By June Mathews
A one-of-a-kind home on a craggy point above the Black Warrior River near Tuscaloosa captured Best in Show honors for Taylor Burton Co. in the 2023 Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards. The aptly named “Watching the Warrior” remodel, which topped $500,000 upon completion, was the second Best in Show award for Taylor Burton.
A fourth-generation, family-owned business mainly serving Vestavia Hills, Hoover and Mountain Brook, Taylor Burton designs, builds and renovates homes. The Warrior remodel differed from the company’s typical project, not only in location but in other ways, too.
When the Taylor Burton team first laid eyes on what would ultimately become its 2023 award-winner, it had already failed to attract the interest of any remodelers in the Tuscaloosa area, and it didn’t look like a promising project for Taylor Burton, either.
The driving distance alone was a deterrent for an Over the Mountain remodeling crew accustomed to working closer to home, and the condition of the building was worlds away from what the homeowners dreamed it could be. So the preliminary site visit initially appeared to be a waste of time.
“When we first saw it, it didn’t look like a home,” project manager Zach Burton said. “It wasn’t functional, and it didn’t meet the needs of the owners. But after talking with them about some of their ideas and looking at the plans they’d had drawn up by an out-of-state designer, we saw the potential to make it into something great.”
What the owners had in mind, said Burton, was a modern home with somewhat of a commercial look and feel that at the same time was warm and welcoming. So the owners and remodeling team began to bounce some ideas back and forth, and the creative sparks began to fly.
“The owners were fun to work with because they had some really creative ideas, and they loved hearing our ideas,” Burton said. “The whole process took on a collaborative nature, which made it a really satisfying experience for everybody.”
Originally a commercial office building, the 1970s structure no doubt needed upgrading but while highlighting its existing assets and showcasing the spectacular views of the river. A strategic combination of stained sapele wood, black stone, stucco and wall-to-wall glass around the perimeter makes for a striking exterior appearance. A soaring 18-foot tall, 1,100-square-foot foyer addition provides a smooth transition into an existing area, creating a successful melding of the old with the new. An accent art wall serves as a focal point.
Another accent wall, this one in the dining room, features tropical island stone surrounded by white oak tambor cabinetry. The nearby 1970s-style kitchen was expanded and redone to include a bronze coated range hood, quartz countertops and a seamless hidden pantry.
One of the most dramatic features of the house is in the guest room, where two large openings provide an infinity view effect from either side of the main living area. To provide privacy when the guest room is in use, two 400-pound, handcrafted mahogany doors are mounted on a concealed roller system for ease of movement.
Overall, said Burton, what could have been a stark division between old and new became a comfortable blend of the two, as well as a “really cool space” for the homeowners.
“This is a project like we’ve never done before, and it’s something we’re really proud of,” he said. “The owners had put a lot of thought into what they wanted, and they made it fun. And, of course, the fact that they’re happy with it makes us happy, too.”
The Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards competition was founded by the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders Remodelers to bring recognition to Alabama’s remodeling professionals. To make it a truly statewide competition, the GBAHB turned the awards over to the Home Builders Association of Alabama Remodelers in 2008.
The AREA competition celebrates the best of remodeling craftsmanship, innovation and attention to detail and is open to remodeling industry professionals throughout the state.
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