Home is where the heart is, and for Janice and Rudy Calpo, their hearts are in Curtis Park. After years of change and growth, their Curtis Park bungalow has reached the ripe old age of 100 years, and they have decided to celebrate the history and beauty of their home.

“There was a Pennsylvania relative that asked if we were celebrating the 100th birthday of our home,” Calpo said. “I had never thought about it before. When he suggested it, I thought it was a great idea.”

Built in 1911, the house has undergone varying transformations throughout the decades. Because of its many restorations, it was featured in the Curtis Park Home Tour in 2006, in which historic homes are open to the public to show improvements and renovations.

Calpo said the ‘50s saw tile inlay that did not match the style of the house. The ‘60s saw crazy light fixtures and she said she has seen trends from neighbors’ houses of the woodwork that was painted over, possibly as early as the 1930s.

“People get ideas about modernizing their bungalows,” Calpo said. “Someone tried to make our house into a cute little cottage and it didn’t quite work. It is much better now with the work we have put in.”

The Calpos bought the house in 1992, and started working almost from day one.

“It was all surface stuff,” Calpo said. “There was no remodeling or reconfiguring. The materials didn’t cost much but it took a lot of time and labor.”

The Calpos worked to take the paint off that was covering the wood beams, they took down the spray “cottage cheese” ceilings to expose the original plaster, replaced wallpaper with apple tree borders, replaced the bathroom tile with hex-style tile and changed the drop ceiling in their bathroom to make it more open.

Calpo said those were just some of the major renovations.

“You can tell the material is current and not antique,” Calpo said, “but it was made for that time period. They were reproduced to look like original materials.”

Calpo said everything from light sconces to the bathroom tile looked like they were part of the original house.

“Original to the house are the windows, and the structure,” Calpo said. “It is made from old-growth redwood. It is a vertical-grain that can’t be re-done.”

Calpo said there are a lot of different variations of patterns of windows in the house and that a lot of different geometric-shaped windows were used in the design.

“The windows are the character of the bungalow,” Calpo said. “They’re irreplaceable.”

“We did everything ourselves except pour the concrete for the patio and putting in the dryrot replacements,” Calpo added.

The Calpos even worked on the backyard — Calpo said she wanted to bring out the beauty of the historic home.

“The backyard has 120 foot trees, so there is no sun coming through,” Calpo said. “When we first started, he lawn was just a mud pit. We worked on that and we put in a trellis and a new patio.”

“It was a lot of work — but it was worth it,” Calpo said. “Once it’s done, it’s done for a lifetime.”

Calpo said Bungalows are a craftsman style and are traditionally a community design that allows neighbors to connect with each other.

She added that they are built close to the sidewalk with huge front porches and big backyard spaces designed for entertaining.

“It is a good way to get to know the neighbors,” Calpo said. “Now, 100 years later, it works the same way.”

Dan Murphy, author of the book “Sacramento’s Curtis Park,” said the houses are what make Curtis Park the beautiful area it is today.

“In the last 30 years, people have come more to appreciate the vintage houses,” Murphy said. “The neighborhood was pretty rundown, but people that have come and moved in, they appreciate history to a greater extent in the neighborhood, but they do want to modernize things.”

Lori Harder, Curtis Park Neighborhood Association Home Tour chair, said the Calpos did add a bit of individuality.

“They turned the front bedroom into a den, and took out the wall dividing the den and the living room. There, they added a custom-made stained glass window. It is beautiful and lets natural light into the two rooms.”

Harder said the Curtis Park neighborhood is not all bungalows. There are a lot of Mediterranean styles, colonial styles, Tudor styles and cottage styles.

“We all enjoy the homes and in the annual home tour,” Harder said. “People come from all over the region … to enjoy the beauty of the homes.”

Calpo said the houses make Curtis Park an active and engaged community, and that they are the greatest asset in the area.

“We value historic preservation in the neighborhood, and if we remodel, we do it sensitively, with respect. The houses are important to the neighborhood. They don’t make ’em like they used to.”

“Besides having fun, it’s a reason to celebrate, invite friends,” Calpo added. “There has been quite a movement in recent years of people focusing on the historic homes. It is a good reason to remind people of all that the qualities a bungalow has.”