Athens U-Turn

We call it the Athens U-turn because it changed direction, in a manner, from start to finish. Our client was a successful, young, single professional. He had wanted to live in this Athens community for some time when a rare opportunity arose; a corner lot with an atypical detached 2-car garage came available. He scooped it up and consulted with an excellent builder in the area. Through the builder, I was consulted for the design and we subsequently reviewed the property and his desires for it. Soon, he engaged us and we quickly began the field work to establish what we had to work with. No particular rush, right? Wrong. Evidently, the county had been debating some zoning changes that would seriously impact our options and the likelihood of getting a permit. It seems they had been in debate so long that people effectively forgot. Well, a decision was made and we had 48 hours to submit our design. What you see is what we developed in that short time. At least the design concept. That was enough as the criteria was extensive. A concept only works if you can base it on realistic structural options that will succeed in practice. Doing this usually takes a minute or two. The owner wanted a full 2nd story addition to this circa 1940 home with significant interior modifications to the remaining structure. The plan comparison provided explains the bulk of the changes, and they are noteworthy. The design was approved and built essentially as proposed. So, why “U-Turn”? Because after all that rapid response, hard work and effort; so many people admired the home during construction that he sold it for a tidy profit! Now we have to find another house. Who knew!?