Nancy Lee wasn’t daunted by naysayers when she asked about digging underneath her Virginia-Highland home to add a garage. Some contractors shot down the idea, but she and her husband kept pursuing the unconventional idea for their 1920s home.
“Even when we found builders willing to do it, we realized we needed not just architectural plans. We needed some really serious engineering plans as well,” she said. “At one point there was a tunnel basically from the front of the house all the way up and through the back of the house.”
Now, after adding the garage, pool and cabana, nearly doubling the interior space and updating the interiors with transitional furniture, gray tones and textures, the home is on the Dec. 6-7 Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes (vahitourofhomes.org).
Snapshot
Residents: Kevin and Nancy Lee; children, Harper, 10, and Margot, 7; pets Biscuit (dog), Frito (cat), Cookie (cat) and Friday (fish)
Location: Atlanta
Size: About 4,000 square feet, four bedrooms, six baths
Year built: 1925
Year bought: 1999
Renovations: About five years after purchasing the home, the Lees converted the second-floor loft into a space with two bedrooms as they prepared to be parents. Since then, they have added the garage, pool and cabana, and updated existing rooms, as part of a whole house renovation.
Cost of renovations: About $600,000
Architect: Mark Arnold
Architectural style: French country
Favorite architectural elements: Juliet balcony, copper gutters and roof, and inlays of brick in a herringbone pattern.
Interior design style: Transitional
Design consultant: Mariano Montealegre of Urbana Designs
Favorite room: The great room, which encompasses the kitchen, wet bar and family room.
Favorite outdoor features: The pool and cabana, which extend the home's entertaining, dining and cooking spaces and are used year-round. "I always wanted a pool when I was little," Nancy Lee said. "Then the cabana was Kevin's thing. He wanted to be out there watching Georgia football in the fall and Braves games in the summer. He has it outfitted with a drop-down screen with a projection system and two TVs. You can sit in the bar and watch the game. You can sit in the hot tub and watch the game. The kids love to hang out in the swimming pool and watch movies at night."
Resources: Furniture from Domestic Comforts, Restoration Hardware, Vanguard, Sam Moore, Arteriors, Bernhardt, Charles Ray and Associates, Westside Foundry, Century Furniture; Founders Kitchen and Bath; Pogue Cabinets; Artisan Custom Closets; Specialty Tile; Sherwin-Williams
Decor tip: Don't be afraid to mix and match styles as long as you are respectful of the overall theme of the home.
