Growing Pains
A Family’s 1950s Home Renovation Turns a 2/1 into a 3/2
Words by Jess Hagemann Photos by Leonid Furmansky
“That’s why it’s so drafty in here!” homeowner Tiffany Puett remembers exclaiming upon making an unexpected discovery in the middle of her family’s 2015 renovation.
Tiffany, her husband Jeff Winesett, and their two young kids were in the process of replacing the siding on their 1950s-era Cherrywood home when Tiffany realized there wasn’t a lick of insulation in any of the exterior walls. “We found a thin piece of what looked like felt, laid directly against the drywall,” she describes. “You could the see the nails from the photos on the walls coming through it—and that was it.”
Tiffany and Jeff are just the second family to own the house in almost 70 years. After the original homeowners built the place, they passed it on to their grandson—who sold it to Tiffany in 2010. At that point, only the bathroom and the kitchen had undergone some “minor” renovations, perhaps ten years before. It still had window A/C units and a big wall furnace, and its just two bedroom, one bathroom, made for cramped quarters for this growing family of four. Thus, when the Puett-Winesetts set about updating the home’s exterior (finally adding insulation and a Tyvek moisture barrier!) they also added on a new master bedroom in the footprint of the old one-car garage, complete with mudroom, home office, and a second bathroom.
“We were looking for a fixer-upper,” says Tiffany. “We wanted this neighborhood, and 3-2s were hard to find, so we went with something under budget that we could renovate.” A few unmissable details still hearken back to the home’s heritage: lots of built-in cabinets and shelves, the original hardwood floors, and a fabulous blue vintage stove. Mid-century modern furniture still seasons the front sitting room, too, though it’s brought firmly into the 21st century by a wide array of contemporary art pieces and bold interior paint colors.
Pointing to framed paintings of fruit and flowers adorning many of the rooms, Tiffany explains: “My grandmother painted these. They mostly have sentimental value.” A family friend produced some of the prints; others came from Austin’s ubiquitous art fairs; the rest—like a floor-length Chinese silk scroll—the couple collected during their frequent moves and travels. The art is expertly set off by bright accent walls (some rooms have as many as three paint colors), geometrically-patterned curtains, and funky porcelain tiles sourced from Architerra.
Tiffany’s favorite design detail, however, has nothing to do with the house itself. It’s the view of a magnolia tree in full bloom outside the living room window that grounds Tiffany and Jeff (who hail from Oklahoma) and makes them feel like Austin is home. They love Cherrywood’s central location, proximity to Patterson Park, Maplewood Elementary, Mueller amenities, and the “neighborliness” of the community. When they’re not out walking their Australian cattle dog, the Puett-Winesetts can usually be found relaxing in the recently hardscaped backyard, as the kids run around the wooden boardwalk and swing on the NinjaLine.
