Jerry Mucklow didn’t even own a power tool when he and his wife, Lenos, decided to purchase and renovate a cottage in historic Norcross. But he has acquired plenty of tools over the eight years they have spent redoing the cottage and honing his woodworking skills to craft furniture, including the dining room table, bathroom vanity and wine tasting table.
“Now I have a shop in the backyard,” he said.
The Mucklows transformed dark and moldy spaces into an updated home that shows off their artistic talents and reworked an overgrown outdoor area into a dining area under the lights and casual entertainment space.
Snapshot
Residents: Jerry and Lenos Mucklow. Jerry is a fine art/commercial photographer; Lenos is a photo stylist/art director.
Location: Norcross
Size: About 3,400 square feet, four bedrooms, four baths
Year built: 1950
Year bought: 2005
Architectural style: Cottage
Favorite architectural features: The arched windows and archway between the dining room and living room, which they added. "The sunroom has these beautiful arched windows to the outside," Jerry Mucklow said. They removed the existing French doors between the living and dining rooms and knocked out the wall to create an archway. They recycled the French doors by moving them to the bedroom.
Renovations: The couple has spent eight years – and counting – on the renovations. "The walls (in the basement) were so rotted out that you could lean on them and they would move," Jerry Mucklow said. He had reservations about buying the place, but on a second visit, Lenos shared her vision for the home and special spaces, including a wine cellar and wet bar. The combination of their careers in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds allowed them to create a unique living space, he said.
They started all over the home, despite having never tackled a home project like this before. Aside from the electrical work and most of the plumbing, the couple handled all of the renovations, from demolition to building stairwells to installing the tiling and crown molding. The renovations are customized and add character to the home, he said.
All rooms were demolished down to the studs and built back. Both stairwells and fireplace facades were replaced. New wall finishes and crown molding were added. They installed new custom kitchen cabinets and appliances. The mudroom and pantry were redone. The in-law suite became a study/office and the upstairs attic bedroom was turned into a photo studio/music room. The downstairs became a multi-faceted family area, complete with a bar, wine cellar and pool table. Recent renovations include making over two of the bathrooms, installing a claw-foot tub in one and a rain shower and handmade teak vanity in the other.
Biggest challenge: The couple first tore out the kitchen, including the ceiling, and discovered there was no insulation. All the kitchen walls had to be removed that summer. "We're just watching the air conditioning go out the roof literally," he said. Over six months as they built back the kitchen, the self-proclaimed foodies used a microwave and small toaster oven to cook and washed dishes in the bathtub. A new Thermador range was sitting in the living room, waiting to be installed into their custom kitchen.
Cost of renovations: More than $100,000 (the couple did not work with a general contractor or builder).
Interior design style: A combination of arts and crafts, Craftsman, cottage and eclectic.
Favorite outdoor features: The fire pit area with a circle of Adirondack chairs and the outdoor dining area, which is sandwiched between two stone-walled garden beds covered by a pergola, which they made.
Home's inspiration: Lenos' father, Harold Key, was a home builder who gave great guidance before he passed away a few years ago, Jerry Mucklow said, adding, "My father-in-law is such an inspiration for all of the house." Key's handiwork includes a mantle he made in the office in one weekend.
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