TEAMWORK SAVES HISTORIC HOME IN HIAWASSEE

When Towns County native, Faron King, went looking for a location to place his real estate firm, he found that the historic home once owned by Isabel Denton Hall was available for purchase. The little house sat on a knoll in the middle of Hiawassee, Georgia. It had been vacant for some time and would present restoration challenges. So, Faron consulted with two companies he knew would give him good advice on how to proceed – Hallam Construction Services, Inc., and Homeworks Interior Design. After meeting with Rosie Hallam, President of the construction company, and Carolyn Brock of Homeworks, the project got under way.

The Isabel Denton Hall house was built circa 1925. Mrs. Hall had been a well-liked school teacher in the Towns County Elementary School System, and once the renovation of her former residence began, many Towns County natives would drop by to see what was happening. The house needed all new electrical wiring and a conversion from fuse box to breaker box. The plumbing, which had served a bathroom and a kitchen was in bad shape and included the fact that the water lines ran under the house where some piping almost touched the ground. The structure of the open front porch was rotted and had to be completely torn off and rebuilt. The original steps and railing going from ground to porch, however, were salvageable. Heating and air conditioning had to be installed, and some redesign was needed to make the home into a workable office space. The realtor, designer, and builder pulled together a plan to restore and upgrade. The original wood floors were stripped and refinished, the bathroom was completely torn out and converted to a half bath, with all plumbing pipes brought inside the space and hidden with wainscot and trim work. Wainscot was used throughout the bath and kitchen for both practical and historic integrity. The builder was able to save the metal kitchen cabinet sink base and installed a small water heater under the cabinet, and a new sink and faucet. The designer called for a wall between the front room and the next room to be opened up to accept a glass French door for separation of office and conference room space.

The restoration was worth it according to Realtor, Faron King of Georgia Carolina Premier Properties. The icing on the cake was when Mrs. Hall’s granddaughter stopped by and burst into tears seeing her grandmother’s house so pretty and all fixed up. A historic marker hangs under the Georgia Carolina Premier Properties Real Estate sign on Main Street in Hiawassee, and the team of realtor, builder, and designer continues to work together to serve customers who want custom homes or remodeling of existing residences.

By Liz Getz, V.P., Hallam Construction Services, Inc.