Fabulous and functional: Foxland Hall redo

New Hardie board siding and shutters combined with new dormers, a gabled front porch, a new roof and gutters gives the home an updated yet traditional look.

Renovation transforms returning family's home
By AMY STUMPFL
For Brentwood Home Page
When Philip and Vera Hutcheson bought their home in Foxland Hall in 2002, it marked a bit of a homecoming. Philip – the athletic director for Lipscomb University – had grown up in the west Brentwood neighborhood, and his parents still live on Foxland Drive.

Above, the Hutchesons' new kitchen was reconfigured to raise the ceiling, add an oversized island and a huge new window. At left, the mudroom lockers are one of the family's favorite improvements.

Above, the former great room is now a spacious breakfast room, which leads easily to the new vaulted den. At left, the expanded master suite includes a soaking tub and separate shower.

“We loved this area and had been keeping an eye out for listings for quite a while,” Vera says. “So when this house came on the market, it just seemed perfect, and we were anxious to make the move.”

Philip agrees, noting that the 1975 ranch-and-a-half had “good bones, and a lot of potential.” He also liked the idea of raising their three children – Hank 10, Sam 13, and Hannah 15 – so close to family.

“I had such good memories of growing up in this neighborhood, and it’s been really nice having my parents just two houses up from us,” he says. “Plus it’s just a great location – close to school, church, everything we need.”

Still, something was missing. While the Hutchesons had made a few cosmetic changes when they first moved in, they knew it was going to take more than a coat of paint to make this house a real home.

“The rooms were just so small and choppy,” Vera recalls. “There wasn’t much light, and when we had people over it always felt so cramped. We kept putting it off until we finally said: ‘What are we waiting for? This is our home – let’s make it ours.’”

The Hutchesons enlisted the help of longtime friends, Kelvin and Tyler Pennington, who own KP Properties Inc., in Brentwood. In September 2010, the family embarked on an eight-month renovation project that included everything from the addition of a vaulted den and an expanded master suite to a complete overhaul of the home’s exterior. Upstairs, they renovated the bonus room and transformed unfinished attic space into a charming new bedroom and bath for daughter Hannah.

“We really took everything apart and completely reworked the space inside to open things up,” Tyler Pennington says. “Outside, we tore off the old blue vertical siding from the wings and replaced it with new Hardie board siding and shutters. We added a front porch with gable, knocked out a couple of dormers, added a huge covered patio, a new roof, gutters – you name it.”

The result is an updated, yet traditional look that blends nicely with the rest of this well-established neighborhood. Inside, however, the home is hardly recognizable.

“The difference is just amazing,” Vera says. “We only added about 600 square feet, but everything feels so much bigger – and definitely more functional.”

She points to the new laundry area as an example.

“We had this boxy little room that was originally supposed to be the dining room, but it was so small we couldn’t fit our furniture, so we had made it a formal living room. But it was really just unused space – we never went in there. So we converted it to a big laundry room and butler’s pantry. The laundry room was high on my list, but Kelvin came up with the butler’s pantry idea, which I just love. We have our microwave there, counter and cabinet space, plenty of storage – we use it all the time.”

The kitchen also received a much-needed facelift. The Penningtons reconfigured the space, removing soffits and making the ceiling higher. They added an oversized island with bar seating and knocked out a huge window, which overlooks the new patio. The former great room is now a spacious breakfast room, which leads easily to the new vaulted den.

“Three days before Christmas, they started tearing down the back wall to add the den,” she says. “It was definitely scary for me, and we went without a kitchen for about eight weeks. But it was well worth it. We can have the whole family over now, our kids can have parties for their sports teams or youth group – it’s just wonderful.”

Beyond the new kitchen and den, Vera’s favorite addition may just be the set of custom “lockers” for the kids – complete with shelves, drawers and even an electrical outlet for charging cell phones.

“Before, the kids came in from the garage and just started dumping their backpacks and sports equipment everywhere. I showed [the Penningtons] a picture, and they were able to put this beautiful mud room together where my old pantry was. It’s exactly what I needed, and they made it a reality.”

Philip, who has known Kelvin since college and actually coached Tyler’s 5th grade basketball team, was not surprised.

“They know this business so well, and with their experience they bring a lot of great ideas to the table,” he says. “They have a strong group of subcontractors, so it’s a good team. But most all, there’s just a level of trust there that I think is really important for this kind of project.”

For Vera, the Penningtons offered unique – yet complementary – strengths.

“Kelvin is good at seeing the big picture and could visualize things that we simply couldn’t,” she says. “And Tyler is great with the details – right down to the fixtures and finishes in the kitchen and bathroom. They’re both wonderful to work with, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. This is the home that we always wanted.”