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Copper Sky Design + Remodel
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Pro Spotlight: Incorporate Modern Touches Into Your Historic Home
An Atlanta remodeler shares tips for updating an older house while maintaining its charm
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Who: Jim Walker of Copper Sky Renovations
Where: Atlanta
In his own words: “There’s a fine balance in keeping a home’s original detail and craftsmanship and marrying it with modern amenities, where everything looks original but operates to new standards and technology.”
Today’s homeowners crave space and modern amenities in their older homes. Jim Walker, who owns Copper Sky Renovations in Atlanta, specializes in opening up the compartmentalized rooms typical of older homes by removing walls and often adding a second story. “One of my favorite things to do is to take part of an old house, rework it and make it part of the new house,” he says.
Where: Atlanta
In his own words: “There’s a fine balance in keeping a home’s original detail and craftsmanship and marrying it with modern amenities, where everything looks original but operates to new standards and technology.”
Today’s homeowners crave space and modern amenities in their older homes. Jim Walker, who owns Copper Sky Renovations in Atlanta, specializes in opening up the compartmentalized rooms typical of older homes by removing walls and often adding a second story. “One of my favorite things to do is to take part of an old house, rework it and make it part of the new house,” he says.
Career flip. Walker spent 12 years in the corporate world doing marketing and IT for various tech companies. Toward the end of his career he got into flipping houses on the side, which he found that he enjoyed more than his day job. He had grown up in houses that his parents renovated and had picked up valuable home repair skills.
“I grew up in that environment and had an affinity for it, so I blindly jumped in and started renovating houses, learning as I went,” Walker says. He realized he could do a better job than the contractors he was hiring to renovate the homes he was buying and selling, so he quit his corporate job, started doing renovations full time and founded his company in 2003.
“I grew up in that environment and had an affinity for it, so I blindly jumped in and started renovating houses, learning as I went,” Walker says. He realized he could do a better job than the contractors he was hiring to renovate the homes he was buying and selling, so he quit his corporate job, started doing renovations full time and founded his company in 2003.
Historical focus. Walker loves working with historic houses and connecting new spaces to old using vintage accents. “There are things you can add to new spaces that are consistent with the old,” he says. “The goal is to make it look original.” His company is located in the center of Atlanta, near many of the city’s historic homes. “There are lots of 1920s bungalows with a constant need to be worked on,” he says. “I’m in just the right spot because they’re what I love the most.”
Read on for Walker’s tips on how to incorporate modern touches into your historic home.
Read on for Walker’s tips on how to incorporate modern touches into your historic home.
1. Build Up
If your older home is a typical one with small rooms and minimal storage, Walker says it usually makes sense to increase space by adding a second story rather than enlarging the footprint. He did both for a 1940s Tudor in Decatur, seen here, when the owners wanted to add an in-law suite. Walker created that space on the main floor and also built a second floor that includes a master suite and two other bedrooms. The new spaces added 1,490 square feet and are true to the home’s design.
See more of this project
If your older home is a typical one with small rooms and minimal storage, Walker says it usually makes sense to increase space by adding a second story rather than enlarging the footprint. He did both for a 1940s Tudor in Decatur, seen here, when the owners wanted to add an in-law suite. Walker created that space on the main floor and also built a second floor that includes a master suite and two other bedrooms. The new spaces added 1,490 square feet and are true to the home’s design.
See more of this project
2. Add a Special Space
Give your hobby or interest its own room. Old houses had their parlors and libraries, but today’s homeowners want media rooms and wine cellars. For example, during the remodel of a historic home in Midtown, Walker excavated beneath the house to add the wine cellar seen here for his wine connoisseur client. He installed a tasting table, wine racks and a special air conditioning unit to keep the room at optimal temperature.
See more of this project
Give your hobby or interest its own room. Old houses had their parlors and libraries, but today’s homeowners want media rooms and wine cellars. For example, during the remodel of a historic home in Midtown, Walker excavated beneath the house to add the wine cellar seen here for his wine connoisseur client. He installed a tasting table, wine racks and a special air conditioning unit to keep the room at optimal temperature.
See more of this project
3. Keep Historic Elements
Pay tribute to your home’s history by retaining parts of it in your new space. This might include leaded-glass windows, antique hardware or reclaimed materials from the renovation. In this remodeled kitchen in Decatur, for instance, the ceiling beam came from the original roof. “We’ll often keep some framing from the roof and make something out of it, like a beam or a barn door,” Walker says. “I think of that as an homage to an old part of the house.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Jim Walker and examples of his work, visit Copper Sky Renovations’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Pay tribute to your home’s history by retaining parts of it in your new space. This might include leaded-glass windows, antique hardware or reclaimed materials from the renovation. In this remodeled kitchen in Decatur, for instance, the ceiling beam came from the original roof. “We’ll often keep some framing from the roof and make something out of it, like a beam or a barn door,” Walker says. “I think of that as an homage to an old part of the house.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Jim Walker and examples of his work, visit Copper Sky Renovations’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
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Bewertung von eredmond:
I had my entire downstairs apartment redone. They redid the bathroom, added a kitchen and a window well in the bedroom, added storage and millwork. They do amazing work, and make sure it's done right...Mehr
Very inspiring.
I always feel relieved when I see your sign in my neighborhood because I know it will be a beautiful renovation.