Longtime residents of Chesterfield, this couple loved their fashionable neighborhood and the many friends they’d made, but were ready for a newer, more contemporary home. They’d often admired a nearby 1.5-story set on 2.25 acres, and when it became available, they made their move.

Built in the mid-'70s, the residence had a unique main-floor layout, but the upstairs bedrooms were tiny, the kitchen rather small and the décor typical of its era. The new owners could see the home’s potential and combined their talents to create the warm, “rustic urban” styling they’d envisioned.

Nick Reding is the author of the best-selling book “Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town” and a full-time family man. All that and the owner of a piece of rejuvenated Missouri history. With the help of Gary and Donna Meyer of GK Meyer Construction, Reding was able to take what was a dilapidated shack and turn it into an energy-efficient weekend home that would make the journeymen of the era proud.