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Like any talented young architect, 27-year-old Justin Ferrick had his mind set on designing and building his first home from scratch. But a chance encounter with a decrepit cottage quickly put him on a different path.
"I had always wanted to build a small, modern house," Justin says. "So I started looking for vacant lots and just drove around to check them out." Passing one property, he noticed something odd: A small cottage was actually sitting on the "vacant lot for sale." The 1870s building was so ramshackle, the owners had advertised only the land. Rusted tin roof, slouchy porch, and snaggletoothed shutters aside, Justin knew the place held promise.
photography: J. Savage Gibson
The dilapidated 850-square-foot cottage in Charleston's Westside neighborhood looked ready to collapse, but a close inspection revealed a sound structure. |
"It had great lines," he says. "It was tall and proud and good-looking, even with vines growing on it." And it had historical significance. Called a Freedman's Cottage, it was one of hundreds of houses built in pre- and post-Civil War Charleston by and for freed slaves. Justin relished the prospect of restoring an architectural gem. "I could tell the house was really well designed," he says. "I knew that all I had to do was undo the mistakes that had been done to it and not mess it up. It didn't scare me that cosmetically it was in bad shape."When Justin bought the cottage, it had no electricity, running water, or working plumbing. There was a gaping hole in the roof, and termites were eating away at the porch. Fortunately, Justin could see potential. An architect trained at the University of Virginia and Princeton, he once worked with famed designer Michael Graves, and today he's an associate at one of Charleston's top residential architecture firms. The guy knows a thing or two about restoration and renovation. "The only thing that should scare you," Justin says, "is if a place is falling in on itself. And that wasn't the case with this cottage. The porch was a little shabby, but overall it was structurally sound."
photography: J. Savage Gibson
Justin combined the two front rooms into one large, open living space. He pulled up layers of linoleum nailed to the wood floors then only lightly refinished them to preserve their rustic feel. |
Justin bought the "lot" and got to work. He hired a contractor, who first shored up the dilapidated porch and then tackled a long list of projects that included adding a bathroom onto the back of the house, making a sleeping loft for guests in a gabled alcove above the bedroom, installing heat and air-conditioning, and stripping out the water-damaged ceiling in the front room. It may sound like a lot of work, but when you're talking about an 850-square-foot, one-bedroom house, the project was "manageable," says Justin. "Besides, 90% of the roof and windows are original, and 70% of the siding is, too."
photography: J. Savage Gibson
An inexpensive metal tool chest serves at the cabinet below the kitchen sink. |
Justin put his own sweat equity into the undertaking. "I pulled up 15 layers of linoleum that had been nailed to the floors, and scraped and painted everything," he says. "I was outside on a ladder with a mask, a sander, and a scraper for about three months over the winter, and my neighbors thought I was crazy. The moment I got the first coat of primer on, everybody came up and said how great it looked. To me it had always looked that way, but it's funny how a thin little layer can totally transform people's opinions."After nine months of hard work, The Preservation Society of Charleston honored Justin with its prestigious Carolopolis Award, which pays tribute
to the best efforts at architectural rehabilitation and restoration. In Justin's neighborhood (which is outside the preservation district), the recognition is quite a distinction. In the end, this house became not only a haven but also Justin's homage to Charleston's architectural heritage. "I'll always feel like I saved it," he says. "And as much as I saved it to make my own home, I also saved it for the city." |
