SOUTHERN COMFORT
A decayed house in a classic northeastern village is creatively revived and restored, with a hint of southern style, for a single professional.
The village of Cranbury, New Jersey was settled circa 1697 and is home to 1500 residences, many of which have historical value. The village was a popular stopping point on the travel route between New York and Philadelphia in the 1700's & 1800's.
The client, originally from Tennessee, decided to move to the village because of the small town atmosphere reminiscent of the south. She is a single professional working nearby for Princeton University in need of a comfortable home close to campus. The client explored several properties with the builder in an effort to assess the qualities and potential of various homes available in the village. She selected a property which included a main house and a detached cottage (the cottage became an ideal temporary home while work progressed). The main house (constructed circa 1841) was divided into two rented apartments and was falling into decay due to a basic lack of maintenance. The Builder typical teams with the same Architect to provide a complete design-build process. Together, they worked with the owner to; set up a program, design an addition / renovation, and work out construction details in a interactive & exciting manner.
The preliminary program included the following:
Demolish the rear decayed section of the house
Remove the Asbestos siding for the front section of the house
Rebuild the foundation for the garage section of the house
Relocate the kitchen to the core of the house
Create a covered porch at the south side of the house
Build a "modern" master suite with full bath, closets and sleeping area
Match detailing as realistically as possible to fit into the Historic District
Recycle as much of the older building products as possible
Add a wood burning fireplace
With an established budget, the owner and the builder set out to creatively remodel the house in a number of ways.
During the demolition stage, a discovery was made that a fire had significantly damaged the second floor joists in the oldest section of the house. These beams were structurally reinforced and then clad with paintable pine boards. Beaded board paneling was installed between the beams (See Photos 5 & 6) to finish off the space. Stains in the drywall ceiling of the front sitting room prompted the builder to remove the wall board in an effort to discover the source of a potential leak. The stains turned out to be the result of a dog locked up in the second floor bedroom while the home was divided into rental apartments several years earlier. The beams were sanded and sealed and it was decided that they added a charm to the sitting room at the west side of the home (See Photo 4).
In an effort to keep under budget, the fireplace was scaled back from a custom masonry element to a zero clearance Heatilator firebox with a stucco finish chimney chase. A custom made mantel improvises from classic trim details found elsewhere in the house (See Photo 7).
160 year old floor boards were salvaged and reused throughout newly constructed areas of the first floor. Modern day planks of the same eastern white pine variety were purchased locally and installed at the new areas in the second floor. The windows in the front section of the house were repaired using vintage glass recycled from rotted window sashes. The rear section windows were made by Marvin Windows, using stock sizes & matching the exterior trim work. The claw foot tub was cleaned and re-set in its place in the hall bath. New bead board wainscot walls and porcelain hexagon & dot floor tiles complete the bath's classic look (See Photo 10).
The Builder remodels many homes in the local area and salvages many old doors, windows, shutters, etc. intended for a landfill. The materials are stored in a local barn where many local residents give or take from the inventory. The owner obtained several pre-owned interior doors in the "lending" barn for her home, giving it an eclectic look common with older homes.
During the design stage, it was agreed that a flat roof terrace would work best with the massing of the building, creating a delicate transition between nearly identical forms of old and new construction. There was also an opportunity to create a sun terrace adjacent to the Master Bedroom (See Photo 13). Fiberglass roof decks with the durability of a boat hull are very popular on the coast of NJ - 45 minutes east of Cranbury. Durable mahogany posts were set for the railings, and a custom built-in gutter was created (See Photo 12) to divert rain water. A comfortable roof terrace (equipped with hot tub spa) became the ideal end of day retreat for a weary swim coach.
The owner also wanted to create a "cook's" kitchen at the core of the house. Custom Cherry cabinets were installed (See Photos 5, 6 & 8), a combination of granite, stainless steel and butcher block tops were installed to create functional work areas in the kitchen. The owner attests that during every gathering, the kitchen is indeed the center of the action.
The results of the project were spectacular. The neighbors in the village were delighted to have the restored and recycled house take center stage in the area. The owner enjoys all of the creative decisions that were made without any regrets. The builder refers on a weekly basis in marketing similar work to other home owners in the village.
The village of Cranbury, New Jersey was settled circa 1697 and is home to 1500 residences, many of which have historical value. The village was a popular stopping point on the travel route between New York and Philadelphia in the 1700's & 1800's.
The client, originally from Tennessee, decided to move to the village because of the small town atmosphere reminiscent of the south. She is a single professional working nearby for Princeton University in need of a comfortable home close to campus. The client explored several properties with the builder in an effort to assess the qualities and potential of various homes available in the village. She selected a property which included a main house and a detached cottage (the cottage became an ideal temporary home while work progressed). The main house (constructed circa 1841) was divided into two rented apartments and was falling into decay due to a basic lack of maintenance. The Builder typical teams with the same Architect to provide a complete design-build process. Together, they worked with the owner to; set up a program, design an addition / renovation, and work out construction details in a interactive & exciting manner.
The preliminary program included the following:
Demolish the rear decayed section of the house
Remove the Asbestos siding for the front section of the house
Rebuild the foundation for the garage section of the house
Relocate the kitchen to the core of the house
Create a covered porch at the south side of the house
Build a "modern" master suite with full bath, closets and sleeping area
Match detailing as realistically as possible to fit into the Historic District
Recycle as much of the older building products as possible
Add a wood burning fireplace
With an established budget, the owner and the builder set out to creatively remodel the house in a number of ways.
During the demolition stage, a discovery was made that a fire had significantly damaged the second floor joists in the oldest section of the house. These beams were structurally reinforced and then clad with paintable pine boards. Beaded board paneling was installed between the beams (See Photos 5 & 6) to finish off the space. Stains in the drywall ceiling of the front sitting room prompted the builder to remove the wall board in an effort to discover the source of a potential leak. The stains turned out to be the result of a dog locked up in the second floor bedroom while the home was divided into rental apartments several years earlier. The beams were sanded and sealed and it was decided that they added a charm to the sitting room at the west side of the home (See Photo 4).
In an effort to keep under budget, the fireplace was scaled back from a custom masonry element to a zero clearance Heatilator firebox with a stucco finish chimney chase. A custom made mantel improvises from classic trim details found elsewhere in the house (See Photo 7).
160 year old floor boards were salvaged and reused throughout newly constructed areas of the first floor. Modern day planks of the same eastern white pine variety were purchased locally and installed at the new areas in the second floor. The windows in the front section of the house were repaired using vintage glass recycled from rotted window sashes. The rear section windows were made by Marvin Windows, using stock sizes & matching the exterior trim work. The claw foot tub was cleaned and re-set in its place in the hall bath. New bead board wainscot walls and porcelain hexagon & dot floor tiles complete the bath's classic look (See Photo 10).
The Builder remodels many homes in the local area and salvages many old doors, windows, shutters, etc. intended for a landfill. The materials are stored in a local barn where many local residents give or take from the inventory. The owner obtained several pre-owned interior doors in the "lending" barn for her home, giving it an eclectic look common with older homes.
During the design stage, it was agreed that a flat roof terrace would work best with the massing of the building, creating a delicate transition between nearly identical forms of old and new construction. There was also an opportunity to create a sun terrace adjacent to the Master Bedroom (See Photo 13). Fiberglass roof decks with the durability of a boat hull are very popular on the coast of NJ - 45 minutes east of Cranbury. Durable mahogany posts were set for the railings, and a custom built-in gutter was created (See Photo 12) to divert rain water. A comfortable roof terrace (equipped with hot tub spa) became the ideal end of day retreat for a weary swim coach.
The owner also wanted to create a "cook's" kitchen at the core of the house. Custom Cherry cabinets were installed (See Photos 5, 6 & 8), a combination of granite, stainless steel and butcher block tops were installed to create functional work areas in the kitchen. The owner attests that during every gathering, the kitchen is indeed the center of the action.
The results of the project were spectacular. The neighbors in the village were delighted to have the restored and recycled house take center stage in the area. The owner enjoys all of the creative decisions that were made without any regrets. The builder refers on a weekly basis in marketing similar work to other home owners in the village.
