A “Shotgun” House

 

Have you ever heard of a “Shotgun House?”

I hadn’t either until my in laws bought one (actually two.) Smile

 

 

Shotgun houses are so named because, supposedly, a shotgun fired through the front door would pass straight through the house and out the back door. Rooms were as wide as the house, and had doors that connected straight through.

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My mother and father in law are extremely industrious, and creative, and talented, and it didn’t surprise me a bit that they bought two shotgun houses to put on their farm to restore!

They purchased the shot gun houses from the “Aluminum Hill Homes” that were built in the early 1900s in Georgia.

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They had the shotgun houses transported to their land…

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Here is one of the shotgun houses when they had just begun the renovation.

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My boys LOVE going to Pop and Grammaw’s house down in Georgia!  They have a ton of fun with all of their cousins.

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Have I ever told you that there are only grandsons on my husband’s side of the family?

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Yep!  Nothing but boys!

Here is Pop teaching all of the grandsons how to tie a tie last Thanksgiving on the steps of the shotgun house before it was renovated.

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Well, Pop and Grammaw have done a ton of work since last Thanksgiving.

They installed a beautiful new roof and added an addition to the back of the house.

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Here is the front door that they restored…

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Doesn’t it look beautiful with their new steps and railing?

 

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I love the wide steps and the brick sidewalk.

 

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Here is the other side of the addition.

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My father-in-law built this beautiful railing.

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He said the home is made of cypress wood which explains why the home’s exterior is still in such good shape.

 

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Doesn’t it look beautiful all freshly painted?  I cannot wait to see what they do to the inside!

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Here is where we love to eat at Pop and Grammaw’s. See Pop’s barn with the awesome gas station signs back there? Love it!

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Their shot gun house was just recently featured in the local newspaper, The Eatonton Messenger.

You can read the full article HERE.

My husband gets his love for restoring old things (and his amazing work ethic) from his parents.  And I love having in-laws that share the same passion as I do of renovating old homes.  I learn so much from them every time I visit them.  They are a wealth of knowledge!

 

Can’t wait to see them again soon!

Love you, Pop and Grammaw!

Have you ever heard of a Shotgun House?

24 Comments

  1. Yes. There are tons of shotgun houses in New Orleans. There are lots that have been restored and beautiful and there are lots that are rundown and in poor condition in very poor neighboorhoods. All af them have character and a story to tell.

  2. Yes, I have, and most never look as nice as theirs! How fun to share that same passion with your in laws! Definitely see where your husband gets his talent.
    Ho hum…..just been trying to paint my laundry room this weekend and can’t say that DIY is my thing….???

  3. What an amazing transformation!

    My best friend and her husband rented a shotgun house in Robeson Co, NC when they first were married. They had their first two of five boys in that home. The bathroom was an addition and always so cold.

  4. Yes, I grew up in New Orleans. In junior high we studied New Orleans architecture. The shotgun houses typically have no hallways or closets (originally). This architecture was influenced by old tax laws in some areas. At one point property in some cities was taxed based on width, thus long narrow lots were formed. Taxes were placed based on number of rooms, thus hallways and closets were not used because they were counted as rooms. They needed to create houses to fit long narrow lots and these houses could not have hallways. Thus the shotgun was popular, each room opens to the next, like cars on a train. The doors line up front to back door thus you could fire a shotgun at the front door and the bullet would go straight out the back. Variations include a double shotgun (2 mirror image separate family units side by side in the same house) and a camelback shotgun which has a second floor that is built onto the back. My mom lives in a double shotgun and rents out one side.

  5. Like some of the others mentioned, I always think of New Orleans when I hear about shotgun houses. I always heard they were built because of sizes of lots being used. But, they would definitely pose a decorating challenge.

    Judy

  6. Yep. What I’m wondering is since your in-laws bought two of them do they now have a double shotgun house? :)
    They did a great job!

  7. Glad to see that was a shot-gun house and not wedding!:) I was thinking “What’s going on here?”The house is great and I can see from where Cy gets his work ethic and building capabilities.
    Do you know from where they got the metal railing? I need top bit just like that for by new brick steps.
    CTD

  8. I have never heard, nor seen a “shotgun” house before. So interesting! What an incredible project your in-laws have taken on…Sending the kids to a special place, just for them on the farm, sort of sounds like the American dream.

  9. I have never heard, nor seen a “shotgun” house before. So interesting!

    What an incredible project your in-laws have taken on…Sending the kids to a special place, just for them, on the farm sort of sounds like the American dream. I get so jealous of you girls and your wide open spaces.

  10. These houses are full of history, thats what makes them special and unique. I love the fact that they transform them into historical beauties!

  11. I have heard of shotgun style homes. There are lots of them in
    New Orleans. Most run down, but many that have been restored.
    Your in laws did a nice job restoring the exterior of theirs. This
    post explains why you have a hubby that goes along with
    your vision for home decor. : ) he comes by it honestly.

    I absolutely love the pic of all the grandsons and love the pic
    of your father-in-law showing all the boys how to tie a tie even more.
    That is so precious.

  12. I’ve heard of them, but haven’t actually been inside one. I really love the pic of your fil showing the guys how to tie a tie- something very special about that.

  13. Loved this post – how nice for your boys to have all those boy cousins. Built in accountability for the older ones, knowing that the younger ones must really look up to them! And how fun that would be to have all of you be interested renovating, remodeling, etc…

  14. I have seen houses like that but I didn’t know they had a name. They really neat. What is he going to use them for? Thanks for sharing.

  15. I’ve definitely heard of them and seen them. They are charming when in good condition. I hope you share the progression of the inside of them. I’m also curious- what will they do with them?

  16. I went to college in New Orleans and my cousin bought and restored a shotgun house while I was living there — they are pretty awesome! That’s how they maximized a lot size and minimized their tax liability at the same time (property taxes used to be levied based on the number of doors and windows on the street side of the house). Love the family pics, Traci!! Thanks for sharing!!

  17. I wanted to comment. I live in Sparta, Georgia and work in Eatonton. I’m so excited to see that these historic homes are being relocated and renovated. I have noticed previously you posted about you inlaws and commented on Reynolds Plantation. I work for a custom home builder on Lake Oconee. I love you blog and all you DIY posts. It was interesting to see that you had family right here in my neck of the woods.

  18. Hi, these shotgun houses look cute…. and remind me of Australian Queenslander style houses that have a hallway straight down the middle with all rooms coming off the hallway. The kitchen is at the back of the house and in summer the front and back doors are left open to let the breeze flow through. They typically have verandahs all the way around for deep shade and cool.

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