Barbara and Pat Coyle sit inside their ranch-style home which they have remodeled with the help of Marsha Yessick of Yessick's Design Center in Chattanooga.Pat and Barbara Coyle purchased their brick, 1,900-square-foot, ranch-style home in 1978 when his new job with M&M Mars relocated them from Richmond, Va., to Cleveland, Tenn.
"We thought we would build the home we wanted, and this one would be a stop-gap," said Mrs. Coyle.
Thirty-two years later, the couple haven't moved, but they've remodeled that rancher into the dream home they'd planned.
"My philosophy is take what you have and make the best of it, and we made the decision not to move a number of years ago," said Mrs. Coyle.
"When you put a lot of love and care and concern into a home, it's hard to walk away from it. We could have moved or bought a larger home, but in retrospect we raised a family here, and our children consider this their home."
The Coyles aren't alone in choosing remodeling over moving.
According to the Home Improvement Research Institute, the 2010 home-improvements market increased 3.8 percent over the 0.7 increase that was predicted, resulting in $266 billion in sales last year.
Over the next four years, the institute forecasts an average annual growth rate in home-remodeling projects at 5.6 percent, "when the total market is expected to reach a level of $341 billion by the year 2015."
What makes the Coyles remodeling unique is the way in which they worked with Marsha Yessick of Yessick's Design Center in Chattanooga. The interior designer helped them source materials for their project, but Mr. Coyle did all the labor.
COYLE REMODELING PROJECTS• New beadboard ceilings in the living room, breakfast nook and kitchen• New kitchen backsplash and wallpaper• New light fixtures• New crown molding• All baseboards replaced• New living room windows, which completes replacement windows throughout the home.• Virginia cherry, tongue-and-groove flooring laid throughout• Painted living room• Wallpapered hallway• New window treatments• Built shelving, cabinets for den• Reupholstered living room furniture
Mr. Coyle, an electrical engineer who retired from M&M Mars after 25 years as senior design engineer, said he learned how to work with his hands from the best: his dad. "My father was a blacksmith. I picked up my talents from him. He could make anything he wanted.
"I was an electrical engineer, but I could have been a mechanical engineer just as easily. I enjoy doing this," said Mr. Coyle, who has volunteered to remodel office suites for his church and do odd jobs for people in need.
"I'm the dreamer; he's the doer," said Mrs. Coyle, laughing.
"I like color; I like my home to be a happy place. I love to entertain, and I wanted to create a welcoming area for that. Marsha was great to advise us. She was the one who suggested we carry the beadboard ceiling from the kitchen to the living area," said Mrs. Coyle.
"Marsha worked with what I had accumulated over the years. I like my things, and she knows what I like, so she helped us repurpose things," she said.
"A lot of times we are just advisers," said Yessick of an interior designer's role. "In this case, he was his own contractor. We don't have to do all the labor or contracting of products. We will source and advise customers," she said.
Three years ago, Mr. Coyle built a screened porch on the back of the home. That addition was the launching point for an extensive renovation that began in January 2010.
The Coyles have remodeled their kitchen so it flows into an adjoining breakfast nook and the screened porch, creating the desired entertainment area.
They flipped the use of their dining and living rooms. The former den's fireplace now adds warmth to an elegant formal dining area; the new living area is more spacious.
The Coyles have two bedrooms to finish and then will have totally updated their 32-year-old home.
They estimate they spent $30,000 in their renovation.
"Financially, remodeling allowed us to use those resources that we might have put into another home to help others and give to our church, First Baptist of Cleveland," said Mrs. Coyle.
