One-Room Revamp Challenge Homeowner Runner-Up: Evita Smith, West Ashley

Determined to do the job themselves, the couple asked handy friends for lessons in drywalling and flooring and listed more expensive projects, like new countertops and lighting, in order of must-do priority.

Gerardi hired friend and contractor Craig Mullison of Personalized Home Improvements to help her create a chic cooking space (complete with new tray ceiling) that now opens onto both the den and dining room, and amplifies the condo’s newly joined public areas.

Employing every nook, cranny, and built-in, a busy mother of three gives her 1940s Wagener Terrace abode a family-minded revamp