Owner-specific modifications:
Expanded main floor width by four feet
Turned dining room into library
Installed lights in plant shelves for display purposes
Substituted shower with seat for master bath's tub
Changed dual-sink vanity to single sink plus medicine cabinet
Built handicap-accessible commode
Added window seat to kitchen
When Kathryn Mullan saw the lot—ten acres of lush Georgia countryside nestled between a mass of ripe oak trees and the peaceful trickle of the Etowah River—she knew she had found the place. With her 12th grandchild on the way, Kathryn, a small-business owner, wanted more than just a residence—she wanted to create a family homestead. "I wanted a place that family could always go back to," says Kathryn. "I wanted a place where no matter where someone moved to, they could always call this home."
With the lot secure and her own home plan picked out, Kathryn began hunting for a second home plan, which would serve as a guest home for the property. Because she wanted the guest home to have a roofline that matched her main home, she considered having an architect draw the blueprints for her. After discovering the architect's fees, however, Kathryn opted for stock blueprints and found Plan B-87157 in a magazine published by Homeplans.com. "For a small home, [Plan B-87157] has the best floor plan I've ever seen," says Kathryn. "I found exactly what I wanted—and without the cost of an architect!"
With some of the money she saved by buying stock house plans, Kathryn made a few modifications to the plan. She added extra square feet and turned the dining room into a library. She also installed lights in the plant shelves. "I use them as display shelves," she says. "They are beautifully illuminated and out of the way of the children!"
Because Kathryn envisions the homestead staying in the family for years to come, she wanted the master bath to be more accessible to aging family members. Instead of a tub, she installed a shower with a seat. She also turned the dual-sink vanity into a single sink with a medicine cabinet, and built a handicap-accessible commode.
Kathryn maintains that her favorite addition, however, is the window seat that she added to the kitchen. "My grandchildren just love it," she says. "And my children will sit there forever and talk to me while I cook." They aren't the only ones who like the cozy comfort of the window seat, though. Kathryn herself has been known to take naps there!
Although the home was originally built as a guest home, Kathryn is living there with her father until she builds her own home. But she's quick to tell you there's no rush. "I'm on a five-year plan," she says. Until then, she's busy landscaping and building outdoor sitting areas to enjoy the nice Georgia weather.
Asked if she would recommend stock house plans to friends and family, the answer is a fervent Southern yes! "This home has the best flow as far as traffic through the house," says Kathryn. And that's important when your goal is to have as much of your family around as possible. "Last June we had 40 people here for a family reunion," Kathryn fondly remembers.
But you don't have to ask Kathryn if her family homestead is a success. Her grandchildren have nicknamed the place "Nana's River." Looks like the first memories are already starting to form.
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