PORTFOLIO
residential renovation and design
ABOUT
I'm a real estate professional specializing in value-add investment property renovations. I focus on creating functional beautiful spaces that respect their original character adding lasting value.
About the project
Forgotten on the market for over 190 days, this 1920's cottage carried a large built-on back room from a 60's addition and the home hadn't been touched since. Sitting in a historic district, it came with real requirements around preserving its original character. Our approach was to keep the character already built into the house, while opening the back of the home into one large family room made for game days and get togethers. The project sold off-market before every final detail was complete, a realtor bringing an interested buyer who purchased it as-is.
Tuscaloosa Historic Cottage
Primary Bathroom
Originally an enclosed front porch, this primary bath was reconfigured while keeping much of the existing plumbing in place. A walk in closet became a shower, a new linen closet added for storage. The skink was replaced and the toilet enclosed in a water closet room and a freestanding pedestal tub became a focal point. Modern penny tile for the floor and bottom up natural blinds were later added for privacy while still letting in natural light.
After
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Mudroom and Powder Room
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Before
A walk-in closet from the third bedroom and a crowded laundry room were reconfigured to create a welcoming mudroom and powder room. Since the back entrance saw far more daily traffic than the front door, the mudroom was designed to do double duty: real storage for the owners and a proper place for guest to land when they came in. Laundry room entrance was closed off the create hallway into kitchen and family room. The back door once blocked by the washing machine was kept in its original place. Brick tile replaced original 1960's linoleum. Ikea cabinetry was used in this area and trimmed out to match the more expensive custom cabinetry in the home.
Jack & Jill Bathroom
A single crowded bathroom once served as the main bathroom serving both bedrooms creating a bottleneck whenever guests shared the house. The solution was a Jack and Jill layout connecting the second and third bedroom and creating an additional powder room to serve the living space. It made room for a generous built in cabinet for linens, cleaning supplies and everyday storage. Pocket doors were used to save space in the tight footprint and a soft greenish beige carries the cabinetry color through from the rest of the house, while the same quartz spans the countertops here, in the primary bedroom vanity and in the kitchen.
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Hallway and Laundry Closet
After
What was once a dark narrow hallway and a traffic problem became something far more useful. With the Jack and Jill bathroom freeing up the layout, the space was reimagined as functional storage and the washer and dryer were relocated out of the mudroom and original laundry area into a dedicated closet built for guest laundry. Access from the kitchen was closed off, since an additional powder room had already been added elsewhere making the second route unnecessary. Since the home was designed primarily as a game-day Airbnb, a full size laundry room wasn't a priority. What mattered more was quick turnaround between guests, so the space was built for efficiency rather than excess.
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Before
Family Room
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Before
Before
The 1960's family room add-on opened onto a screened porch, a low ceiling closed off space that didn't reflect the rest of the home. The wall between the kitchen and family room came down entirely, opening the floor plan to match the open, easy flow people actually want when hosting and entertaining. The ceiling was brought up to it's full pitch and engineered hardwood was installed to match the home's original flooring. A bar with lockable refrigerators and cabinetry now occupies the space where a doorway once stood, since the new mudroom made that entry point unnecessary. The original small sliding door was swapped for a large statement door, a contractor non-pickup found locally, and the brick fireplace hearth was removed to reclaim floor space for the room.
