Loading the slideshow
The slideshow requires script be turned on to function.
Next up
Garden shed to backyard retreatA garden designer turned an old toolshed into an inspiring space.
How a dance hall became a houseSee how a 100-year-old building became a minimalist retreat.
Adobe reimagined in Santa FeHomeowner pumps $2 million into renovating small 80-year-old home.
Home office gets a promotionAn underused workstation becomes organized, functional and stylish.
Garden makeover: Before and afterThis East Hampton yard is transformed from plain to colorful.
Tahoe cabin makeoverThis rundown A-frame rental home gets an upgrade.
From rundown to livable in 6 monthsSee how this couple transformed a condemned house into a comfortable home.
Rooms go from basic to beautifulGet budget-friendly ideas to transform a room in your house.
360-degree farmhouse makeoverThis hodgepodge of a home gets a unified exterior look.
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
© Laurey W. Glenn/Southern Living
FIND YOUR DREAM HOME OR APARTMENT
must-see on msn
-
Modern Shakespeare in film
Tooltip Information:
Modern Shakespeare in filmVideo by:Description: Baz Lurhmann's 'Romeo + Juliet' ((C) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)Rating:Views:
-
What's new in Las Vegas
Tooltip Information:
What's new in Las VegasVideo by:Description: Welcome To Las Vegas ((C) Michael Phillips/E+/Getty Images)Rating:Views:
-
5 new ways to get fit this summer
Tooltip Information:
5 new ways to get fit this summerVideo by:Description: Couple paddling Sea Kayak ((C) Corbis)Rating:Views:
-
Bing Images: 2014 electric vehicles
Tooltip Information:
Bing Images: 2014 electric vehiclesVideo by:Description: 2013 Chevy Spark ((C) 2013 General Motors)Rating:Views:
When people hear the word "weed" they usually think of some nasty, ugly herbaceous plant ruining their flowerbed, such as bindweed or Mallow. Weeds are most commonly unwanted plants because they are deemed "ugly". Actually any plant, wild or cultivated, is a weed if it is growing where it is unwanted. The worse types are those that are difficult to control. The very worst, are those that are virtually uncontrollable and as a result do tremendous damage not only to parks and gardens, but to the local environment as well.
Hut sweet hut
The winner of Best Before and After in Southern Living’s 2009 Southern Home Awards is a Quonset hut in Beaufort, S.C., that's been renovated and incorporated into a larger home.
Although owners and architects Michael and Jane Frederick originally considered leveling the old barracks, they chose adaptive reuse after learning what the building meant to the surrounding community.
Take a look inside the space and glimpse the structure before its renovation ― the transformation is jaw-dropping.
- Southern Living: Our 20 best before and afters
 | Stunning room makeovers |
Hut sweet hut
What's a Quonset hut?
While watching any war movie or riding by your local armory, you’ve probably seen one of these corrugated metal structures. Named for the place they were originally manufactured during World War II ― Quonset Point, R.I. ― the huts could easily be shipped anywhere and put together by unskilled labor.
The original 25-by-48-foot structure was erected by a local WWII veteran who had grown accustomed to makeshift living during the war. For the next 40 years, the hut saw numerous inhabitants come and go. When the Fredericks bought the property, the enclosure (as pictured here) contained three bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, a pecky-cypress great room and two baths.
- Video: Girls' dorm room makeover
- Facebook users: Become a fan of MSN Real Estate
Hut sweet hut
Enticing entryway
The home’s new formal entry, part of an addition, is a two-story, screened stair hall that introduces materials such as concrete and metal, which are also used in the revamped hut. We also get our first peek at the Fredericks' clever use of space: a friendly alcove seating area.
- Southern Living: Our 20 best before and afters
| Stunning room makeovers |
Hut sweet hut
Modern dining room
One of the features that sold the Fredericks on renovating the curious dwelling was its barrel-vaulted ceiling, which is not interrupted by walls. The space is perfectly suited for their modern dining-room suite, and the lofty ceiling allows room for tall, built-in bookshelves and high-impact art.
- Video: Girls' dorm room makeover
- Facebook users: Become a fan of MSN Real Estate
Hut sweet hut
Sunny screened porch
A much-needed addition, this screened porch sits just beyond the breakfast room. Its roof, consisting of translucent plastic panels attached to wood framing, mimics the Quonset hut’s roof and provides both natural sunlight and views of the area's live oaks and marshlands.
- Southern Living: Our 20 best before and afters
| Stunning room makeovers |
Hut sweet hut
Cozy library
The innovative use of unusual nooks and crannies is most evident in the tucked-in library. Other elements that make innovative use of the available space include new closets and a powder room for guests.
- Video: Girls' dorm room makeover
- Facebook users: Become a fan of MSN Real Estate
Hut sweet hut
Entertaining space
The industrial, prefab nature of the Quonset hut prompted the homeowners to use corrugated metal panels (available in most building-supply stores) on the kitchen island and surrounding cabinetry.
But the sleek room is anything but aloof. Says Michael Frederick, "A wonderful kitchen that's big enough to have friends and family nearby while a meal's being prepared is the difference between a good house and a great one."
Styling by Anne Turner Carroll, Scott Martin and Robert Martin.
- Southern Living: Our 20 best before and afters
| Stunning room makeovers |
more from Southern Living
