Brookland Plantation (continued)

Extreme makeover

"The porch only extended to these two center doors. The side parts had rotted off so if you opened the French doors to either side and stepped out, you would fall to your death."

The "tower of the winds" and water leaf designs from the exterior columns are repeated inside in plaster on the pilasters of the archway joining the dining and living rooms.

"We went to Shirley Kratz in Mount Pleasant, a potter, sculptor and plasterer and asked her to copy the missing leaves for me. She did a fabulous job, and it's hard to tell which ones she made and which were original," says Chesnut.

The original plaster molding in the living-room ceiling was intact, but the dining-room ceiling needed work. The renovation re-created the look of the living-room ceiling by copying the plaster molding in wood and gluing it to the new ceiling at a fraction of the cost of plaster, according to Chesnut. Adding the molding to the dining-room ceiling was essential to restore balance to the rooms.

The furnishings are inviting and classic, yet offer concessions to modern desires. An entertainment center hides in a living-room armoire. Matching 150-year-old chandeliers from an old Austrian castle hang in the two rooms. The chandeliers had real candles that Chesnut had fitted for electricity.

Moving clockwise on the main floor into the master bedroom, Chesnut notes the views of the grounds from three sides. It originally had views from the front and side walls only.

"I said, 'This room doesn't work.' I cut this back wall out and put in these French doors. You have to be able to access the back porch and to have a view," Chesnut says.

The original bedroom windows offer views of the pond on the front and a circular garden to the side, visible through Spanish moss draping from an ancient oak just outside the bedroom. The new view from the French doors takes in Shingle Creek and the marsh.

The master bathroom is a sophisticated his-and-hers bathroom. Concrete countertops -- an inexpensive alternative to pricier options -- are raised to about waist high so that people don't have to stoop over. The new shower features brick to give it an old look and boat paint on the door for resilience in the humid environment. The cabinets, although new, have the look of old furniture. A door divides the bathroom to create the option of a guest bathroom, accessible from a wide furnished hallway along the back of the house .

An original stencil design on the wall of the mustard-yellow hallway was found in the scraping process. It was saved by marking the points with pins, then repainting it after renovation.

Stairs to the top floor lead up from the hallway. The two upstairs bedrooms come with their own bathrooms. The girls' room has white wrought-iron twin beds furnished in pale green, pink and white linens. The boys' bedroom has a an outdoorsman theme in rustic hunter green and tan.

Back on the main floor at the end of the hallway is the kitchen. The large space features a fireplace, concrete countertops, new cabinets and a period wallpaper reproduction. The refrigerator door matches the cabinets. A reproduction clock hangs over the stove, which has side-mounted drawers fitted out as spice racks.

In a sun-filled corner sits an old rocking chair, a barn warehouse find for which Chesnut paid $20.

"And these are $10 lamps with $50 shades that give them some kick," he says. "I like the clever usage of light and space."

The kitchen flows on to a spacious covered porch on the back of the house. A sky-blue ceiling and outdoor dining ensemble set the scene for relaxation.

The porch was not an original feature of the house.

"This house needed a porch so you could sit out here and eat and have drinks in the evening," says Chesnut.

Teak steps lead down from both sides of the porch to a simple back garden. Matching arbors with facing bench seats interrupt a low hedge. A fountain splashes in the center of the garden.

Chesnut points out that every room in the house has an exterior focal point: water features that soothe.

As for comfort, the renovation includes an efficient heating and cooling system that Chesnut says can either chill you out or burn you out.

Throughout the house the refinished floors have the look and feel of fine furniture.

"I wanted it to feel sophisticated but in good taste and comfortable. I hope I've achieved that.

Downstairs, the basement serves as the hangout for the younger set with a big TV and entertainment system, a shower room, laundry center and renovated kitchen. The kitchen still has the 1800s look with odds and ends from the past recovered from the property that are used as decorative items. The old cast-iron stove was found in the woods, re-blackened and returned to the kitchen. An old mantel was likewise restored and is used to display cowbells, horseshoes and doorknobs. Photos from the plantation's past line the walls.

The original concrete basement floor was routed into large squares and mottle-painted in earth tones. Grout was added to the grooves to create the look of tile. Out the back door and under the space created by the new back porch is the motor garage for the golf carts. Also stored there are the gas grill, irrigation system and firewood.

Farther out back, past the garden, is a wooden bench swing looking out over the creek.

From this location the symmetry of the back elevation of the house is obvious. The electronics built into the facade are not. A black band over an arched window is actually part of the DVD satellite system that transmits the signal relayed from a small dish tucked discreetly behind a tree 50 feet from the house.

Chesnut says Barber and Danielowski saw the property only once during the actual renovation and that was early on. They knew his work and trusted his instincts. A year later Chesnut greeted them with champagne on the front porch of a renovated, landscaped and furnished Brookland Plantation.

Brookland Plantation is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is back in better-than-original condition.

"The bottom line is, this is a unique property. We put a lot of money into it, more than the initial cost of the property," says Chesnut. Known for his many renovations, including one of the initial buildings in the revitalization of Georgetown's historic downtown, Chesnut is again looking to the future.

"And now we're wanting to sell it -- the price is set at $4.3 million -- so we can move on to another project. I am looking for the extreme makeover that I know I can make beautiful."