Home of the Week: Accessible but charming Flat Rock cottage

A minor renovation project on a Flat Rock cottage took a major turn after a tragic accident that required the home to become more accessible. With a lot of thought and planning, major structural changes to the house resulted in a design that could benefit any family. 

Roger and Priscilla Cawthorn had rented in Highland Lake Village for two years when they fell in love with a cottage surrounded by a white picket fence. Built in 2002, the home needed some upkeep and plans were in the works to do some renovations. They had owned the home only a short time when their youngest son, Madison, then 18, was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

The accident required major changes to the house that would allow their son easy access and freedom of movement. But the couple did not want to dampen the appeal of the home with ramps or interior changes that would take away from the warm and cozy cottage feel.

Working with Carolina Heritage Builders owner Bill Miller, of Waynesville, who attends church with them, they came up with an aesthetically pleasing design that met their son’s needs while maintaining the home’s charm.

“Madison and Bill’s daughter have been friends for years and he offered to step in and help with all the renovations and worked tirelessly until they were all done,” Priscilla said.

The renovation included adding a new heating and air system and new gas piping throughout, switching Madison’s bedroom from an upstairs loft to what had been the master bedroom downstairs and converting the garage into a bedroom for older brother Zachary, who returned from college to help during Madison’s recovery. A full bathroom was added downstairs, making for a three bedroom, three bath home.

A claw bathtub was moved to the redesigned upstairs master suite that has cultured marble tile and double sinks. A roll-in shower was placed in Madison’s new accessible space. To make it easy for him to gain entry to the home, a back deck was configured on ground level with a three-bay back driveway to allow him to move from the car and enter directly to his bedroom. No ramps were necessary and a window was taken out and replaced with a private entrance door.

A hallway from the kitchen was closed off, and Carolina Closets designed a closet space with a pull-down clothes rack within an area opened up under the staircase. Automatic lights and a platform bed with low storage were also added.

“He was in the hospital for months, so I had plenty of time to plan,” Priscilla said. “I knew exactly what he needed and the hospital needed to know he had an accessible living space.”

Engineered hardwood laid in a parallel design replaced flooring so there are no thresholds throughout the downstairs. Bathrooms and laundry room have tiled floors.

A spacious open floor plan combines living room, dining area and kitchen. A wood-burning fireplace with gas starter warms that area, which has a large wooden dining table specially selected to provide the height and depth to accommodate a wheelchair. White plantation shutters cover the windows looking out to a covered front porch.

On the other side of the room, the couple purchased a couch with a popup from underneath that allowed their son to lie down easily when he needed to. On the wall is a standup Scrabble board that makes it easy for Madison to enjoy the game with the family.

“The nice thing about this space,” Priscilla said, “is that we can switch the dining table with the couch during cold months so we can enjoy sitting closer to the fire in the evenings. This is a great space. You can entertain here.”

Bargain hunting pays off

Expanding the house from about 1,650 square feet to 2,266 square feet, the Cawthorns added a TV room onto the front of the house leading out from the living room. Roger calls that “an escape room.” There, they placed a projection screen TV and another popup couch. The ceiling of this room is green, which is Priscilla’s “happiest color.”

“We added pocket doors to provide plenty of space and so doors did not inhibit entry and exit,” Priscilla said. Also, providing entry and exit from the TV room are sliding glass doors to a cozy covered porch on front of the home with privacy lattice along one side and flower boxes on the railings. Comfortable furniture allows space for relaxing outdoors.

The kitchen is a charming farm-style space that is a favorite of Priscilla’s, who loves to cook. Online finds provided an AGA European cast iron stove with four ovens that remain at different temperatures for cooking and warming. Operated with a natural gas pilot light, the stove is on and ready when needed. A raised dishwasher allows loading without bending down as far and a shallow copper farm sink has a pullout faucet. These touches to allow Madison access but also benefit individuals of all ages.

Adept at finding great buys, the couple purchased an office display cabinet unit to refurbish and repurposed it as kitchen cabinets. Shelves were made of reclaimed barn wood. Subzero refrigerator and freezer found on Craig’s list from a vacation home in the area are hidden behind doors and an accessible laundry room makes it easy for doing chores.

Windows that had to be moved were reused in other areas. The outside of the cottage is barn red hardy plank. There are garden boxes and a “postage stamp” lawn with brick walkways that Zachary built.

Moving on

Madison, now 23, is out on his own and the Cawthorns have decided to sell the cottage. The renovations, they said, could benefit anyone, not just those with disabilities.

“I think it is more the type of design that all houses could benefit from these days because it helps everyone of all ages. Then, if someone had a health issue, they wouldn’t have to renovate,” Priscilla said.

In this house, too, are some added blessings. Inside the walls primarily over light switches are several Bibles placed during renovations and notes from individuals who worked on the house during the renovations. Scriptures add decorative touches throughout the home. In the renovated upstairs shower, Psalms 30:5, “Joy comes in the morning,” is on the shower wall greeting Roger and Priscilla each morning, reminding them of their journey and how God has blessed them, she said.

“He was in ICU five weeks dying,” Priscilla said of her son. “He would always say ‘What time is it?’ He thought if he could make it to daylight, he would live another day and that is where we adopted that verse.

Our family motto is, ‘It’s a wonderful life and it still is-it’s just hard sometimes.”

Reach freelance writer Angela Nicholas at aknicholas28@gmail.com.

Nominate a home

To nominate your house or that of a friend for Home of the Week, contact Bruce Steele at bsteele@citizen-times.com. Include your telephone number and a telephone number for the homeowner, if not you.