So here’s the story behind all of this new design adventure I’m on. Growing up my grandfather was a builder, my dad was a framing contractor, and I loved art and to be outside. My husband has owned a contracting business Southern Elite Contracting in our town for several years now where they specialize in remodels, new construction of custom homes, and insurance claims that involve roof damage, fire, wind, water, or hail damage. His slogan is “your one stop contractor” because they do it all. Anything related to home improvement they handle, and he does fantastic work might I add. You can find a link to his website and contact information for Southern Elite Contracting in the tabs above.
That being said, as he started to venture into the market of flipping houses I just naturally fell into the role of helping make floor plans make better sense and picking out finishes for the homes. My day job is teaching fourth grade. I’ve been teaching for years and had, or have no plans of leaving teaching. This winter break I was just doing some shower thinking (that’s where I do all my deep thinking) about some of the projects we had coming up, and I began thinking how cool would it be to have my own little spin off of this business where I show off my side of it. I get to do the fun stuff, the pretty stuff, and I love it! I enjoy it and right now it’s a hobby (although I do reap the benefits and make a little money from the homes we do) and who knows where it will go later but I decided I wanted to share it with people.
When I was little, my memories of my daddy working are with a tool belt around his waist, and a pencil and tape measure in his hand. My dad built both of the houses my family lived in growing up and he did most of the work himself. I remember looking at house plans with him and us playing around with options for adjusting them to move walls and add bathrooms. I loved it then and I love it now. I’ve always been one of those people that just likes things to make sense, so going in old homes that don’t and creating functionality (more on that in a later post) just sort of came naturally. I don’t know if it was those plans with my daddy or just the roots of construction that run in my blood, but it sure is fun. In all of the projects we’ve done to date, I’ve reconfigured walls or layouts in some way. Our own farmhouse project that we are starting on will be no different. Walls will come down and spaces will change to create better functionality in an older home that better suits today’s family. Basically right now I’m living this dream of my own little “Fixer Upper” right here in our Georgia town. I couldn’t be more excited about it, and I’m loving the journey and sharing it with people.
I’ve included some photos of some spaces before, and the decision to open them up and create functional spaces for the modern family.
So there it is, the history behind how this all got started. Continue following where I’ll talk about functionality and the best topic yet… the old farmhouse remodel we’re starting. Stay tuned…
Southern Charm Designs 