When Bradley Cruickshank and his family first saw their Ansley Park home in 1996, they knew they had to have it. “The location was perfect,” Cruickshank explains. “It was situated on the third fairway of the Ansley Golf Course and we loved it.” And it was definitely the prime location that the family was sold on. They’d already lived in Ansley Park for about 12 years and wanted to stay in the neighborhood.

While the home’s location was ideal, the structure itself was not. Much of it—including the kitchen and baths—had never been renovated since the home was built in1921; and there wasn’t even a central air conditioning system. But most importantly, the home lacked an informal family room and extra space for watching TV, entertaining and relaxing with the children.
But none of those things deterred Cruickshank. On the contrary, in fact—the work intrigued him even more. He is, after all, owner of Cruickshank Inc., an award-winning design and construction firm in Atlanta, and a National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Certified Remodeler.

“Being a remodeling contractor, I’ve always bought houses that needed improvement,” he says. “I like to do the work myself because it enriches my experience in the house.” So they decided to purchase the home with plans to eventually build on a large addition.

Because the project was so extensive, the work was completed in two phases. The majority of the first phase, which included a modern electrical system, a central air conditioning system, new kitchen and baths, upgraded insulation, and major landscaping and grading, was completed before the family moved in. On the other hand, the build out of the new addition was a bit more challenging.

“We completed as much of the addition as we could until the money ran out,” Cruickshank explains. “Then we had to work on it as the money became available.” After four years of intermittent work, the project was completed and well worth the wait.

The addition, which consists of nearly 1,400 square feet of new living space, includes a comfortable family room with oak paneling, and a new bath, office and garage with a second-story pool/game room.

One of the best aspects of completing his own work, Cruickshank says, was being able to customize rooms exactly how he wanted them. The family room, for instance, has custom oak wainscot and exposed ceiling beams that Cruickshank says are some of his favorite aspects to the project. Rooster cutouts running along the stairs to the game room were designed to incorporate into the room’s decor theme.

The room’s Mexican Saltillo tiles were actually hand colored by Cruickshank’s wife and daughters. “We wanted a brick look but couldn’t find exactly what we wanted,” he explains. “My wife is good with colors and mixed a stain that would give the tiles the appearance of brick. It was very labor intensive, but it looks great now.”

Cruickshank was also able to add a second story over the new garage to have his own pool/game room. The room also features custom oak wainscot, exposed ceiling beams—with hemp rope detailing—and two small sleeping closets. “I designed the closets with my hunting buddies in mind, but my daughters sometimes use them when they have sleepovers,” he says. “My sister also uses them because they are very private.”

They also incorporated several pieces found on the property into the new addition. A stone slab found in the backyard is now the top for his wife’s built-in desk, while two beveled-glass windows found in the home’s attic were also salvaged and installed in the two sleeping closets. Finally, three stone statues were incorporated into the new wall built in the backyard during the first phase of renovations.

While Cruickshank says there were definite pros to completing the addition himself, there were also some drawbacks. “The danger [to completing the work yourself] is you might not take it seriously enough, and it can end up lasting much longer than you’d prefer it to.”

But his four-year wait was well worth it. “The new space gives us the rooms we feel most comfortable in.” Cruickshank says. “We love the formal original part of the house, but this gives us a casual living area.”

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