Open House
Starting Over
Returning to Sacramento a few years ago, Rich Bayquen needed a project. The creation of a new home was the answer.
Bayquen and his wife Kathy always loved sharing the design experience. But now Kathy was gone—she died after a brief illness in 2021. Suddenly alone, Bayquen decided to sell their home a few miles south of Reno.
“We had a wonderful experience building and furnishing our retirement home,” he says. “I had a fairly large home there and was very comfortable, but it was time to be close to family and friends in Northern California.”
Picture Perfect
Gwenna and Dan Howard didn’t plan to move. They lived in a lovely, updated home Gwenna bought more than four decades ago. Dan moved in when they married more than 20 years ago.
The couple made many improvements over the years, even during the pandemic. “Dan owned a family steel company, and he kept his crews busy with the work on our home during the lockdowns,” Gwenna says.
But Gwenna liked to check Zillow for trends. When she saw the listing for a stylish Carmichael home on a bluff overlooking the American River, she was smitten. They went to the open house and realized the place was a hot property.
Midcentury Magic
As a resident of Livermore, Kathy Nolan liked to visit Sacramento. When her daughter and family settled in North Natomas, Nolan felt the gentle pull to move closer to them.
Widowed and retired, she wasn’t in a rush. “My timeline was maybe five years out,” Nolan says.
But when a midcentury modern house in South Land Park hit the market, urgency struck. “I found it on Zillow and fell in love with it. There were multiple offers and luckily, I was the top bidder,” she says.
New Meets Old
Driving down 42nd Street in East Sacramento five years ago, I noticed a home under construction that seemed less traditional and more like a modern sculpture.
I was impressed by the contemporary lines that integrated into the traditional Fab 40s neighborhood. Design details were captivating.
Last month, I finally toured this masterpiece and met the owners, Wes and Sonya Davis, and their architects, Paul Almond and Pam Whitehead of Sage Architects.
East Portal Excellence
When Allison and Anthony Okumura bought their home in 2021, they claimed a piece of East Sacramento history.
The house was built in 1907 of “sister” stone, a rectangular block with a faceted face. The material came from the quarry across the street where East Portal Park stands today. Several similar homes surround the park.
The residence is perched high on 51st and M streets above the quarry site. “This was the foreman’s house so he could oversee the work going on,” Anthony says. “It also had been a sorority house for Sac State and so it was in pretty rough condition.”
Perfect Timing
Vibrant and active professionals getting close to retirement, Jane and Jeffrey Einhorn weren’t obvious candidates for a big new home. Most of their friends are downsizing.
But when Jane saw the 4,560-square-foot home in Sierra Oaks Vista, she knew it was special.
“Everybody thinks I was crazy to move into such a large home at this time in my life,” she says.
But the home is perfect.