STORY BY LEE RENNICK | CURRENT PHOTOS BY ERIN KOSKO AND THOMAS MEADOW |
BEFORE PHOTOS BY RED REALTY
Brent and Ann Long’s home is a kind of miracle Especially in the current building environment. Being asked if their home could be photographed for VIP Magazine inspired them to have some pretty extensive remodeling done in 45 days. Something they had been wanting to do for some time, following through with their plans has made them both decide that maybe they have found their forever home.
“We sold our last two homes because someone wanted to buy them,” said Brent Long, a local Realtor with Compass. “Ann and I don’t really hold on to things, but I think we’ll be in this house for a long time.”
FIRST CHANGES MADE AFTER LONGS MOVED IN
“I had a friend look at it first who was interested in purchasing the home,” said Brent. “He asked me to come with him. “I never noticed the exterior when driving along Riverview Drive, but once we stepped inside and I saw the 10-foot ceilings, I was interested. I told my friend that if he didn’t want it, I’m going to get the house. He didn’t want it. Ann and I came to look at it two more times before putting in an offer.”
The day they came to make an offer, the owner was there. They had brought their children and she saw them. Her husband had passed away, and her children were grown, but it was the house where they had raised them. It had become too much for her to take care of alone.
“There were other offers, but we wrote a letter about how we wanted to raise our kids here like she raised hers,” Brent explained. “She took our offer. She has since come back to see what we have done with it. We also sent her a copy of the floor plans of our most recent changes before we made them. She loved the changes.”
Built in 1989, the original owner added a hallway in 2014 with windows looking out over the backyard and leading to a massive main suite. Off the bedroom is a bathroom with a stand-alone tub and marble walk in shower. The new main suite was another draw to the house for the Longs. And, then there was the desire to have a home overlooking the golf course.
“I saw the sun coming through the windows and shine on the golf course and yard the first time we came here,” added Brent. “It was so special.”
The Long family moved into the home in October 2021. They immediately added the outdoor pavilion and kitchen, along with the outdoor dining area. Other initial changes included new countertops from EuroStone in the kitchen, the front porch and the installation of 60 canister lights.
MET THROUGH FRIENDS
While Brent is from Carthage, Tennessee, Ann is originally from Texas. They met through friends when she was living in Dallas and he was playing golf professionally, thus the desire to live on the Stone River Country Club golf course.
“I played golf in college and then as a pro for seven years,” explained Brent. “I was living in Bowling Green, but I moved to Dallas after meeting Ann.”
The came to Tennessee when they were first engaged, and once they became pregnant with their first child, Lux, Brent then decided to change professions to real estate so he could be home more. “I called Bob Parks to ask him to lunch to talk about my future,” said Brent. “He thought I’d be good at sales and he asked me to join his office. I worked for Parks Real Estate for a year and a half, five and a half years with John Jones and I have been at Compass for three years.” Brent is also thankful for the mentorship and help from other professionals who helped him get where he is today, including John Jones, Ben Blake, John Floyd and Dan Frantz.
It was with the help of friends in the construction industry that Brent and Ann were able to do their most recent 45-day gut and rebuild.
“We took the upstairs down to the studs,” said Ann.
“Our girls slept in beds all together in the bonus room,” added Brent. “At first it was like a big sleep over. They would giggle and play. Then, about 15 days before we were done, they said they were ready for their own rooms.”
THE 45-DAY REMODEL
The second floor of the Long home has been turned into a young girl’s dream. Ann and Brent asked their daughters what colors they wanted for their rooms and pink was the overwhelming choice. Their designer suggested it be the focus color for the whole level, so the entire second floor is an ode to Barbie’s favorite hue. Lux got to have a unique chandelier added to her pink room. Maxwell, their second daughter, wanted to add a dash of gold to her room. Five-year-old twins Draper and Prescott wanted to add some blue to their rooms.
“Maxwell’s bed was my bed when I was a little girl,” said Ann, “and the twins’ beds used to belong to my niece.”
Lux’s room was the original main bedroom, and her sister Maxwell’s room was the main bathroom. That was all torn out and replaced with two bedrooms and a jack and jill bathroom. Their sisters also have a jack and jill bath between their bedrooms at the opposite side of the house.
Everyone’s favorite addition to the second floor is the laundry room. For Brent and Ann, it means keeping the kid’s clothes out of their bedroom. For the girls, it means that all they have to do is take dirty things down the hall.
“I bought the laundry room wallpaper in 2018, long before we even bought this house,” said Ann. “I knew I would use it somewhere. It is called Nashville Toile by Katie Kime. She’s an Austin, Texas, designer of home décor. The wallpaper is pink with drawings of the Bell South Building, Loveless Café, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Johnny and June Cash.”
Kime also creates wall art. In the laundry room there are two prints she created that are an ode to Ann’s time as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. One is of a pair of cowboy boots and the other is a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
“I started dancing when I was little,” said Ann. “I sat in the corner every day for a year of classes, and then one day I just got up and started dancing and never stopped. . . she even danced through her collegiate experience at University of North Texas.
Now, Lux is following in her mother’s footsteps. She is in her first year of competitive dance, and according to her proud mom, she’s a natural. Maxwell, their second oldest is into basketball, but Dad is sure that one of the twins is sure to be a golfer when they get older.
One thing they wanted to make sure of with their remodel was to make their home a comfortable place for their kids. Someplace they could call home and bring their friends.
KEEPING CHARACTER, UPDATING STYLE
Wanting to keep the character of the 1980s house, the couple went out of their way get the trims and other detail they needed. When some dentil molding was damaged when they were adding some arches to match those in the front part of the house, Brent went to four or five lumber yards until he was able to find the proper style.
Downstairs they mainly painted and added wallpaper. They got help from interior designer Jamie Watford. She was able to help them find black grass cloth wallpaper from Wallpaper + Designer Home Consignment in Brentwood to update the formal dining room and the kitchen dining area. She added the black paint in the family room to make the original built-in bookcase pop. The main bedroom received a coat of paint. Plus, Watford styled much of the home to make it elevated, cozy and inviting.
“We used high and low pieces,” said Brent, “What we call the ‘Martini Room’ is built around a green velvet tuxedo couch that we found on Facebook Marketplace. Ann chose the dusty rose paint to give the room a moody feel. Designer Stacey Holton added the black leather and chrome mid-century chairs. It formerly had a baby grand piano in it.”
The Longs totally redid the front entry staircase – taking out a wall at the top, replacing the spindles, removing a runner and taking a squeak out of one of the steps. The squeak gave the girls a warning when one of their parents tried to sneak upstairs when they knew the girls were sneaking snacks or using an iPad after bedtime. No more.
Along the wall of the staircase are photos of the girls that were taken by Wendy Hardin, a photographer from Brent’s hometown.
IT TOOK A VILLAGE
The 45-day flip is primarily thanks to Don Follis, a friend who is a framer. Follis did all of the demolition and reframing. The rest of the work was pieced out. Dan France did the concrete work, Dwayne Eubanks did electrical and Ambrocio Ruiz did the painting.
The exterior house color is Wind’s Breath from Benjamin Moore, which is the color used on the exterior of the Stock and Trade store in Brentwood.
“I called the store and asked them the name of the color,” said Ann. “They gave it to me and said I was not the first one to call. It is a popular exterior paint color.”
The lumber came from Haynes Brothers, much of the lighting and hardware came from Ferguson’s and tile and flooring materials came from City Tile.
Furniture and art came from JJ Ashley, Gram’s in Brentwood, The Peddler and Home Goods.
“It took a whole community of people who helped us get to where we are,” said Brent. “We feel blessed.”