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SARATOGA SPRINGS — It took a lot of searching for Seth Benzel to find just the right house. A horse trainer by trade, he wanted a residence close to Saratoga Race Course, but had to find one to fit his budget.

“We drove around for months,” recounts Seth’s father, John Benzel. “The market was tough. We looked at shacks for $200,000, $250,000, within a block or two of the track. And then for some reason, we found this and it was perfect.”

“Perfect” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when Seth displays pictures of a small, gray, forlorn-looking 1950s ranch with a $230,000 price tag and zero curb appeal. “Pathetic” might be more like it.

But the location was indeed perfect — just one mile down the road from the thoroughbred track on Saratoga’s East Side.

“It was a good first house for me at that point. It suited my needs,” says Seth, who was taken by the home’s solid structure, spacious back yard, large deck and hot tub.

He bought the house in 2003, and lived there for a year before deciding it was time to give the place a facelift. His father, a practicing architect with more than 30 years of experience, was eager to help with the project.

The initial plan was to renovate the garage and kitchen and add a spot where Seth could pursue his painting hobby.

“We started with just a very modest scheme to accommodate his needs,” says John. “Our main goal was to provide him with a studio.” But then Seth decided he wanted more space.

“When he said, ‘I want to put a second floor on it,’ I thought, ‘Holy Toledo! Well, let’s see what we can do,’ ” remembers John.

Shopping for ideas

Before retooling the plans, John, Seth and Seth’s girlfriend, Holli Straight, scanned Saratoga for style ideas. “We drove forever looking at different houses,” says Holli, who admits they even snooped around the yards of some uninhabited homes.

A hodgepodge of excellent ideas in tow, John spent about a month drawing up plans for the renovation. The garage, it was decided, would be sacrificed to add more space to the home.

In October 2006, Jeff Shear, a builder from Webster, N.Y, was brought in to do the construction work and Seth and Holli moved to the ranch’s basement apartment. A year later, they moved back upstairs, into a home nothing like the one Seth had originally purchased.

The dowdy little ranch was transformed into a two-story contemporary craftsman design, complete with a portico. “We had a circular drive so it was a no-brainer that we needed a portico,” says John.

Such covered, columned entryways, he notes, are found on houses throughout Saratoga. With multiple peaks and a redwood-tinted ceiling of southern pine beadboard, the portico John designed has all the charm of those found on much older Saratoga homes.

A rustic stone facade covers the foundation and serves as a base for the craftsman-style columns that support the portico.

The majority of the exterior is a woodsy brown; its vinyl siding mimics cedar shakes — a product discovered on an idea-hunting jaunt through Saratoga. Forest green trim frames the plentiful windows and natural wood accents add further interest to the outer structure.

Cherry doors bring inviting warmth to the two front entrances; they’re another feature often seen on Saratoga homes, notes John.

The asphalt-fiberglass roof shingles are patterned to look like slate from a distance.

Bright interior

The inside of the home is bright and open, with few dividing walls, yet plenty of space to display Seth’s paintings. In the living room, a two-sided gas fireplace — a concept culled from a hotel lobby — is a focal point. Its flames can also be viewed from the studio. Built-in wooden bookshelves take their cue from the fireplace: they’re two-sided as well, with shelves accessible from both the living room and the studio.

Alongside the living room couch is a floor-to-ceiling fluted wooden column; its partner is positioned next to the nearby staircase. “I did a Greek restaurant in Buffalo back in the early ’80s,” recounts John. “We put these columns around it and we had a couple extras. They were going to throw them out and I said, ‘Not on your life.’ So I’ve carried them with me everywhere I’ve gone and finally I’ve found a place for them.”

Shiny cherry wood floors lead from the living room to the kitchen, formerly the back part of the garage. Black granite countertops stand in stark contrast to the white walls and soaring white cathedral ceiling. Light maple cabinets sit well with the modern-looking stainless steel appliances. A Faber range hood protrudes minimally, at a slight angle, from the wall above the stove. Stainless steel, streamlined and symmetrical, it looks more like modern art. “We actually took some cabinets out so that could be the centerpiece,” says Seth.

A few steps down from the kitchen is Seth’s studio, which was once the front of the garage. The original concrete floor remains, and Seth plans to stain it. “I love the fact that it’s kind of rougher. I wanted this space to be that way,” he says. His large, colorful oil paintings line a ledge along one wall. Light spills in from an expansive bay window.

The dining room was originally the kitchen. Once cramped with cabinets and busy with black-and-white-checked linoleum, the 200-square-foot space is now simple and clean-looking, with white walls, a cherry floor and a beautiful view of the backyard. It’s just the right size for the mission-style table and four chairs situated there.

The three downstairs bedrooms were originally quite small, so the walls of the house were bumped out 10 feet in both the front and back. That provided enough extra space for a new master bathroom too.

At the top of a sweeping set of steps is an outdoor balcony that overlooks an apple tree, its laden branches bowing toward the back deck. A second balcony, which faces the front yard, is the ideal spot to watch the Track’s 4th of July fireworks, Holli notes.

An airy, sparsely furnished master suite with a darkly stained bamboo floor dominates the entire upper level. A vibrant painting of two horses hung on the wall above the bed insistently draws the eye. The room’s indoor balcony offers views of the studio and kitchen below.

The upstairs bathroom wasn’t large enough for the soaking tub Seth and Holli wanted to install there, so instead, they placed the tub in an open corner of their bedroom. Two tiled walls and an arc of tile flooring define the space. Iridescent tile accents transform the area into artwork.

Looking younger

Once all of the renovations were completed, about 800 square feet were added to what was originally a 2,000-square-foot house. In the process, a whole lot of years were carted away as well. “When we started the project, the house was 54 years old,” says Seth. “They say it’s basically five years old now, so that gives you an idea of how much of it we’ve replaced.”

Although there are still a few odds and ends to finish up, John, Seth and Holli are all delighted with the transformation, and agree that all the driving around they did to drum up design ideas was definitely worth the trouble.

Interestingly enough, things have come full circle. A week ago, Holli was sitting in the living room when a movement outside caught her eye. “I looked and there was a gentleman in the driveway taking pictures,” she says. When Holli politely asked the man if she could help him, he explained that he is rebuilding a home in New Jersey and looking for ideas. “We’ve driven by here a couple times,” he admitted, as his wife looked on from the car, mortified. “I hope you don’t mind.”

It’s easy to imagine why people are looking at Seth’s redesigned home for ideas. It’s creative, contemporary and infused with just the right amount of classic Saratoga style. Now the word “perfect” just might come to mind.

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