A duck often returns to Sue and Richard Smith’s backyard and the lake 25 feet from their Roswell home to beg for food or lay her eggs.
And that’s just fine with them. The backyard was designed for birds. The Smiths brought in more trees, plants such as autumn ferns, hostas and holly bushes, and various feeders and bird seed, using recommendations from the National Audubon Society.
Credit: Text by Marena Galluccio/ Photos by Christopher Oquendo
Credit: Text by Marena Galluccio/ Photos by Christopher Oquendo
Those changes — and visits from wildlife — indicate to Sue that they successfully created a habitat for birds, which she enjoys. When the dogwoods recently were in bloom, she walked around the home and saw a different view of the property than she previously had.
“It stopped me, and it was breathtaking, and I got to have the feeling of ownership that I had actually created this incredible, peaceful backyard,” she said.
Snapshot
Residents: Richard and Sue Smith. Richard consults in the facilitation and strategic planning arena, and Sue is a software consultant and trainer.
Location: The Terraces at the Country Club of Roswell
Size: 3,100 square feet, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths
Year built/bought: 1986/1999
Architectural style: Traditional
Favorite architectural elements: The faux brick wall by Fred Cox of Classic Decorative Arts
Renovations: Renovations included adding two screened porches with vaulted ceilings, skylights and multi-level decks, and installing a picture window at the back of the house. They gutted and renovated the galley kitchen by opening the wall between the dining room and kitchen and added 100-year-old barn wood and faux brick by Cox. The Smiths also removed a load-bearing wall to add a laundry room, replaced the living room built-in bar with a TV cabinet and surround sound, and replaced the fireplace. They installed shiplap in the living room and part of the dining room, replaced the flooring with dark mahogany hardwoods and remodeled the first-floor powder room. Beams were added with lighting in the sitting areas by the master bedroom, which also has French doors and a shiplap accent wall. The master bath was gutted to accommodate a large vanity with towers, a jetted tub and additional storage space. The master closet was also reconfigured and recarpeted. The couple closed an open area on the second floor to provide storage space and also painted and added carpet. The upstairs bath and the driveway were also redone. They removed the cement front walkway, added a stone bridge over a water feature and two water features were added to the relandscaped backyard. They encapsulated the crawlspace and bought a new air conditioning unit and furnace.
Cost of renovations: About $200,000
Renovation consultants: Robert Szrejner of Euroinstiles, Cabinets of Atlanta, Brandon Gore of BriteBox
Interior design consultants: Kim Doherty of Meraki Designs, Mary Cropper of Studio M Interior Design, Accentrics
Landscapers: Daniel Saylor of Liquid Landscapes
Interior design style: Vintage and eclectic. "We went room by room (with Kim) transforming our entire first floor to provide the same cohesive feel of casual and comfortable," Sue said.
Favorite outdoor feature: The porches and water features, such as the 4-foot-deep pond.
Resources: Furniture from The Green Bean Exchange Interiors & Antiques Mall, Urban Outfitters and Queen of Hearts Antiques and Interiors.
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