Remodelers expect to work around limitations and overcome challenges; it’s all part of the job.

When the owner of a 1,000-sq.ft. Texas cottage decided to upgrade the 1928 structure, one of the immediate challenges for CG&S Design-Build of Clarksville was an incomplete set of plans drawn by another architect. As the project got underway, both the plans and the budget evolved — another challenge ordinarily dreaded by remodelers but one that CG&S coped with successfully.

The project originally had a budget of $80,000, says project manager Jay Schaefer, an amount that grew to $143,270 by the job’s completion. A large amount of that difference was accounted for by a radical change in design for the kitchen. The initial plan was to open up the space by removing a peninsula separating the kitchen from the dining room, but during the framing stage the owner decided instead to completely gut and renovate the kitchen.

Originally a guest house on a much larger property, the cottage had its charm, but space was limited — a frequently heard remodeling lament. Adding a large addition was out of the question for several reasons. First, a large addition wouldn’t have fit on the small lot. Further, it would have been entirely out of scale and character — and preserving the character of the dwelling was a high priority for the homeowner.

A small addition, however, was exactly what the house needed. A 206-sq.-ft. extension adjacent to the small existing kitchen and dining area makes the design work. That addition now accommodates a utility room for the washer and dryer that previously took up space in the old kitchen. The utility room features a laminate countertop over the stainless steel washer and dryer as well as pantry and storage cabinets.

CG&S, working with a cabinet maker, designed and built all new custom kitchen cabinets. The new kitchen features an apron sink, a red glass tile backsplash, and stainless steel appliances. To give the small space a sense of space and transparency, the upper cabinet doors were outfitted with patterned glass fronts.

A sitting room, complete with fireplace and entertainment center, and a guest bathroom also occupy the new space, which connects to the side yard through French doors. The new guest bath features a slate floor, a red vessel sink, and onyx countertop, and a walk-in shower with slate walls and a polished river rock floor.