MITCHELL FLEX HOUSE
Renovation
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Architects: Heidi Hefferlin, Principal
Photography: Sarah Dorio and Harlan Hambright
Following a popular trend of retirees wanting to take advantage of the lucrative rental market, a couple wished to turn their 1920’s home into a space where they could age in place, but also maintain a short-term rental unit.
Located in the Entertainment District of Chattanooga’s Southside, the 3,245 SF house was originally built as a top-bottom duplex with two front doors, providing a natural plan for restoring the home to dual units. We began by adding an addition to the existing home. This involved expanding the westward-facing dining room, which had been nearly unusable due to afternoon sun. Because the homeowners enjoy the outdoors and wanted to take advantage of the views from the rear of the home, we added a semi-enclosed back porch with a fireplace. The new porch is truly an outdoor room and also serves as a barrier between the sun’s afternoon heat and the dining room. A metal screen was also installed to grow Carolina Jasmine for additional shade and privacy.
The next stage of the home’s renovation will be reworking the stairs to the upstairs unit and transforming that space into a highly desirable rental unit.
