When It All Began

My love for design and construction started when I was 10 years old. In 2000, my parents had decided we were going to move and they purchased an old shotgun double that was literally falling apart. The house was originally built in 1890 on the corner of Carrolton Avenue and Canal Street in New Orleans, LA. In 1956, it was moved to Phosphor Avenue in Metairie, LA.

Completely renovating and adding onto this home while keeping it’s history and original New Orleans flare was no easy task, especially when the construction crew was just family and friends instead of a contractor or construction company. The plan was to completely update the existing structure, add a guest bedroom and master suite to the right side of the house, and add a second story that contains a study, two bedrooms and a jack-and-jill bathroom. Before demolition began, the original doors and a few other elements were removed and put aside for the final project.

The project was started by gutting all of the existing structure and forming the foundation for the addition. The second story was framed and all the roofing was added. New sheathing and cement siding went up on the exterior.

In true New Orleans style, all windows and doors included transoms and the original front doors were used for the main entryway door and the door that goes from the master bedroom to the sunroom. Every room was painted a different color and other details were added to bring in these historical elements. Some of these elements include the claw tub in the master bath, grand archways in the living room, custom woodwork on the staircase and mantel, the fish scale shingles for accents on the front of both levels, and three custom gas lanterns that hung on the front porch.

My dad and his friends worked tirelessly on this house after work and on the weekends. It took 2 years to complete the entire renovation and addition. Unfortunately, I could not find great photos of the completed house with all the different color rooms. The photos below are of the house when it was listed for sale in 2018. All the walls were painted neutral for selling purposes.

Although it was completely renovated, the history of the house continues and there are even a few ghostly visitors from time to time.