The house, located on a side street off West Maxwell in the historic Woodward Heights neighborhood, looks as if it is a meticulous restoration. The exterior, including windows, the front door, siding and color are all in harmony with the nature of the structures that occupy neighboring lots. Inside, smooth, wide-paneled wood floors stretch throughout and play contrast to hefty, old wooden ceiling beams. An antique mantel is the centerpiece of the living room, framing a cozy fireplace on an exposed brick wall.
The same things that speak to the antiquity of the house, on closer inspection, actually tell a new story of the home of Nathan and Elisabeth Brown.
"People always come in and ask, 'Is that the original brick wall?'" said builder Josh Wright of Built Wright Construction. "I tell them yes. It is the original, it's just not old."
Where there is now a comfy personal residence there once was only a vacant lot. Brown had become interested in real estate and decided to begin working on some investment projects when he found the property.
"I'm always looking for things on the market," Brown said. "You rarely find vacant lots and I like downtown. I grew up in a city and wanted to live in one."
He had a clear vision for the property, but wasn't sure exactly how to achieve the end product. Soon after the Browns purchased the lot in the historic neighborhood, Brown enlisted residential designer Lynn Pedigo to help with the plans for the house, which would be required to undergo a review process with the Board of Architectural Review before construction could commence.
"That was definitely the biggest challenge," said Brown of the review process. "The building setback requirements, the old trees that were in the neighborhood. Lynn [Pedigo] had to change the plans a couple of times. Most of the homes in the neighborhood were built in the 1880s and it needed to look consistent."
The homeowner-builder team was dedicated to the project on a personal level as well as being dedicated to the neighborhood and building a quality project. The home was the first ground-up construction of a home for Wright, who is also a close friend of Brown.
"This was an opportunity to do fun stuff," Wright said. "You can do 100 houses before you get to do stuff like upgrades and really listen to and make creative ideas."
Some of Wright's favorite pieces, such as the ceiling beams, are also the favorites of Nathan, Elisabeth and visitors to the home. Of course, they were the add-ons, the last-minute decisions, the afterthoughts-the things that can end up adding cost to a project, but also a bit of sparkle.
"I'm never going to say it can't be done," Wright said. "It may come at a cost, but I won't say it can't be done. I'm a creative person and I like to bring ideas in, and if you have someone who's open to ideasÖa custom build is my favorite project."
Wright allowed that working on the project involved "a lot of juggling" because of the small site size and building requirements, but Brown, reflecting on the project, only remembers that Wright was on site every day and taking care of the details.
And, the details make the project. The antique mantle and the ceiling beams were reclaimed from other buildings and repurposed for the Brown home. Where once was a mirror in the mantle, there is now a flat screen TV, discreetly tucked away until it's turned on. The beams came from a barn that Brown and Wright took down at the request of the owner who told them that they could keep whatever they wanted.
"We took the beams and Longwood [Antique Woods] took some of the wood," Brown said. "We were able to help out this lady and also add a really cool element to the house."
Photos of the old barn hang in the Brown living room, paying homage to the structure that originally housed the beams.
Aside from the unique construction elements, the dÈcor uniquely reflects the couple, who have both lived abroad. Overall, the design of the home is clean and stylish, featuring granite countertops and distressed custom cabinets in the kitchen, wooden moldings throughout, and a Jacuzzi tub; modern bowl sinks and fashionable vanities lend a chic air to even the powder rooms. But the color schemes and personal touches speak to the couple's travels with bright colors adding pleasant contrast and mementos from their world travels dotting shelves and tables.
It's also a home that is meant to be accessible to family and friends. Guest rooms upstairs welcome locals on occasion and also those traveling from abroad or from Elisabeth's home state, Alabama. Her beloved home state is the inspiration for the name of their dog and official welcomer, Bama, who generally walks the home and keeps an eye out for anyone who might be passing by in close enough range to reach out and pet him.
Overall, says Brown, the 3,700 sq. ft. addition to the neighborhood (and its occupants) has been welcomed by other residents. And he thinks that his kind of home will end up being an asset in the neighborhood.
"I'm not concerned about real estate," said Brown of undertaking the project in what some might consider an inadvisable time. "Historic homes are beautiful and in demand, but with a 130-year-old home, there are so many updates and maintenance. In the future, I think people will pay a premium for the convenience of the new construction in the style of a historic home."
For the time being, though, the Browns are staying where they are. "This thing was a challengeÖit was a challenge to get Elisabeth to want to live here at first," Brown laughed.
"It's cool what's going on downtown, and we wanted to be a part of that."