photography: Dana Gallagher
the kitchen island looks like a piece of furniture to fit in with the connected living room. It also conceals an under-counter fridge. |
"We did a lot of planning," Amy says, "but even then it always takes longer and costs more than you think." She packed two duffel bags of clothes in August in preparation for a Christmas return. "I didn't get in until July of the following year." About four years later, she began dreaming about a second phase of renovation: the addition of a screened-in front porch and adjoining guest bedroom. 
photography: Dana Gallagher
Amy turned an empty wall in her office into a closet/laundry room by installing built-in shelves for her shoes, storage for clothing and space for a stacking washer and dryer. |
While the interior had been updated, the traditional foursquare exterior (a simple boxlike structure) still lacked the modern look Amy craved. "I'm really inspired by Japanese design and have always been fascinated with shoji screens," she says. With the help of another friend and architect, Fred Wolf, the facade of the house changed dramatically by adding an enclosed front porch with two large screened doors set on sliding door hardware. Wood siding, left unpainted and laid on the horizontal, covers the addition of a guest bedroom, which opens onto the screened porch through a pair of folding doors.The cottage now stands at just over 1,000 square feet, and Amy couldn't be happier with the results. "I like to think of myself as a minimalist," she says of living in a small house. But on the other hand, her eye for style has filled the house with color and details that set it apart. "When you own a shoe store, you can be only so much of a minimalist." Take it from Amy
Tips for a smart (and relatively painless) renovation Examine space priorities. "Be really honest with yourself about how you live and how you want to use your space," Amy says. "Don't feel locked in to having rooms that you won't end up using, like a separate dining room." Do serious planning. "Making split-second decisions never yields good results in remodeling," she says. "My renovation worked because I spent a lot of time tracking down materials and finishes in advance—before we got too far into construction." Be prepared and flexible. "I'd say to budget 50 percent more time and 30 percent more money than you think it's going to take." Ask your lender about a section 203(k) Mortgage loan. "I bought my house with a 203(k), which allows you to mortgage both your house and major renovation costs," Amy says. "It's a great program from HUD worth looking into." (For details, visit www.hud Draw inspiration from books and magazines. "Show a lot of images from books and magazines to your architect, explaining what you like about them. The Essential House Book: Getting Back to Basics, by Terence Conran, really motivated me to buy a house and fix it up." (Find the book, $39.95, at online booksellers, including amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.) | 
Most people would've run in the opposite direction, but this house just needed some love 
