Idea Houses are our way of bringing the Homes pages of Southern Living to life. In each August issue we present classic and comfortable new homes found in outstanding residential developments around the South. But this month, we're building on the success of our Idea Houses and starting a brand-new tradition. Because more of our readers choose to remodel their existing homes than build new ones, we've decided to include a complete home renovation in our Idea House program.

New Take on an Old Idea
A deep, tree-shaded lot in Birmingham's old residential neighborhood of Mountain Brook provides the beautiful setting for Greywell Cottage. Builders Danny Buchanan and Andy Chauvin used the existing floor plan of the single-story, pre-World War II structure as a springboard for the expansion. In developing the new plan, local building designer Chuck Frusterio worked with the existing cottage character of the small house.

Before renovation, the house's existing kitchen and living and dining rooms each faced the street. There were no private outdoor areas that were easy to reach. The comprehensive renovation significantly expanded the house toward the rear.

The addition of the second floor included an area for a media room. Attic space functions as a partial third floor complete with a children's play loft.

New landscaping provides a different range of plants for each of the growing environments found on the site. The front yard receives full sun, the side yard has full shade, and there is filtered light in the backyard. At the rear, the lot sloped steeply down to the alley. Space for a double garage was excavated under the foundation of the new rear extension, and the removed dirt provided material for terracing the lot. Handsome brick retaining walls sculpt the backyard into inviting garden areas.

Welcoming Statement
The layout of the foyer and living and dining rooms remains essentially the same, though a few structural changes maximized floorspace and enhanced the rooms architecturally.

Because the floor plan of the main living spaces is so open, decorator Jenny Edwards used portieres (fabric panels that hang in doorways) to emphasize the sense of separation between some rooms. Fabrics initially selected for the living spaces launched a color scheme that centers around greens and terra-cottas.

Experience Speaks
If you're thinking of renovating a home, build on these words of wisdom from Greywell Cottage's team of professionals.

Builder Andy Chauvin says: "Before you get started, check and see how much remodeling you will be able to do based on zoning requirements. Most people don't consider that when you change the height of a house by adding a second story, it changes the zoning requirements. From there, determine if the existing house can handle an addition structurally."

Builder Danny Buchanan says: "Be open and flexible to changing the plan as your project progresses. Those who are flexible are much happier, because in a remodeling, challenges are going to present themselves. Design your home to be as maintenance friendly as possible. Here we used fiber-cement exterior siding that won't deteriorate and installed metal-clad windows that won't have to be painted."

Building designer Chuck Frusterio says: "Cutting costs is the biggest question mark with renovations. The key is creative designing to keep the original house intact without compromising the results. You can easily extend the roofline, make the roof pitch steeper, and use dormers. These steps allow for more headroom and increase a home's livable space. Keep an open mind. The main reason people are deterred from remodeling is that they can't visualize what can be done. I provide a preliminary drawing so they can get prices and have a rough idea of what costs will be involved.

• Add character to the exterior of your home using noteworthy building materials and structural details, such as shingle siding, gas lanterns, and stone edging for the driveway.
• Widen a narrow front walk, and provide space for ornamental containers of flowers and plants beside the front door.
• Install a circular driveway to provide a graceful approach to the house, increase parking space, and ease the return to a busy street.

• Balance sleek, contemporary appliances with stained or painted wood on walls and ceiling. Apply wallpaper between ceiling beams for additional color and pattern.
• Find an antique table or old base cabinet to use in place of a traditional island.
• Avoid filling your kitchen with too many rows of matching cabinets. Leave one wall free of cabinetwork, then add an antique cupboard or hutch.
• Support simple, open shelves with chunky brackets cut from thick wood. Use them to display handsome serving pieces or dishes.
• Add depth to wooden cabinets by using glass inserts on door panels. Flank the stove with base cabinets containing deep drawers for storage of large pots and pans.

Home for the Chef
New space at the rear of the house provides the ideal location for the handsome kitchen. Because of its large, open doorway and proximity to the living room, the kitchen reflects the style of adjoining areas. For example, the breakfast table is visible from the front door, so it wears a rather formal skirt fashioned from coordinating fabrics.

A creamy yellow finish on the cabinets and open shelving establish a cozy, cottage look. Solid-surface countertops add a similar mellow color. Glistening white tile provides a durable surface behind the stove.

• Position a study or library adjacent to the master bedroom to serve as a comfortable sitting area.
• Use fabric and color to give visual continuity to adjacent bedrooms, baths, and companion spaces.
• Give your bath the look of a luxurious dressing room by fitting each door with a glass panel and then backing it with decorative fabric.
• Use neutral-colored floor tiles in small geometric shapes to underscore a vintage look.
• Utilize small pieces of wooden furniture for bath storage with style.

Restful Haven
The study, located off the living room, occupies the former sunroom. A leather sofa and ottoman/coffee table sit beneath casement windows. An antique secretary provides a practical and handsome workspace, and upholstered chairs offer comfortable seating. Pecky cypress paneling imparts a wonderfully warm and rustic quality, giving an unexpected counterpoint to formal fabrics and furniture.

The scenic toile fabric that accents the study's window valance also embellishes the adjoining master bedroom, a space that's located in a rear area of the house that was significantly enlarged. Closets in the master bedroom have wooden doors with glass inserts that are lined with fabric, a treatment that continues into the bath. Built-in cabinetry between its pedestal sinks features tall doors that are hinged at the center, rather than at the sides. This arrangement allows easy access to storage areas that function as individual medicine cabinets.

• Focus on acquiring large pieces of furniture first, such as an armoire or sofa. I like old sofas that can be reworked, but most people want new for comfort. Stay with classic lines.
• When coordinating patterns in a room, try not to match everything so perfectly. If you like a pattern, there's usually a way to make it work. Add decorative trims to help colors blend.
• Make use of each nook and cranny by turning it into something functional. Search for unusual furniture pieces that will make odd spaces look better. We used a washstand and a dressing table as bases for bathroom sinks upstairs and still retained storage.

For Children of All Ages
In the living room, a new stairway with a handsome iron railing leads to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, the first room you see is the boy's room with its painted door and window moldings that echo the vivid red in ticking and other fabrics. An adjoining bath with a hand-painted wall treatment connects to the girl's bedroom that is stenciled in green-and-white flowers.

In the sunny nursery across the hall, lavender-and-white toile fabric covers the walls. Yards of sheer white fabric drape the tall window. Crisp white paint washes the ceiling rafters. The connecting bath features oversize lavender polka dots on the walls. A toile skirt softens the lines of the vanity, while the shower curtain is embellished with tassel fringe.

• Add formality to a tiny foyer through the symmetrical placement of a mirror and small chest or table on each side. Use a wallpaper that sets the tone for your entire house.
• Provide color unity by painting the ceiling of each room with a lighter value of the color chosen for walls. In several rooms here, half mixtures of the wall colors tint the ceilings.
• Duplicate an attractive architectural feature, such as an arched doorway, in another part of the house. Barrel vaults on the first floor were replicated in adjoining areas.
• Preserve the vintage feel of old construction by minimizing the number of new recessed lighting fixtures that you install. Use chandeliers and sconces that look antique.
• Incorporate stained wood on walls to balance light colors and painted surfaces. Pecky cypress paneling covers walls in the study. First-floor interior doors, as well as the kitchen's vent hood, are also of this material.

Professional Tips
It is possible to increase the value of your home simply by utilizing every cubic inch of space that is available. This often involves rethinking how areas are allocated on the floor plan. Builder Andy Chauvin tells us how. "Sometimes spaces just happen when you're framing," says Andy. "If there's wasted space or extra storage, at that point it is so much less expensive to finish it. The media room at Greywell Cottage will add about $50,000 to the home's value, and yet it only cost about $6,000 to build. We consider that very cost-effective because extra value is gained without spending money. The third floor balcony was attic space, but we put in skylights, painted, carpeted, and made a finished room. This is a great way to increase the value of a house, because the space is already there."

Multipurpose Space
A wide area of the second-floor hall accommodates a sofa, and nearby cabinets provide a study/computer area. Under the eaves is a convenient powder room. A set of steps leads up to a small media room. Miniature seating pieces whimsically furnish a children's play loft on the third floor. Skylights at the rear brighten the entire loft and upper hallway.

From the Back
Creative landscape design considers both the character of the house and the properties of the site.

Landscape architect Ann Hajduk says: "It's most important to take note of large trees and shrubs and protect them. Fence off existing trees to restrict construction traffic. It's less expensive to put in new materials than to transplant shrubs. Most have a life expectancy of around 25 years. Unless you have a nice specimen plant, such as a Japanese maple or viburnum, start with a clean slate, and design the planting to suit the changes made to the new house."

Functional Areas
The house originally had no functional outdoor areas at the rear that were easy to reach. French doors in the breakfast room enable the new deck and covered back porch to act as convenient extensions of the first floor living spaces.

When the master bedroom was extended, builders Danny Buchanan and Andy Chauvin excavated below the foundation to create space for a new, full-height double garage, which allows access off the alley, not just the main street.

The location of the existing side entrance remains unchanged, but just inside the doorway, space was found for a sunny laundry room and powder room.

TUNE IN
Southern Living Step-by-Step, our new TV show, follows the complete renovation and decoration of an empty living room, dining room, and kitchen that were built in the Atlanta studios of Turner South. You can follow the 10-part series to the unveiling of the finished set.

Delightful hosts Jodi Marks and Axel Lowe present a wealth of entertaining and helpful information. Staff members from our magazines often appear on-screen to offer woodworking demonstrations, gardening tips, cooking and entertaining ideas, and step-by-step instructions.

Check local program guides for the times of Southern Living Step-by-Step on Turner South in your area. For more information, you can also visit www.turnersouth.com, AOL Keyword: Turner South.