Project Category: Preservation

Located in the heart of the Savannah Downtown Historic District, this townhouse is a freestanding gem on a double-width lot. The rehabilitation included the construction of a large carriage house and kitchen addition to the rear of the house. Collaborating with the owner, a well-known interior designer, we planned the interior reorganization of the kitchen, master suite, and guest bedrooms in the main residence, while providing two rental apartments within the new additions. The carriage house allows parking for the cars, while also doubling as an entertaining space open to the yard beyond. Extravagant roof terraces create additional entertaining spaces with incredible views of the historic neighborhood.

According to Sanborn maps, this 1,362 square foot hipped bungalow home was built between 1918-1926. The previous owner was beloved Athens artist, Jeremy Ayers. The house served as a backdrop to Jeremy’s work and it was obvious that an abundance of love was poured into the beautiful gardens on the property. The new owners purchased the home with the intention of giving it the care and attention it deserved. They planned to restore the house to the extent possible while also making sure it could address their needs for modern life and aging in place.

The house was in need of significant rehabilitation. It included the replacement of the front porch floor and roof structure, exterior chimney reconstruction, reroofing, and the hand-scraping and repainting of all exterior siding, trim and cornice. Original material was maintained on the exterior of the home wherever possible. The historic windows were repaired with glass replacement in the broken panes, counterweight operation was restored in some of the window units, and they were caulked, sealed, and refinished.

The interior required significant work as well including replacement of flooring and sections of floor structure damaged by water and termites. The house was taken down to its bones on the interior to fix those that were broken and reassemble it in a manner to help preserve it for many years to come.

This included adding proper headers and framing around window openings, all new subfloor, and installing a vapor barrier (Tyvek house wrap) and insulation from the interior in order to preserve the exterior siding. The house utilities required an overhaul with all new electrical wiring, HVAC, and plumbing. Damaged interior trim and doors were removed and replaced with new ones constructed in the style of the original. The original brick of the fireplaces and interior chimneys was exposed and cleaned. New gas fireplace inserts and vent pipes were added to the chimney in the main living area along with some masonry repair to make them operable and code compliant.

A new front walk, retaining wall, and driveway appropriate to the home’s character and history were designed and installed by David Hubbard of Premier Land Design. The small retaining wall along the street frontage was constructed using almost all found materials from the property including bits of various stones and brick. Additionally, the rocks that had been collected by Jeremy over the years were consolidated into a new dry creek bed installed along the north side of the house to control the stormwater drainage through the site. New plantings incorporating some of the same or similar varieties that were in the original gardens were installed alongside plants that were cultivated from cuttings and seeds taken from the garden.

The guest bedroom fireplace was the one place where the brick chimney was left covered with a finished wall, so the original oak fireplace surround from the front parlor was repurposed here.

There were design modifications made to the layout of the interior spaces to better suite modern life while celebrating the character of historic elements. The original bungalow had a narrow central hall between the north and south sides of the house. This hall was reallocated to define a front entry foyer, a small hall to access the existing bedroom and bath, more closet storage, and an expanded open-plan kitchen. The primary circulation through the home was redirected in bungalow fashion through the main living spaces. The public spaces of the home were laid out along the north side of the home to enjoy views of the gardens. The walls separating the front rooms from the rear of the home where removed leaving only the double-sided historic brick fireplace and new custom built-ins designed by Arcollab and constructed by local cabinetmaker, Paul Pringle. The built-ins utilized some of the salvaged vertical wood studs from the removed walls. Although the kitchen, living, and dining rooms enjoyed garden views, the spaces were dark due to their northern exposure and the addition of a screen porch buffer to the garden. To bring more natural light into the home, the living room ceiling was vaulted – exposing the historic ceiling joists and permitting sunlight from two new skylights in the center of the space.

In addition to the new screened porch, a 455 square foot master suite with accessible bathroom was constructed. The master suite also incorporates salvaged materials from the original house. Floor joists were repurposed and installed as exposed rafter ties in the vaulted bedroom ceiling. The addition is delicately connected to the rear of the home with a glassy, 8’ wide, breezeway-like hyphen. The hyphen serves as the rear entry from the driveway into the house, exits onto the new raised deck and patio, and connects the old structure with the new. The master bedroom and of all the new outdoor living spaces are oriented toward the side yard gardens, celebrating the importance of the gardens to both the former and current owners of the home.

The Okey-Hensley Residence project won an award for Outstanding Rehabilitation from Historic Athens in 2020.