Lorraine Charles set out to buy a renovated Craftsman-style home with separate rooms instead of an open floor plan. She thought it would take time to find that type of layout in Atlanta’s 30318 ZIP code, which was near friends, her church, Trinity Anglican Mission, and spots such as Westside Provisions District.
Instead, she bought the first home she saw, which was listed by Bonnie Wolf with Harry Norman, Realtors, and renovated by her son, Whitney Wolf. Charles, 42, who works in the construction supply industry, chatted about her home.
Q: Why did you want that type of floor plan?
A: I grew up in the Northeast, where they have a lot of older homes. I grew up in a Revolutionary War-era town (Basking Ridge, N.J.). When I think of an old house, it's not an open floor plan. That's what I associate with a modern home.
Q: How did you find out about the home you purchased?
A: I got an email at 6 o'clock one morning. It was everything I wanted, plus it was under budget (she paid $199,000). The day the house went on the market was the same day of the first (2014) snowstorm. I left work a little early. I was completely blown away.
Q: What did you like so much about the home?
A: It was fully renovated, but they didn't gut it and turn it into an open floor plan. Despite that, the rooms are very large. My mom brought a tape measure. In a couple of rooms, her tape measure wasn't long enough. The other thing that was important to me was storage. The master bedroom closet was massive. They chopped a few feet off the dining room and turned that into the master closet. There's storage in the kitchen and the other bedroom. Then, I have a detached garage.
Q: How did they bring in older elements?
A: While I have modern appliances and such, they tried their best to restore it to its original look. One of the things I love about the kitchen is they left the original cabinets. The steps in the backyard were built out of old tombstones. The sill of the bathroom mirror is this great piece of rustic wood from the hull of a boat.
Q: What advice would you give a homebuyer?
A: Cash is king. It was just a real comfort knowing that I had saved up cash and was buying a house under budget. It definitely eased some of the stress because I felt like I had leverage and I knew I wasn't being strapped.
Q: What have you bought for the home?
A: I've got a fascination with things that are old. My Persian tribal rugs are about 50 years old. I also bought a few other unique pieces (antique snow shoes, soda crates, wash basins and tool chest) from Scott Antique Markets. I already had antiques that fit well in the house: a 1938 working radio, my grandmother's chandelier, my great uncle's journalist typewriter and my dad's first set of golf clubs.
At a Glance
Lorraine Charles’ home, built in 1920, has two bedrooms, one bath and about 1,350 square feet. She purchased it in March 2014, assisted by Wayne McDaniel with Solid Source Realty. Homes in the area range from the $200,000s to low $300,000s.
