gmhTODAY 21 gmhToday Aug Sept 2018 | Page 53

B renda Chizanskos wasn’t looking for a new home the day she and her three children decided to take a bike ride in their gated community, Eagle Ridge. They had moved to what they felt would be their forever home in Gilroy, from Campbell, in 2000 (just seven years prior). When they saw a sign saying “Open House” they decided to take a look. It was the kids, Joseph, Jessica and Julia, who fell in love with the home first. They actually put a Powerpoint presentation together to show their parents why they felt that the house they had seen that day was the “best in the world.” Joseph had his eye on a tree that would be perfect for a treehouse, and the girls found the balconies and trees outside the bedrooms they coveted just “magical.” Brenda and Shawn just couldn’t say no. And so their story of living in a 6,000 square foot, four bedroom, four and half bath custom home that sat on 2.5 acres began.   Originally built by Shappell Homes executive, Bob Moore, the home sits on a double lot with open space behind it. Moore had hoped to build two homes on the property, one for his immediate family and one for his parents. When he was unable to build that second home due to a landslide situation, he decided to build one large home that would accommodate his extended family. The timeline was at the height of the recession. After building the home, he rethought his plans to move to Eagle Ridge and instead put the home up for sale.  Brenda smiled when she talked about the first thing they did when they moved in. It was the building of a treehouse, complete with a zip line and landing area, out on the back side of the property. The next to be installed, GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 was a volleyball court (both girls played competitively at the time). “It just seemed the natural thing to do,” noted Brenda.  Karen Aitken Landscaping did the original plans for the backyard, based on the ages of their children at the time, but when they finally got around to doing the landscaping, the children had grown and plans changed. Shawn found himself drawing up what would be their final plan. The large pool with water features, a shallow sunbathing area, hot tub, and room for 50 people wasn’t completed until 2014. Their children, now 25, 22 and 20, when home from school, enjoy spending time in the pool. The treehouse and volleyball court are a little off their grown-up radar. gmhtoday.com 53