Andy Harris was a pioneer house flipper. By 1988, he was on his third house. He bought them, made repairs and resold for profit.
But he knew the Curtis Park home was special. It was designed by Earl Barnett, the architect who conceived Memorial Auditorium, Sutter Club, Westminster Presbyterian Church and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
It was no candidate for flipping.
“Being young and ambitious, I restored this house over two and a half years,” Harris says. “I did a little bit of the work myself but hired out the rest to experts.”
The home is just over 2,000 square feet with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Two bedrooms and a bath are upstairs. The other bedrooms and bath are on the first floor. Harris uses one as a guest room and the other as a home office for his legal services business.
The plans drawn by Barnett are in the basement. The architect designed more than 100 local homes.
Harris’ work expanded the small original kitchen using space from the laundry room. “I added a full bath and completed the two bedrooms upstairs to what was once was an unfinished second floor,” Harris says. He matched the bath fixtures and octagonal ceramic tiles to the original first floor bathroom.
Harris wasn’t always committed to the home. “In the early 90s, I tried to sell it,” he says. “But it, like many of the homes in that market, languished without any offers. Even if it had sold, I would not have even broke even.”
In 2010, he was invited to join the Curtis Park Home Tour. Almost 20 years had passed since the renovation, and the house was rough around the edges. Harris declined the tour invitation but relented the next year.
“With more time and money, I decided to renovate it once again. This time I was going to get exactly what I wanted,” he says. “Which was an art gallery of a home!”
In other words, a beautiful home nobody would want to live in.
He hired a designer and selected a unique color palette. He sought a minimal approach to furnishings and commissioned several custom pieces.
“I wanted every detail perfect,” Harris says. “I was completely starting over, so I put almost everything in the house on Craigslist and started with an empty palette. I did, however, keep a couple things that I truly loved, like the Persian rug in the living room and a Moroccan tribal rug in the guest room.”
He visited galleries with his designer, bought two large abstract paintings by Bernie Weston and commissioned other art.
In 2017, he got married. Kristy Harris gained a husband plus a showcase home.
“The first time I walked in Andy’s home, I thought, this man is terrific and he has really great taste. How could I be this lucky?” she says.
She has zero desire to change anything. “Andy’s positively influenced the minimal side of my personality.”
I always ask homeowners what projects they have in store for their home. Almost everyone describes something they hope to change.
Andy Harris is the first homeowner to answer, “Nothing.” He says, “After 37 years, I finally love it just the way it is.”
The Harris home is featured in this year’s Curtis Park Home Tour showcasing five homes and gardens Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets—$25 in advance and $30 the day of tour—are available at sierra2.org or the Sierra 2 office at 2791 24th St. The event is presented by Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association and features food trucks, live music, home and garden vendors, picnic tables and chairs at the north end of Curtis Park.
To recommend a home or garden, contact cecily@insidepublications.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
