Ramsey Nix was pushing her newborn son on Normal Avenue in 2012 when she noticed a sale sign. Her family lived nearby in a newer bungalow, but the older home along her walking route always caught her attention.
She peeked into the backyard and was instantly in love. The yard was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen, and as she later found out, the former owner was a master gardener. The pool was a bonus.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ and I called my husband. I was like, ‘We are gonna buy that house on Normal Avenue,’” Nix said.
They did.
The house was built in 1914, according to the original deed, although previous owners told Nix it was built in 1917. They also told her it was a Sears and Roebuck kit house that arrived in Athens by mule train.
Nix found two nearly identical houses in the Athens area. That helped confirm that the house was likely some kind of kit house, but the Sears and Roebuck story did not hold up. She sent photos to a professor specializing in kit houses and years later during the renovations, Nix’s builder searched the wood for any identifying marks. Neither supported the claim.
That same uncertainty extends to the home’s architectural style with friends arguing between Victorian and Craftsman. The 1914 construction date predates when the latter became common in Athens. Nix said she believes the home is more likely Folk Victorian.
There’s a lot of lore attached to this house,” Nix said.
When they moved in, the house had plenty of character, but it also had plenty of problems. Previous additions had created a choppy layout. Their renovations six years later, working with Athens Building Company, opened up the kitchen and family room, added windows that matched the originals and created a more connected living space.
“I didn’t want to change the exterior of the house because I thought it was so charming,” she said.
The open-concept kitchen became one of Nix’s favorite changes. Its view of the backyard allowed her to cook while keeping an eye on her children.
“I wanted my kids to have a backyard life like I did,” Nix said. “I wanted to always have my eyes on them.”
The kitchen also has smaller details designed around everyday life, including a pullout knife drawer with a universal knife holder for easy organization.
Nearby, a new mudroom gives the family a place to put baseball equipment and other outdoor gear.
“When you renovate, you just run into all of these questions of form versus function,” Nix said. “And sometimes it’s tough.”
Stories that Stayed
The previous owners, Tom and Doris Granum, left more than the keys; they left Nix stories.
The house was divided into two apartments, and what is now the dining room once served as a kitchen for one of them. Old water leak stains remain on the original heart pine floors.
After turning the duplex back into a family home by adding an additional level, they raised their children there. Nix remembers hearing about the Granum daughters swinging on the front porch, and a story that the late, local singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt had written lyrics about “the kids swinging on Normal.”
Nix could never verify that story, either. But she never let that uncertainty get in the way.
“It also made me realize that stories are not always true,” she said. “That doesn’t make them any less entertaining.”
That sense of history is part of what made Nix fall in love with the house in the first place.
“I bought this house because it was a house full of stories and music, and I loved that about it,” she said.
New Traditions
The Nix’s have added their own chapters to the house.
Last year, they built a carport and an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, in the backyard. The space gives visiting parents a place to stay, but it has also become a hangout for Nix’s children and their friends.
Unlike the main house, which is filled with traditional furnishings and family antiques, the ADU has a more modern aesthetic reflecting Nix’s approach to the house: adding modernity without changing the original character.
“At least I could have my little modern escape hatch,” Nix said.
That balance is also visible outside, where the home’s backyard has become the setting for another tradition: hosting a band for Historic Athens Porchfest.
The family hosted a children’s musician when their kids were young, but the event has grown along with them.
About 200 people filled the backyard last year to hear The Grateful Dads perform. Nix’s daughter and her friends even turned the ADU’s serving window into a snack bar for the event.
This year, Bad Guru will take the stage, or technically, the back patio.
For a house whose exact origins may never be completely known, there is something fitting about continuing to add stories instead of trying to settle on just one.
The Nix’s have preserved its historic character, adapted its spaces and added their own memories. And every October, when the backyard fills with music and neighbors, the home gets another story to keep.
“You just open up your yard and say everybody’s welcome,” Nix said.
