Revised to fit the lot, the garage on the altered version faces the front of the home. Brick covers nearly the whole exterior (Jenkins notes the material’s popularity in Nashville, which he says is due to its low-maintenance appeal for resale). Decorative trusses are a detail that feels current.Photo courtesy of Frank Batson Homes.
The new version of the home, adapted for the builder, includes a variety of options for the buyer.Photo courtesy of Frank Batson Homes.
Todd Jenkins, vice president of Frank Betz Associates’ custom division, already had a close working relationship with Batson. So they collaborated on the kinds of changes that would bring the layout into the present. For purposes of fitting the lot, the garage was turned around to face the front. The powder bath got moved from the foyer to the newly expanded and well-organized mud room entrance (a more private location, and a better spot for young children to make a final potty run before leaving the house), and the laundry room was shifted away from heavy traffic. And in what was probably the splashiest change, the kitchen peninsula was upgraded into a spacious island with seating, ideal for meals on the go.
Kitchens are more important than ever. Here, the plan’s smaller corner bar has been transformed into this spacious island.Photo courtesy of Frank Batson Homes.
Courtesy of Frank Batson Homes
No need to go through the laundry room when entering from the garage: it’s been moved to the side, making way for a spacious mud room that offers outstanding organization for coats, backpacks, and such.
Other modified elements allow for greater customization.
Buyers get to choose an open deck or a covered porch downstairs, an optional
fourth bedroom upstairs (sitting over the family room in place of a vaulted
ceiling, this seems a more efficient and modern use of space), and how to
utilize the expanded bonus space over the garage. Even the dining room opens up
possibilities, staged as an office in the model.
“Many homeowners feel that traditional formal dining rooms could better meet their needs if they were a more flexible space, such as a home office. In our model home, we chose to stage the office option” says Batson.Photo courtesy of Frank Batson Homes.
