Raising the Bar

See how this historic home retained its original charm while conforming to new city codes.

- JICKIE TORRES

“It was a real diamond in the rough, but it looked like the earth was about to swallow the property,” says Jeff Mathis of the original state of this circa 1830s cottage on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. “Trees were growing in the house, rodents large and small were all in there.” His company and architect Beau Clowney were tasked with truly resurrecting the cottage from the dead.

“Our first objective was to get it so workers could walk into it safely,” Jeff recalls. The owners were two families—one of whom had already had a great experience working with Jeff’s team. The old house was intended to become a shared vacation home for the two couples with a total of seven children.