In their pursuit of owning a historic home in Edenton, North Carolina’s renowned Cotton Mill Village, Renee and Charles Bullock fulfilled their dream in 2017 with the purchase of a foreclosure. The 1,500-square-foot cottage, originally a duplex built in 1916 for textile plant workers, required extensive restoration. Over the course of two years, Renee, a quality auditor, and Charles, an electrical project supervisor, dedicated weekends to transform the property, navigating strict budgets, covenant restrictions, and a modest footprint.
The exterior, with its two front doors indicating its duplex history, presented significant potential but required considerable effort. The Bullocks focused on making the front of the house structurally sound while preserving its old-school charm. Key improvements included replacing rotten decking with 3-inch tongue-and-groove boards, matching chamfered-edge posts to the neighborhood’s aesthetic, and incorporating antique doors and properly risered steps. Additional enhancements involved replacing the front walk, coating the aluminum roof, and enhancing the landscape.
The kitchen, initially dark and dated, underwent a remarkable transformation. Renee and Charles creatively addressed storage challenges by replacing all lower cabinets with a similar style of stock cabinets from Lowe’s. Adding custom touches like trim at the bottom, crown molding at the top, and various styles of hardware gave the cabinets a unique and upscale appearance. The couple also replaced countertops using a marble-look laminate from Lowe’s, complemented by an ogee edge. Notably, they found a $300 quartz remnant for the island at a local stone supplier, carefully selecting the piece based on exact dimensions and cabinet paint samples. The entire kitchen countertop makeover was achieved for less than $1,000, showcasing the Bullocks’ resourcefulness and commitment to revitalizing their vacation home.
