Hidden Asset

A 1920 Bungalow Gains Needed Space With An Expanded Second Story That Preserves The House’s Footprint And Its Neighborly Facade

- Deborah Baldwin

THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS, as they say, so best not to overthink another home buyer’s surprising infatuation. In Teresa Dau and Amanda McMillan’s case, it started with a certain neighborhood in Decatur, Georgia—steps from schools, public transit, the library, the playground, and old-timey Decatur Square—and culminated in a rash gamble on a carved-up bungalow that had idled on the market for months.

Let’s just say they had the imagination to envision it looking like the smart little award-winning house-tour favorite you see here.

Vivid imaginations—and sheer will. Rival house hunters had backed off after getting a close look at the crumbling plaster and aging infrastructure of the ad hoc duplex with an extra kitchen to deal with. Historic-preservation and lot-coverage rules in this 1920s garden district would make adding on close to impossible. Curb appeal? Not really. “We called it the Green Hulk,” Teresa says, unfondly recalling the siding’s unfortunate paint color.

Former owners had clamped a full-width aluminum awning on the front porch, giving the facade the look of a card shark with an eyeshade. Alas, the artifact was pure postwar, making it a candidate for protective historic status. So, along with maintaining the footprint and salvaging the rotting exterior, new owners might have to acquire a soft spot for a shifty sun-blocker that had overstayed its welcome.

“We did have to work that through,” Teresa says. Not that either of them knew from period awnings—only that they had been looking for a familysize house for a long time, and this one’s location and price were right.