NARAMORE CONSTRUCTION’S ZAC NARAMORE HAS HEARD IT countless times: “We love our house, but …” That pause usually signals the beginning of a conversation that acknowledges gaps between a home’s original vision and the reality of daily life. For one Mount Pleasant household, the conversation led to a transformation that turned their almost-perfect house into the dream home they’d always envisioned.

This contemporary two-story Lowcountry home sits along Hobcaw Creek, with expansive water and marsh views that serve as a constant reminder of why the homeowners chose this location 12 years ago. Designed by architect Carl McCants, the house was everything the homeowners wanted on paper. In practice, however, living in the carefully designed open spaces for over a decade revealed a disconnect between the client’s aesthetic ambitions and the realities of functional living.

“We’re seeing a lot of people who are in their dream location, but by the time they’re in their home for 10 years, they have a long wish list of things they’d like to change,” Naramore says. “We’ve done a lot of renovations of waterfront homes where people don’t use the outdoor porch as much as they thought they would. We can often expand usable living space and maximize waterfront views by capturing existing porch space. Closing it in gives them a whole other way to use their house.”

This family grew up in Mount Pleasant and has young children at home, as well as grown children who visit regularly. Their house needed to function as a homeplace and a gathering spot for everyone. However, some of the original spaces remained unused, such as the large, covered porch and outdoor kitchen overlooking the creek. The great room, designed with sanctuary-like serenity, felt too formal for everyday living. There was a media space, but it didn’t work as a playroom. Most importantly, there was nowhere for the whole family to comfortably hang out together.

The renovation scope was ambitious: updating the kitchen, including new perimeter cabinets, creating a new dining area with coffered ceilings, adding a wet bar area, refreshing all the bedrooms, rebuilding the entry porch, installing new light fixtures throughout, refreshing the living space and, perhaps most dramatically, enclosing the screened porch to create an inviting new den with incredible water views.

What made this project remarkable wasn’t just its scope but the extraordinary level of trust the homeowners placed in their team. The clients decamped for the summer renovation and returned only three times for site visits. When they finally came home, they had no idea what to expect.

That trust was built on Naramore Construction’s reputation as a limited-volume builder where Zac and Chip Naramore remain involved in every aspect of each project. Their established relationships with skilled subcontractors and suppliers mean fewer miscommunications and problems that typically plague home construction. As a second-generation company, they bring experience that often translates to cost savings without sacrificing the details that make their clients’ homes special.

“To have that level of trust is almost unheard of,” says Sarah-Hamlin Hastings of Fritz Porter Design Collective, who handled the interiors. “I was so grateful for it. They were really willing to trust the process. Those are the projects that turn out the best.”

The transformation wasn’t without its challenges, though. The homeowners needed to be back in their home for the start of school, creating a hard deadline. More technically challenging was making the renovation appear as though it had always been a part of the original design. The biggest hurdle proved to be the flooring. The original hand-scraped hardwood floors had a custom stain and had been lived on for a dozen years. Matching new floors to the existing ones required three rounds of samples before achieving the perfect match. “In the end, the floors blended seamlessly, and you couldn’t tell where the old floors stopped and the new ones began,” Naramore says.

The new den, created from an open porch and outdoor kitchen, has become the household’s favorite spot. The space features an oak wood ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows, providing panoramic views of the creek. The ceiling is made of rift-sawn and quartersawn white oak with a tight grain that’s stable and consistent in color.

Hastings made bold design choices here, anchoring the area with a vibrant teal sectional and adding personality with yellow and white zebra-print chairs. The mix of textures, from a rustic stone fireplace to a sleek glass coffee table, creates that collected over time feel that makes a house truly livable.

“Typically, most homes are designed with a large porch in front of the living space, but you don’t realize how much that takes away from natural light and being able to experience spontaneous moments in nature,” Naramore says. “With this renovation, the homeowners can really appreciate where they live. It feels like you’re sitting next to the water, and every time you walk in, you can experience the marsh and see the wildlife. The view is almost panoramic now.”

The great room presented another challenge. Designed initially to feel like a sanctuary, its grandeur didn’t vibe with daily household life. Because the room was already beautiful, Hastings decided to work with what was there by warming it up and making it more friendly. A piece of molding around normal height that stopped the eye was removed, and interior paneling was added to the top.

Other changes included removing the mantel and shiplap, tapering the fireplace up and plastering the firebox. “We pride ourselves on good craftsmanship, and we work with the highest-quality vendors and contractors,” Naramore says. “It really makes a difference in the home’s finishes. For example, the paneling in the two-story living room has a lot of detail that can’t be appreciated in photos, and there are hidden pockets that house the shades for the windows and doors. There are a lot of little nuances like that that really took time to develop.”

The fireplace became a canvas for one of the project’s most striking features. Hastings envisioned a three-dimensional sculpture reminiscent of mid-century modern metal art from the 1970s. She collaborated with artist Becca Barnet of Sisal Creative, who created a miniature version of the sculpture and fireplace so the clients could visualize the concept. The clients loved the idea, and the resulting custom artwork became a focal point for the entire home.

Throughout the house, Hastings focused on adding meaningful, personal touches. In the kitchen, she kept the semicircular island but reconfigured the cabinets and hood. In the niche where the stove sits, she commissioned personalized Delft tiles from an artist in England. After learning about the homeowners and Charleston, the artist created custom tiles featuring images meaningful to the clients, such as their dog, their boat, the Ravenel Bridge and an oak tree. “It’s not a detail you notice right away because it’s subtle, but when you do, it’s really fun,” Hastings says.

The dining area was reconfigured with coffered ceilings to create a sense of intimacy in the large, open space. Rather than leaving the coffers plain, Hastings wallpapered inside them with a vivid pattern by Josh Greene Design. This detail eliminated the need for a chandelier over the table while providing visual interest that didn’t obstruct views from the kitchen.

A new wet bar with a wine fridge was tucked into an alcove, with cabinets and trim in a soft rose that complements brass and wood shelving. Even the guest bedroom transformation reflected attention to personal details. Here, the clients wanted to keep the existing mahogany trim, so Hastings asked artist Aubrey Brackett to faux paint the white closet doors to match. The designer added whimsical wallpaper by British vendor St. Jude’s, featuring a wild animal motif of squirrels and rabbits, transforming an already beautiful space into something truly special.

For Hastings, pattern plays a crucial role in personalizing spaces, and she used it liberally throughout the home, from window dressing to upholstery and wallpaper. “Pattern is an easy way to bring in a little bit extra, and it tells you something about the person,” she says. “It’s always the hardest sell to the clients, but then it ends up being their favorite thing.”

The collaboration between Naramore Construction and Hastings is a case study in the importance of teamwork to achieving a successful outcome. “Sarah-Hamlin is amazing; she does a great job guiding the clients in the right direction. She has incredible taste, which makes our jobs easier,” Naramore says.

Hastings returns the praise, saying: “Zac and his team were great to work with. Any idea we had, he was like, ‘Sure, we can do that.’ They brought the house the last 10% of the way to being the family’s dream house. It turned out to be what they always wanted.”

Naramore is still involved with the home post-construction with its unique home management offering through Island Home Management (IHM). “When you are building complex custom homes and renovations, homeowners want you to stay involved in the life of the property long term. To best serve our clients and their investment, we offer comprehensive caretaking of the property in perpetuity. We don’t disappear when the job is done.” Naramore says. The management division is run by Alex Jenkins and Amanda Naramore in partnership with Naramore. IHM uses the same subcontractors and vendors that the construction division does, ensuring the same level of attention and detail.

“We are primarily focused on two things: ensuring homeowners can enjoy their property without headaches by preventing issues before they arise and protecting the long-term value of the home by keeping it in like-new visual and mechanical condition,” Jenkins says. “In Charleston, homes are appreciating at greater than 5% in some years. We are helping protect that upside by properly maintaining the structure. No different than servicing your car each year, versus not.”

“Post-construction management has been a great success,” says Naramore. “Building or renovating your home is very personal. People like to know that they can call us and that we will be there for them in the long run.”

The renovation succeeded not only in its aesthetics but also in fulfilling the client’s goal of enhancing their family’s daily life at home. The new den, with its 180-degree views of water and marshes and comfortable seating, has become the heart of the house. “The client says it’s their favorite room in the home now,” Naramore says. When the homeowners returned from their summer vacation, their reaction confirmed what both builder and designer hoped to achieve. “They loved it,” he adds. “When people say things like ‘I can’t believe we hadn’t done this before,’ that’s what you want to hear.” *

Robin Howard is a freelance writer in Charleston. See more of her work at robinhowardwrites.com.