'Cool' updated midcentury Minnetonka rambler ready for next buyer at $469,000

Amy Solarz-Patel remade a Minnetonka home with the best bits of homes she's seen in her years as a real estate agent.

For the 2,040-square-foot house, Solarz-Patel put a modern spin on the kitchen by adding a handful of black tiles in an otherwise white floor. She had noticed a lot of white kitchens, so she made the cabinetry a dark "caviar" to give it more color.

"Instead of an all white kitchen it's caviar, something a little different because people are sick of the all white," she said. "I think it's a kitchen people can really see themselves in."

Solarz-Patel finished the basement off with a mudroom area, a recreational room, laundry room, two bedrooms and a bathroom, which boasts a double vanity and a spacious shower lined by black-framed double sliding doors.

"I was showing another house to buying clients of mine and that house had a really unique looking shower," she said. "I thought 'It does look really cool, I'm doing that.'"

While she gutted the 1950 rambler, added a bathroom and expanded the garage to accommodate two cars, she kept within the existing footprint of the midcentury modern home. Giving the home an updated sleek look while keeping true to its original structure was Solarz-Patel's goal.

"We pretty much stayed with the original integrity of the house, though we opened the living room and put in a bathroom in the basement that wasn't there," said Solarz-Patel, who is also the listing agent for the home. The Minnetonka house is one of a handful she and several partners have fixed up to flip.

The house is ready to move in, Solarz-Patel said. She said its large lot offers views of lush green trees during the summer and that there's a patio, providing indoor and outdoor space for a growing family or anyone looking for a quiet suburban home.

She also pointed out that the two bedrooms on the main floor could easily become home offices for those with hybrid jobs or who are working remotely.

With proximity to trails, parks, public tennis courts and even a coffee shop, the home is close to recreational opportunities, including Shady Oak Lake for days on the beach. It's also close to Hwy. 7 and Interstate 494, making commuting a breeze.

"It's a home you can grow into," Solarz-Patel said. "It would a great house for a first-time homebuyer. Downtown Hopkins is close; there's lots of bars and restaurants and antique shops and bike trails."