William and Marcelline Sherman, a San Francisco couple, built the large house at 15095 Fruitvale Ave. just after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The 2 ¹/2-story wooden house was constructed in a classical revival style with prairie style influences. The house, with its Greek columns and a carriage house out back for horses, passed through a series of different owners over the years until the Caswell family, locally noted artists and musicians, purchased it in 1952. It then became known as the Caswell House.

The Caswells sold the house in 1982, and it passed through the hands of another series of owners until falling into a state of dilapidation.

The old wooden house had become spooky. A tangle of weeds and overgrown brush covered much of the property. Paint peeled from the walls. Cracks in the floorboards revealed the floors below.

The Shuklas purchased the property five years ago. They intended to raze the old house and build a new house in its place. Minnie Shukla liked the property for the land and its views of the mountains, not for its old decaying house.

But shortly after the purchase, the Shuklas discovered that the Caswell House was a protected historic home. Razing it was out of the question.

"I didn't know anything about old homes," Shukla said. "For two years, I didn't want to have anything to do with it."

They put the Caswell House back on the market. But one day, while walking the grounds, Shukla had a change of heart. She realized that with some work, the old house could become beautiful again. "It has a lot of character," she said. "We just fell in love with it."

The Shuklas hired De Mattei Construction Inc. and began a 2 ¹/2-year restoration project.

De Mattei project manager Bill Morris was in charge of the renovation team that worked on the home. Morris was just the right man for the job. He had grown up on Fruitvale Avenue down the street from the old house and had been friends with the Caswell children. He had played childhood games of baseball in their front yard.

"The house had been through years and years of neglect," Morris said. "It was a mess. It was a real chore putting it all back together."

De Mattei Construction worked with the Shuklas, closely following restrictions placed on them because of the home's historic status. Shukla added her own touches from ideas she had picked up while traveling in Europe. But all the while, they remained faithful to the house's original style.

"It's been a real labor of love," Morris said.

"I like the traditional decor," Shukla said. "We saved the integrity of the home."

The renovation has been an expensive one, costing $2.5 million, on top of the $4 million the Shuklas had paid for the property. With its large front lawn with a circular driveway and fountain, its kitchen with a view of the mountains, and its traditional feel with modern touches, the home is one to be proud of.

The Shuklas moved in a month and half ago. The old house has become new again and home to another generation of Saratogans. Shukla practices in the music room downstairs with a band she plays in. Her daughter teaches Bollywood dance to her friends in the recreation room in the basement. Rama Shukla uses the computer in front of the fireplace in the library.

Minnie Shukla said neighbors have come by to take a look at the home and are fascinated by the transformation, especially the people who remember it from years ago.

But living in a 100-year-old house can get spooky at times. Her daughter thought she saw a ghost one night. And once while getting out of the shower, Shukla saw what looked like a figure run past.

Ghosts aside, Shukla said she and her husband and their three children are happy to be living in one of Saratoga's most beautiful homes. "I feel very comfortable in it," she said. "I feel like I have always lived here."

Workmen are putting the finishing touches on the garage and the carriage house, which is being transformed into a poolside cottage. Shukla looks forward to having the cottage completed for her upcoming wedding anniversary.

"It's been a journey," she said of the renovation. "It all fell together. It was meant to be."