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On the Market: Blackwood home with backyard oasis, gym for $335K

When Theresa and Scott Abraham got married in 2002, they began searching the Philadelphia region for their first home together.

This Blackwood, NJ home is on the market for $335,000.
This Blackwood, NJ home is on the market for $335,000.Read moreDave Niziolek

On the Market profiles homes for sale in the Philadelphia region.

When Theresa and Scott Abraham got married in 2002, they began searching the Philadelphia region for their first home together.

Coming from opposite coasts – Theresa was from Philly and Scott was from California – the couple looked all over to find a home that fit their priorities: a central location and plenty of space for a good value.

After looking in the city and the suburbs, Theresa, who was attending nursing school in New Jersey, and Scott, who owns his own shower door business, found a home in a new development in Blackwood that matched their needs. It was a brand new, 2,372-square-foot home that offered them plenty of potential to customize. They liked the open layout, and how it was easily accessible to Center City, the Deptford Mall, and Route 42.

"When we got there, it was a big vanilla box with cream-colored walls and ceilings," Scott Abraham said.

The newlyweds moved in and immediately started spicing up the place: painting the walls, replacing the floors, and renovating the bathrooms.

But their biggest change would be to the outdoor area, which Scott said inspired him from Southern California living.

Scott, who is in the home renovation business, designed the back yard with the help of his father, a California-based architect.

"We started doing drawings of things that we wanted to do," he said. "We built it off that, and it came out exactly what it looked like in the picture."

What started out as just an open lawn space became their back yard oasis with a West Coast feel.

"We put in a two-tier stamped concrete patio that spans the width of the house, a hot tub, an outdoor shower, and a bar/grill area," Scott said.

To create a secluded atmosphere, the couple also lined the fencing with 30 trees and installed planters around the patio. The Abrahams also built a shed that was designed to reflect the look of the house.

They said the outdoor space is by far their favorite feature.

"Rain or shine, summer or winter, we go in the hot tub every weekend," Scott said.

In the interior, the Abrahams made some changes as well: they installed bamboo flooring with a cherry finish on the first floor, put in marble floors and showers in the bathrooms, and added in granite countertops and new appliances in the kitchen.

One of the more extensive projects they undertook – which required seven years to complete – were the door frames, which are created from 26 pieces of wood on each door. The Abrahams removed all of the door frames and moldings put in by the builder, except for the original baseboard.

"I've always been into woodworking and it's something I like to do," Scott said. "I wanted something that no one else had so I came up with this design."

The four bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home also includes a finished basement, which the Abrahams used as a gym and pool room.

After 12 years spent at their first home, the Abrahams are moving back to Scott's home state on the West Coast. They have put the home on the market for $335,000.

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