Senior Living
Patsy Bowles remembers visiting a friend in Sandy Springs' Autumn Chace neighborhood years ago and telling her husband, Gene, "You know, I think I could live here.'"
When they decided to downsize from their home of nearly 30 years, they found a patio home in Autumn Chace with no stairs. But it needed to be remodeled, which was OK with the couple, who had renovated their Atlanta home over the years. The home also was just three miles away from the home they were selling, allowing them to remain close to their friends and their church, St. James United Methodist.
Retirees Gene, 77, and Patsy, 67, chatted about their home.
Q: Why did you move?
Patsy: The steps became an issue for me. I have back issues. It was very difficult to do the steps. The house is just too big [four bedrooms, four baths, about 4,200 square feet]. We didn't need all the room. We looked a long time, even going out of the area to other places in Georgia [including Gainesville and Dahlonega].
Q: What appealed to you once you looked at the Sandy Springs condo?
Patsy: When we walked in, I knew it was where I needed to be. It has a little courtyard out back, which is really sweet. Also, it just felt comfortable. It's quiet. Even though it's much smaller, I think we'll be able to adjust over time.
Q: What type of remodeling was needed?
Patsy: We took it down to the studs [their contractor was Mike Penny with Pencor Building Services]. We totally redid it. The kitchen, it had three sliding doors — one going into the dining room, one into the kitchen, one into the master bedroom. We took the sliding doors from the master bedroom and added a window so I could make my dresser fit. We took the one out of the dining room and added double windows. So we had one entrance. We put in new cabinets, new granite, all new appliances, new flooring. We did the bathrooms. We added pocket doors to give us more room. Basically we did all of it, new cabinets, new sink, new everything.
Gene: We received the idea from a neighbor who had removed their tank and replaced it with a tankless water heater. It goes into the attic and frees up closet space.
Q: What are your favorite changes?
Patsy: My kitchen. The kitchen cabinets are maple, and they have panel doors like the beadboard. We have a built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator. I added some glass doors in some of the cabinets so I can display some of my china.
Q: What tips would you give others considering downsizing?
Patsy: We determined ahead of time what furniture was going to fit where. Everything left in the house we have been selling (through an estate sale and in negotiations with the buyers). You just have to let it go.
Q: What's a tip for other senior buyers?
Patsy: Ahead of time, clean out your drawers, clean out your closets, clean out your attic. The time-consuming thing for us has been going through everything. Sometimes we've taken piles and thrown it into the recycling.
At a glance
Gene and Patsy Bowles' patio home, built in 1979 in Sandy Springs' Autumn Chace community, has three bedrooms, two baths and about 2,200 square feet. They purchased it in January, assisted by Sylvia Bates with ERA Sunrise Realty. Condos and townhomes in Autumn Chace range from the high $100,000s to mid-$300,000s.
