Special Addition

In many ways, the cozy, century-old Craftsman cottage, nestled in a lovely, historic neigh­borhood in Fairhope, Alabama, was perfect for Jackie and Dennis Frodsham. The 1,800-square-foot house, built in 1908, had a view of Mobile Bay and a park directly across the street. That made it easier for the Frodshams to overlook the dreary asbestos-shingled exterior and obsolete kitchen and baths. They paid $380,000 for the house and figured that the cost of a new great room/kitchen addition wouldn't be astro­nomical, especially since they were going to do much of the work themselves and reuse a lot of the vintage materials from the house.