With its weather vane-topped cupola and shake shingle roof, this stone-accented cottage is the kind of fabled structure you might spy in the English countryside, caressed by a blanket of heather. Pan out, though, and you’ll glimpse the unmistakable sight of desert palm trees. And from late winter to early spring, when the wind blows just so, the faint scent of citrus laces the air—all telltale clues you’re in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood, which was developed as an orange grove in the early part of the 20th century.
Suzanne King grew up a few blocks from the house and knew it well: Its storybook garden gate and board-and-batten visage had beguiled generations of women in her family over the years. When her husband, Austin, a local custom builder, learned the property was coming to market, he toured it and sent her a video, half-jokingly proposing they buy the place. “I showed the video to my mom, and she said, ‘Your grandma always drove past that house because she loved it so much,’ ” Suzanne relays. Feeling the pull of fate, she emphatically said yes. “It was definitely one of those zero-to-60 moments,” Austin notes.
Safeguarding the 1951 rambler’s distinctive shell became the builder’s chief priority. “We do a lot of new construction, and so much of the neighborhood has become teardowns,” he observes. “It was important for us to preserve as much of the exterior character as we could, though it also needed a bit of a hug.”
Sensitive like-for-like changes were key to the abode’s rebirth. “We pulled a lot of inspiration from the old house while modernizing it and essentially redoing everything,” Austin says. To the untrained eye, alterations to the façade might appear minimal, but nearly every surface was deconstructed and built back better. The core of the dwelling was razed and rebuilt with new vaulted trusses to increase interior volume. On the exterior, fresh siding faithfully replicates what was there before, a new shake roof mimics the previous version, and all doors and windows were replaced, including the original leaded glass ones, which had become too delicate to stay. “We loved them, but sadly they were bowing,” he says. “It felt like if you sneezed, they might break.”
For the interior finishes, the couple hewed to a classic mix of white oak floors, nickel gap siding and custom wainscoting. “When you’re in the industry, people expect your home to be elevated,” Austin notes. “We wanted something that reflected us and would stand the test of time, not have a date stamp on it.” The large vaulted sitting room features its original rough-sawn paneling, which the couple painstakingly took down, preserved and reinstalled. In the same room, custom bookshelves with a library ladder, built by carpenter Randy Bitzer, showcase an array of family keepsakes.
While crisp white walls bring a calming, modern sensibility to the home, the use of moodier saturated hues channels a Cotswolds vibe befitting the cottage exterior. Inky marine paint swaddles the dining room and ties it to the walk-in pantry cabinetry. Shades of blue and sage also coat the wainscoting in the children’s bedrooms, which they had a hand in designing.
In the end, the family’s favorite spot might just be the built-in breakfast nook, where the kids love to watch the neighborhood bunnies, woodpeckers and quails frolic on the front lawn. Many homeowners might have been tempted to blow out the back of the house for a cavernous great room with an outsize cooking space, but Austin and Suzanne treasured the kitchen’s original location at the front of the residence. “One of the more unique features of Arcadia is that there’s a lot of front yard living,” she says. As such, Austin worked with landscape architect Russell Greey to create more spaces to congregate on the street-facing side, including a new patio, while amping up the curb appeal along the way: The front garden gate’s arch is now wrapped in a romantic swag of Pink Iceberg roses, making the setting even more idyllic.
The changes haven’t gone unnoticed. Several former owners have stopped by to admire the work and share their memories. Says Austin, “It’s pretty great when multiple people who’ve lived here prior go out of their way to tell you how much your house meant to them.”
