THE CHARACTER BORN FROM DESIGN

Denise Heitz loves landscaping. The pond out front is what drew her to this home, and it's where her granddaughter was married.

The Heitz home features gorgeous landscaping and a lawn that slopes perfectly down to the water.

ou can tell which homes Denise Heitz has updated in Southern Hills by looking at the landscaping. If there are pink owers or blooms spilling out into the front yard, chances are, that’s a home Heitz has remodeled. She remodeled her very rst home in the neighborhood in 2007 and is now on her sixth home here. “I just love this neighborhood,” she says. “When I nished my fourth home, I thought I wouldn’t move unless I can get on a lake.” Then she found home No. 6, which sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and faces the neighborhood's upper pond. The Cape Cod-style home was built in the ’60s, and Heitz has the original blueprints framed and hanging in her home o ce, which used to be the formal dining room. The original plan called for six bedrooms, two dens, one maid’s room, but no garage. Each room has been given ample space, which is part of why Heitz didn’t remove any walls when she remodeled three years ago. “The new trend is HGTV, gut the home and open them up,” she says. “But I try to respect the architecture.” As a partner in O’Reilly

Development, Heitz spent eight years working has updated in Southern Hills by in historic preservation, so she wasn’t tempted to looking at the landscaping. If there change this home’s layout. Instead, she updated are pink owers or blooms spilling the kitchen, remodeled a few bathrooms, brought out into the front yard, chances are, the three-season sun porch fully into the home that’s a home Heitz has remodeled. and gave the landscaping some major love. Now, She remodeled her very rst home in she’s seeing more homes undergo their own the neighborhood in 2007 and is now on her sixth remodels. “This was an address of distinction home here. “I just love this neighborhood,” she back in the day,” she says. “Then it got tired, but now it’s coming back to life. That’s a testament to the builders’ original vision. This neighborhood has stood the test of time.”

TONED DOWN

When Heitz bought the home, she did a total remodel to breathe new life into the sprawling midcentury abode. Since the home is so airy, it works great with her more natural color palette.

SUNNY ESCAPE

The home's sunroom was originally a three-season room, but Heitz brought it into the home with insulation and heating and A/C.

TRIED AND TRUE

The remodeled kitchen shows off the timeless design Heitz uses.

ROOM WITH A VIEW

The lake at the front of the property is what drew Heitz to the home. She remodeled the front porch and put in lush landscaping.

PRINT EDITION

The Cape Cod-style home was built in the ’60s, and Heitz has the original blueprints framed and hanging in her home offi ce

NEIGHBORHOOD

THE WILDLIFE LOVES THE LANDSCAPE OF SOUTHERN HILLS AS MUCH AS THE RESIDENTS DO. HERE TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE CRITTERS THEY SEE ARE TWO LOCAL AUTHORS, DAVID HARRISON AND JENNIFER MURVIN. NEIGHBORS HARRISON AND MURVIN BOTH OWN HOMES WITH VIEWS OF THE FAUNA.

J.M.: The geese are the most obvious animals out here. They’re everywhere. It’s so fun to see the baby geese, and you hear them in the morning.

D.H.: When we bought our lot, the geese were furious. We built on their nesting ground, and they threw a hissy fi t. I’d go outside to get the paper, and I’d be greeted by angry geese. It took a while to come to a truce. I even wrote a book about our lake called Goose Lake.

J.M.: We have a beautiful blue heron I’ve probably taken a thousand photos of, and there are a lot of turtles and tadpoles. At night, you can hear all the frogs start up.

D.H.: One unwanted thing that happens is the occasional run-in with raccoons. We had a bunch in our attic one year. We’d be going to bed, and they’d be getting up to go prowl around the neighborhood. J.M.: We also have a neighborhood fox.

D.H.: He goes pretty fast. We were standing in the driveway, and the fox came just whizzing by.

J.M.: It feels like a sign from the universe when we see him. It’s really idyllic, and you’ll see families set up chairs around the lake to fi sh. It’s a magical place.

D.H.: A few years ago, I started to distinguish between frogs and toads, especially during mating season. You can see the boys chasing the girls, and they make a heck of a racket. You can see the frogs at the edge of the pool just yelling their heads out for love.