By Julia Watson
Wednesday October 12, 2005

How often have you asked a proud pair of homeowners who did their terrific renovations only to have them suddenly become information-shy and beat around the bush?

 It won’t be happening in Glover Park on Oct. 22, the date of an unusually generous tour that gives special meaning to “open house.”

 The owners of seven homes that have undergone a variety of renovations large and small are welcoming over their thresholds anyone interested in seeing what can be done to a Glover Park property.

 In some, the examples are fairly minor, like walls between rooms knocked through to enlarge living space.  In others, serious and disrupting transformations have taken place, such as additions on two floors.  Other houses feature renovated kitchens and enclosed sleeping porches.

 On Observatory Place, Carol Ryder, Randy Rieland and their then 12-year-old son Ben lived in their house while it was being bumped out 14 feet on two floors, having its kitchen renovated and a new master bedroom and bathroom added, along with additional decking. 

 “The microwave, the fridge, the dining-room table and Ben’s bedroom were all in the living room for three months,” said Ryder.  The contractor had said the work would take six months.  As always, it took longer – but only by two months.

 Ryder said she is not a particularly flexible person and had her hysterical moments but that through it all, her contractor kept everyone calm.

 “We had a living part of the house and a construction part of the house, and he kept the living area as clean, dust-free, and peaceful as possible,” she said, noting she also credits her son for being “amazing and pretty flexible.”

 Opportunities for spying on what architects do for themselves are rare.  But professionals Marius and Adriana Radulescu are happy to share their secrets.  They designed their own kitchen, also on Observatory Place, removing a wall between the old kitchen and the dining room.  In its stead there now are a storage column and a breakfast bar that keeps the space open and airy.  And for those more intrigued about gardens than home design, the Radulescus will also display their transformation of a back yard into a blooming oasis.

 The tour also includes an example of do-it-yourselfers.  Jason Hutt and Maria O’Donnell tackeld the bones of the renovations in their Benton Street house themselves, carefully removing, repairing and repositioning the period windows, restoring cracked plaster and stripping period wallpaper off the living and dining room ceilings.

 The specialist work they left to contractors.  “It was just my husband and me, and you can’t hang cabinets by yourself,” O’Donnell said.  Professionals installed the kitchen cabinets and countertop, undertook masonry repairs and laid flagstone.

 For those who want more than just inspiration, homeowners re also prepared to share their contact books.  Ryder can tell you who made her custom-designed tin backsplash in the kitchen and where online she found the fireplace.  And some of the homeowners have even roped in the specialists involved in their projects to be on hand to answer questions.  Given that any visitor can ask outright whether jobs were well done, this must be the best proof any contractor could offer of customer satisfaction.

 The tour is the brainchild of Anslie Stokes, a Realtor with W.C. & A.N. Miller.  Despite Stokes’ profession, the residents displaying their homes are not her clients; they are her neighbors.  She came up with the idea for the tour when she was doing renovations on her own Glover Park house and wondered what inspirations guided her neighbors’ alterations. 

 She sent out 617 letters to residents of Glover Park, asking neighbors whether they would share their knowledge.  With more volunteers than she could use, she narrowed her responses to the seven she thought represented the broadest span of experiences. 

 The tour isn’t structured – houses can be visited in any order – but Stokes has produced a brochure with information on each house, along with contact information for every company involved.  Hostesses will be on each front porch to guide visitors.

 Stokes has been working on the scheme for four months now and is still buoyant about the idea.  “I have houses already signed up for next year!” she said.

 Though her own house is still under renovation, she promises it will be part of next year’s tour.

 Tickets are $15, with all tour proceeds going to Stoddert Elementary School.  The tour will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  For security reasons, tickets must be purchased with either a credit card or check.  For details, visit www.gloverparktour.com.