Hélène Ross and Eric Connolly both come from large families, and their West End home offered very little guest space, so when the opportunity to purchase the house next door fell into their lap, they leapt at it.
“We have a ton of family, and we always have people visiting, so it’s been really great to have overflow,” said Ross. “I started working from home, and Eric works from home a lot, so we were outgrowing our space, too.”
» RELATED: Photos of West End industrial bungalow
Connolly, who works as a contractor, did all the home designs himself, and after a renovation lasting a year and a half in which he got almost all of the building materials necessary from reclaimed and salvaged sources, the West End bungalow now functions as a guesthouse, home office and extra living space, plus it gives Ross’ and Connolly’s four dogs (and often a foster dog or two) a double backyard in which to run and play.
Connolly won an award for Best Reuse Project of 2018 from Lifecycle Building Center for the house’s use of reclaimed and salvaged materials, and the house was on the Historic West End Tour of Homes last month.
» RELATED: West End bungalow renovation took teamwork and patience, owner says
Snapshot
Residents: Eric Connolly and Hélène Ross, with dogs Porkchop, Piglet, Hobbs and Lentil, and cats Kat, Mushu and Matcha. Connolly is a contractor, and Ross is a wholesale insurance broker.
Location: Atlanta's West End neighborhood
Size: 1,500 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths
Year built/bought: 1921/2017
Renovations: Complete renovation down to the studs in 2017
Project consultants: Designs and material sourcing by Eric Connolly; builder was Sequoia Design Inc.; counters by John Davis of Saint Davis Builders; beds and metalwork by Magdalena O'Connor of Desire Line Studios.
Architectural style: Bungalow
Favorite architectural elements: Reclaimed and salvaged elements, including the fireplace brick, kitchen cabinets, farm beams on the ceiling and cabinets in the master bedroom.
Interior design styles: Industrial
Favorite interior design elements: Sliding steel and glass panel doors that separate the master bedroom from the master bath and closet and the floating bed in the master bedroom, both made by Magdalena O'Connor of Desire Line Studios
Favorite outdoor feature: Joined backyards and backyard garden space
Resources: Building materials from ReStore, Lifecycle Building Center, Floor & Decor, Craigslist and Monessen. Furniture and decor from RH, Crate & Barrel, Amazon.com, ReStore, Facebook Marketplace, Lifecycle Building Center, Craigslist, IKEA, Madewell Inc. and eBay.
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