Featured in Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live

This 1929 farmhouse is located near Pittsboro, North Carolina. A driveway encircles the home and the parking is in the rear, under the oak trees. The old house needed a major renovation for many reasons, but most importantly because the living spaces just didn't work well for the Grealeys' growing family.

As part of a whole-house renovation, the biggest change was to the kitchen and dining area. The old formal dining room was not very practical so the wall separating it from the kitchen was removed. The new kitchen, with its white shaker cabinets and butcher-block counter tops was larger and more spacious than the original. A new porcelain farmer's sink was nestled elegantly in the custom cabinets; white subway tiles were used for the backsplash that was furred out to accommodate a deep sill for family treasures. The height of the extended windowsill was designed to align with the top of the original range. It runs the length of the kitchen and becomes the shelf for the microwave which is hidden behind a false front cabinet. All of these details were orchestrated to work within the dimensions of the subway tiles.

There is a built-in booth and a workspace for Mary Beth in the new live-in kitchen. A place for the computer is nestled in the corner and file drawers are discreetly hidden below the benches of the booth.

Contractor: Ronald M. Webster Construction, Inc.