PAM SMELTZER spent the last decade transforming a once-abandoned house in Noblesville into a modern, art-filled home with a unique, rustic-industrial aesthetic. With help from an architect, she opened up walls, added thoughtful touches like exposed support beams, and made a bold decision to paint the exterior a gothic shade of black. It was originally white siding. “I took a gamble on that,” Smeltzer says. The payout is stunning—a dramatic backdrop for the home’s front porch details and vegetation.
She paid $70,000 for the house in 2016, spent roughly $300,000 on the renovation, and recently sold it for $500,000. Now, she’s ready to do it all over again. “This is much larger than what I need now,” says Smeltzer, who recently retired from a career as an elementary school art teacher. “My kids are out of the house. I’m divorced,” she explains. And though it is no surprise that she is ready to downsize, what’s unexpected is her decision to do so in a house she just bought right across the street from her current one.
A few months ago, she noticed people moving things out of the home, which was owned by an elderly man. “I saw a lot of activity,” Smeltzer says. She asked her real estate agent to see if the family was thinking about selling the house. “He said, ‘That’s funny, because just yesterday they contacted me,’” Smeltzer recalls.
She’s ready to dive into a new round of DIY projects on a home she describes as a “Victorian ranch house”—with 10-foot ceilings and a six-car garage. “Right now, it’s three bedrooms and one bath, and I am sacrificing a bedroom to make two full baths,” she says. She also plans to knock down a wall between the dining room and kitchen and eventually add a sunroom at the back of the house. Another big selling point? She can always look across the street for a little inspiration.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Noblesville
SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,860
BEDROOMS: 4
BATHROOMS: 3
PURCHASE PRICE: $70,000
Her Next Project:
