Remodeling

I accept most types of remodeling jobs; the size of the job is not an issue, unless time limitations and size would not allow me to do a quality job. Most of my customers have a good idea of what they want when they contact me about the job, and I try to work with their ideas, rather than trying to sell them something I'd prefer to do. Below are a few examples of some work I've done in the past.

Opening up a space

Some older homes have rather suffocating layouts, the rooms being isolated from each other, leaving no sense of openness. It's important to find a way to open it up without sacrificing the character of the home.

When unsalvageable plaster was gutted from this wall, it became quite obvious that the wall just couldn't go back like it was. The difference it made in the sense of space was dramatic:



So we decided to go with arches on either side of the chimney. This became a much more striking space, especially since we were able to obtain matching salvage woodwork, and save the original plank floor:



Adding depth to an exterior

Exterior entrances are a defining architectural feature, and should be designed accordingly. Here's an example of one customer's idea that worked out great. Here's the original configuration:



The customer had the idea of integrating a new front stoop with the house by using the design of the corner post in the new newel posts. It was a bold idea, and it worked quite well (The pic below was taken prior to the original construction being painted to match).




Here's a similar situation, in which elements of the original style were were used to integrate a new door into a newly enclosed porch:




Occasionally I disagree with the prevailing wisdom of the Historic Preservation people; for example, they generally consider decks to be inappropriate on older homes (and seldom allow them in historic districts). I thought this one turned out rather well:




Kitchens

Kitchen design requires a lot of planning and thought, preferably by the folks who will be using it. It is a complex, creative process. In this remodel, we decided to go work around the original equipment. Using salvage cabinet doors and drawers, I built cabinets to match the traditional style of the 1930s sink base, which was built to match an base cabinet, complete with an ancient flour bin. At the request of the buyer, I made the countertops from hard maple: