Lou and Rob Baskerville had never set foot in Texas before moving to Dallas from Singapore. With Rob’s job based in Plano, they rented for a while so they could figure out which part of town resonated with them. With walkability high on their must-have list, they discovered this Craftsman Bungalow in the vibrant L.O. Daniel neighborhood of North Oak Cliff.
“People stopped and talked to us,” Lou said. “We felt so at home here. It’s a special little pocket of Dallas for sure. We decided we wanted to be here even though Rob has to commute to Plano every day. There is a real sense of community.”
Their 2,035-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bathroom Craftsman Bungalow had already been updated, but the exterior was a bit grim. “There was no landscaping, and the driveway was rubble,” Lou said.
Lou is innately creative, and with a background in graphic design, she got to work adding color to the interior and stenciling the front patio and the principal bathroom.
Then, they began on the exterior and undertook a complete renovation of the backyard.
“We added two pergolas with heaters and created a dining space,” Lou said. “There are sun shades that pull down, and the roofs are slatted so you can open and close them. It’s very private.”
The Baskervilles were used to having a pool in Singapore. Their creative nature kicked into high gear again when they saw stock tank pools as the solution. “It was literally plopped onto the grass, so we had to make it look like it was meant to be there,” Lou said. More landscaping ensued, with a deck and a gravel path with pavers added.
The other great backyard addition is the pottery studio. Lou took a pottery class at the Creative Arts Center and got hooked, so Rob built a climate-controlled studio out of a former carport structure. Before she knew it, Lou was knee deep in bowls, plates, cups, and vases.
“When you are creating pottery, there is a limit to what you can use,” Lou said.
The Little Free Pottery Shed Was Born
Since Lou and Rob had never lived in America before, the free library box concept was new and fascinating to them.
“I suggested that we do a little library concept for my pottery,” Lou said.
Rob, who had been honing his own woodworking skills at Woodcraft of Dallas, built a Craftsman Bungalow Little Free Pottery Shed on the front lawn. Needless to say, it’s been popular!
Now that all of their hard work is completed, Rob’s job requires another move. This time it’s to New York, which makes getting across the pond to visit family in Scotland a bit easier, but it’s bittersweet.
“I’m proud of what we’ve done,” Lou said. “It’s hard to leave for sure, and hard to leave our neighbors. They are all amazing and look out for us. With family an ocean away, we have relied on our neighbors as family.”
If you’re searching for a home in a welcoming neighborhood, don’t miss the open houses this weekend — visit and see for yourself what makes this Craftsman Bungalow and its Little Free Pottery Shed so special.
Open House: Saturday, Dec.20, and Sunday, Dec. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m.