It all started with the kitchen. Theresa Griffin wanted a bigger, updated, more workable kitchen than the one she had in her Lake Highlands home. She and husband Garrett had been there for almost 10 years, and they really liked the neighborhood. But she wanted the kitchen, and Garrett wanted an office. Both wanted more closet space and a better bathroom. It was just time for a new place.

The Griffins found a house they liked and made an offer. They even signed a contract. They then realized that for less than what they’d spend on a new house, they could renovate their current house and stay in the neighborhood they loved. And they could include the improvements in a new mortgage, locking into some of the lowest rates in more than 40 years. That’s when they got lucky: the seller changed her mind, deciding she also wanted to stay put. The two parties agreed to cancel the contract, and the Griffins were able to renovate.

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And renovate they did. They hired a contractor and a decorator, then moved to an apartment for six months.

After the dust cleared, the Griffins moved back to what they’d originally wanted: a whole new place. Along with an updated look inside and out, they had a new kitchen, a new office, bigger closets and a bigger master bedroom. They even had a bigger living room and dining room. And here’s the really strange part: They did it all without adding a single square foot to the house.

How? Just by looking around to see what space they did and didn’t use. What they used, they improved. And what they didn’t use, they got rid of.

The first thing to go was the fourth bedroom, which they decided their family of three didn’t need. They converted it into Garrett’s office, while still leaving an extra room for guests.

Next was the traditional entryway. The Griffins felt it closed off the combined living and dining rooms too much, so they removed the partial wall that created it. To enlarge the feel of the living room even more, they replaced much of the back wall and sliding glass door with large, paneless windows and French doors.

The effect is a sense of openness and spaciousness, softened by pale yellow walls, ceiling beams and a large, high arch to give the living room definition.

Another thing that had to go was the wet bar between the kitchen and living room.

“I really never used it,” Theresa says. “I just stored snacks and junk in it, mostly. So we got rid of it.”

The closed the wet bar off to the living room and converted the space to what she had essentially been using it for all along: a kitchen pantry.

The kitchen itself was, in Theresa’s words, “an entire gut job.” They made better use of its space by reconfiguring the layout. New appliances, granite countertops and a tumbled marble back splash gave it an updated look. And the ceiling over the attached breakfast area was raised, with beams added to complement those in the living room. The result: an open, well-laidout kitchen, an area to which friends and family naturally gravitate.

“The kitchen is my favorite part,” Theresa says. “It’s really the heart of the home. We spend a lot of time talking and visiting here.”

Beyond the kitchen is the den, which Theresa calls “Garrett’s pride and joy.” The ultimate “man” room, its entire back wall is a built-in entertainment center, surrounding an enormous wide-screen TV. The walls have a leather look, thanks to the hand painting of an area artist. A final change was closing off a door that once led to the back yard.

“The kids used to come in and out through that door, from swimming or just playing outside,” Theresa says. “It gives him a lot more privacy this way.”

The Griffins updated the bathrooms by pulling out all the built-in cabinets and replacing them with furniture pieces. It created a whole new look, along with a little more room. The master bath was opened up with a raised ceiling and huge new picture window over the tub, offering a second view of the yard and pool outside.

Finally, they squeezed a bit more use out of their existing space by shaving a couple of feet from their master bedroom. Moving in a wall made room for a large walk-in closet behind it, the last item on their must-have list.

“It was really just more wasted space,” Theresa says. “It made so much sense to use it for a closet.”

Like anyone who has undergone major renovations to a home, Theresa says, they had some inconveniences and learned some lessons along the way. Still, with a like-new home in a neighborhood they know and love, the Griffins say they couldn’t be happier.

“We’re just thrilled with how it turned out,” Theresa says. “We really made the right decision by staying.”