Collaborating with @coupard_architects and @mastercraftva on this cottage inspired kitchen to make every inch count. Smaller spaces don't have to sacrifice style or function. The owner is looking forward to firing up her AGA stove and hosting some wonderful dinner parties in her expanded kitchen and dining room spaces. #kitchenrenovation #homerenovation #customkitchen #residentialarchitecture

On a cold windy day what seems like ages ago my sons and I drove up to Colonial Beach to see what our crazy friend Shawn had bought now. Pretty much this "house" started as a concrete foundation and block walls but the rest was unsalvageable. We quickly assessed the best strategy was to add the new kitchen and bathroom on the rear to avoid jackhammering through decades cured concrete slabs. This freed up just enough room to squeeze in a stairway to add a second floor with two bedrooms and a bath. This type of project isn't for everyone and there are tradeoffs to all endeavors, but working with a kindred spirit to add value to a property and be a good neighbor by taking it on makes it all worth the effort. We kept the bungalow or "fungalow" as Shawn calls it to the scale of the street and recognized its setting on a deep lot with mature trees as an amenity. If you want to see how it all came out, head on over to @shawnderrickrealestate