A Quick Peek at August's Home of the Month
Compliments to Harold and Gretchen Carlisle for being awarded August’s Home of the Month. The couple has been married for 53 years and have lived in their home on Del Amo Road for 38 years since November 1985.
When Harold and Gretchen Carlisle moved into their home on Del Amo Road, it was a completely blank slate with no landscaping. “We bought it under construction,” says Gretchen. “It was a spec house.” They remodeled the kitchen and enhanced the living room with a stack-stone fireplace and a vaulted cedar ceiling with beams. They also added a 1,200-square-foot family room with a guest room, bathroom, and gym weight room. The addition, complete with a big-screen television and air hockey table, is a perfect place for their grandkids when they visit. “We have six grandkids in total,” says Gretchen. Their son and his family live in the San Diego Country Estates and have two boys. Their daughter lives in Redondo Beach and has four children.
The 2,950-square-foot home sits on ½ acre landscaped with grass, plants and rock separated by a block wall. They added a pool right after they moved in that has proven useful during the summer heat. In 2019, they built a 1,000-square-foot shop in the back of the property where Harold builds and restores cars.
“Cost versus reward brought us here,” says Harold. They moved from Spring Valley to Ramona because it was affordable. They lived in a starter home in Spring Valley and found they could get much more for their money here in Ramona. They were also drawn to the area because of the good schools and family-friendly community. Gretchen says that the San Diego Country Estates was a good atmosphere for their kids growing up; her daughter used to ride at the International Equestrian Center.
The completely redone home has been a labor of love, deserving of August’s Home of the Month award. Congratulations, Carlisle family!
Photos courtesy of the Carlisle family and Tiffany Pressler.
