchen and all the amenities of a luxury lifestyle. Over time, Mark has added an outdoor pizza oven; renovated a bedroom into a craft space for Lu Ann, who is an avid seamstress; and built out the gardens to further embellish the street appeal. This blend of old and new makes the Hartley House an incredible opportunity for its next caretakers. Through all of the changes, however, the ginkgo tree that Helen Hartley, Clement’s daughter, conveyed from Japan more than 70 years ago remains front and center, a testament to time for the home’s occupants and passersby alike. 100 Buck Ave. is being offered for $2,385,000 by SHEA MCGUIRE of McGuire Capital Group Realty. For more information, call (707) 301-1349, email sheamcguire@gmail.com or visit www.100buckavenue.com. Open house to be held on July 11 from 3pm - 5pm. For tickets visit www.100buckave.eventbrite.com.