By Joanne O'Sullivan / Photos By David Dietrich
Cynthia Watson knows a good project when she sees it, and she’s not afraid of a challenge. Together with her contractor, Jeremy Bonner of A&B Construction, she looked at five potential homes to renovate before settling on a 1964 single-story home on a great lot in Biltmore Forest. It was the kind of home that others often overlook, which she says is great for her: the more outdated and unlovable, the better the price. “I’m married to an accountant,” she says. “So I’m always looking to keep things budget-friendly.”
The 3,100-square-foot home she found in 2006 fit the bill. The symmetrical wings on each side of the house spoke to Watson of French Provincial, and she drew up a plan for a second story with dormer windows and a pitched roof to replace the flat one. “Cynthia is great to work with,” says Bonner, who did the project as a design-build. “She comes with her own vision.”
The 1,300-square-foot addition includes three upstairs bedrooms and a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. As with many second-story add-ons, placement of the staircase proved a challenge. But by removing a living room wall and joining the room to the entry hall, they were able to accommodate a centerpiece staircase with French-inspired wrought-iron railings and a disappearing door underneath.
Watson wanted to keep the ceilings as high as possible in the upstairs, so with the dormers and the pitch of the roof “there were few square corners,” says Bonner. But he came up with some creative solutions, including different floor levels with steps in between and little reading nooks, hidden space and window wells.
The result is a spacious home that works for the Watson family, which includes three boys. Watson has nothing but praise for Bonner and his team. In fact, this home was the second project they worked on together. “How many people do you know who use the same contractor twice?” she jokes.
