Outdoor Paradise

Tucked away just behind the hustle and bustle of West Omaha’s popular retail shops and restaurants at Legacy sits a quiet neighborhood with beautiful homes on expansive lots. Six years ago when Amy and Ken Bachulis moved to Omaha from Michigan and were looking for a home, they fell in love with the neighborhood, and in particular a home with a covered deck that overlooked a magnificent backyard and offered plenty of space for their four children.

This home was the first of 60 the Bachulis’ looked at over five days. The five bedroom, 5,400 sq. ft. home built by Ken Oster caught their eye from the street, and Amy said she fell in love with it the minute she stood on the deck and saw the large backyard, which would be perfect for her kids. “I knew it was perfect even before I saw the rest of the house,” she said.

Built in 2005, realtor Teresa Elliott with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services said the builder was ahead of his time with the story and a half open floor plan. Including extra tall ceilings, 8-foot high doors, and the two-story fireplace in the living room were unique features that are still sought after today. “The house is timeless,” she said. “From the cherry wood floors and granite countertops to the warm, inviting colors. It’s very modern.”

Having lived on the East Coast for many years, Amy said she was surprised at so many aspects of the home. Not only were all of the finishes very high end, but there were a number of unusual touches she hadn’t seen in other homes. Large, decorative crown molding, finished painted ceilings, staircase off the kitchen, suede front bar in the basement, and ample built in cabinets. The only changes they made were to add a mud room/drop zone off the garage for the kids, and they recently put new carpet in the basement. “It’s literally move-in ready,” Amy said.

Shortly after moving into the house, the Bachulis’ had the property professionally landscaped by Lanoha, creating a back yard haven. “All the kids in the neighborhood come to our yard,” Amy said. “And we eat dinner on the covered deck almost every night from May through October.” All of the lots in the Legacy subdivision are about an acre in size, making it a desirable location to get into. Amy also pointed out how nice the proximity is to so many retail and restaurant options. “The allure of the area makes this neighborhood and house even more captivating,” she added.

The house is in the growing Elkhorn South school district and close to the Zorinsky Lake trail as well as the smaller Wiebe Lake where Amy’s kids like to walk to and go fishing. It also attracts wildlife to the area. But it’s far enough from any major intersections that it’s still quiet and peaceful. “This house is so easy,” she said. “We don’t have to worry about schools, safety in the neighborhood, or who our neighbors are. Every aspect is absolutely wonderful.”

Other features of the house itself include four fireplaces—one in the living room, hearth room, master bathroom beside the sunken tub, and a double-sided fireplace in the basement as well as a theater area, game area, wet bar, and walk-in wine cellar. The kitchen uses Thermador stainless steel appliances, and there is LED lighting throughout the house and a Sonos sound system. The upper level includes three bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom and a bedroom suite that Amy said makes her daughter feel like a princess. They even painted one wall to look like a castle around the oval window in the room.

Elliott emphasized that the home is priced to sell, especially being one of the smaller houses in the neighborhood but on one of the largest lots. “Resale in Legacy is only going to keep getting better,” she said. “With this house you could add features and upgrades and still not outprice yourself in the neighborhood. Everything about it is versatile and perfect for any type of family.”

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