31 Loren Woods Drive

Their children have grown up and moved on, so Liz and Bill Gladney have decided to downsize from the lovely brick home they bought 23 years ago from its original owner. In fact, they are so enamored of the area and its neighbors, they’re not venturing far—just down the road.

“We’ve always loved this location,” Liz Gladney says. “It’s one of the best things about the home. We can walk to Barnes & Noble or MaggieMoo’s with our grandchildren, or head down to Shaw Park anytime we want. We love that it’s really close to everything in Clayton.” The 4,300-square-foot home was built in the early 1940s but is unusually adaptable and versatile, Gladney notes. She and her husband added on 1,200 square feet a couple of years after purchasing it, creating a new upper-level master bedroom/bathroom suite and other space.

The addition also was built to accommodate a laundry area if needed. And the basement offers a good deal of flexibility if new owners want to create a customized recreation room. “It has an amazing amount of closet space for an older house, too,” Gladney says. “I’ll really miss that—it will be hard for us to duplicate it at our next address.”

She says the home’s lovely family room has always been its centerpiece. “It has a great fireplace, and we put a harvest table, sofa chairs and lots of comfortable furniture in there,” she notes. “It really is where we live.” A large patio on the east side of the house is shaded all day long for al fresco dining, and Gladney says it’s been the site of memorable graduation parties, Father’s Day celebrations and more. There’s also a glassed-in sunroom where her family loves to relax, she notes.

The home’s spacious yard is yet another favorite feature, and Gladney says she will think wistfully of this private, peaceful lane in the years to come. It’s so quiet and comfortable here that it’s easy to get to know all the neighbors,” she says. “You see everyone outside at this time of year. When our children were younger, we held neighborhood picnics, and we’ve always enjoyed having cocktail parties for new neighbors, too.” In later years, the neighborhood kids went off to college and moved out, but now, younger families are coming back in and bringing new life and activity, Gladney says. “It really is a wonderful place to raise kids. It’ll be hard for us to leave this house, but we are glad we’re not going far. We hope the next family has another 23 happy years here like we have!” An open house is planned for 1 to 3 p.m. July 23.

listing price | $1,024,000
listing agent | gina bundy of gladys manion real estate

Photos: Brandon Monzyk, Square 1 Media Productions