Tuesday, December 20, 2016

The Gracious Gambrel: Before and After

Front elevation - Before
It's a wrap!  We've pulled out and the new owners are moving in.  This was a huge project, that took many months.

When we started, we knew this house had good bones - a solid foundation, strong structural members and a tight roof.  The potential was there - but I'm not sure we realized how much work would be involved!






The side yard wasn't easily accessed, but thanks to a new door, patio and fence, now it provides wonderful exterior living space.


Entrance Before
And the whale house number above the front door?  Well that's still our favorite exterior feature!!!


This was a major upgrade - we had to tear out the entire floor, new door, columns, insulation, the works!!
Of course, the new homeowners can enjoy an evening cocktail, sitting on their patio, enjoying the view of Rams Head Light.

The interior?  It was stuck in a 1980's time warp and needed updating.

We started from the foyer and worked out from there.   The wall between the foyer and kitchen was opened up, to improve the flow through the house.

You get a better feel for the magnitude of opening up the kitchen wall, when you look across the foyer - from the dining room.  

The 80's cabinets were removed and we gutted the space to upgrade the wiring and insulation.




By moving the refrigerator to the back wall, we gained a lot of space in the kitchen.


And the pantry, with its antique door is a great addition!  

In the dining room, we opened up the 'window' to the living room, to create a circular flow.  And we created a new mantle, to highlight the beautiful fireplace.


The living room got a major upgrade - literally.  We raised the floor by two steps, added the new exterior door, and installed new custom cabinetry.






Sunken Living Room - Before
Doesn't the room look better, now that the windows aren't sitting up so high above the floor?   


Oh, and we added a powder room in the foyer!  The former, awkward closet (because seriously, you couldn't hang much in there, with the old flue running through the back)was moved to the living room.  


The second floor got an even more dramatic makeover.  This house started as a 3 bedroom one bath home.  We completely changed that and now have 4 bedrooms and two baths.  This meant a pretty dramatic change to the floor plan.  We ended up gutting the entire space, moving walls, floors . an unused chimney and more (including getting rid of the pull chain on the light fixture!!!)
To help show how much it's changed, here's the before and after floor plan.


The old bathroom is now a brand new bedroom.  Can you believe this is the same room?


The front bedroom got a bit smaller, when we stole a few feet to add to the bedroom next door.  But it is still a good sized room.


And this unusual Jack and Jill closet (it was shared by two bedrooms) is now the hall bathroom.


The third bedroom 



But the most dramatic change was in the master bedroom.  What started as a plain, rectangular room is now a big suite with lots of closets and beautifully appointed bath.  
We added a blue 'feature wall' to add a bit of drama to the space, after the closets were removed and the ceiling was raised.   I've tried to capture the difference that new ceiling line makes.....but it's much more impactful in person, than in a photo!


And what was an empty corner of the bedroom now contains a walk in closet and master bath.  




So, what do you think?    Is this a house that's ready for a new generation of owners?

Want to see more?  Follow along with our next project - The Ugly Duckling here on the blog.  And for even more photo updates, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.  

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22 comments:

  1. I'm so in love with this house! Another beautiful remodel,you and your crew do amazing work.Love your taste in decorating.

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  2. Another glorious job! Beautiful and so very tasteful. Like every job I've seen you do.

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  3. Love, love. love the house! I'm obsessed the stools in the kitchen, can I ask where you got them?

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    1. I searched for MONTHS to find them!! I ordered 3 different ones and sent them all back. And finally found these in HomeGoods! Aren't they fantastic???

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  4. Thanks so much for all the kind words! I knew this house could be lovely - just took a lot of hard work (oh, and lots of money :-) But totally worth it, such fun to see it come back to life!

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  5. Everything is perfect as usual. I particularly love the bathrooms. The master bath is so spectacular. It reminds me of a bathroom you'd see in some grand old house from the 1800's. Except it is all shiny, new and modern. Love it. Can't wait to see the Duckling all done.

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    1. Thanks Linda! It's not a big bathroom - so I wanted it to have truly beautiful finishes throughout. So nice of you to notice :-)

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  6. Where is the master bathroom vanity from?

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    1. It's from Home Decorator's Collection - it's called Aberdeen. But if you buy it on the Home Depot website, you can get free shipping!!!

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  7. Where were the Valences in the kitchen made/purchased?
    Beautiful renovation.

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    1. I made the valances. It's simply pieces of plywood, cut to size. I cover them with quilt batting and fabric. And then add white felt to the backside, so they look nice from the street side. They are hung with angle irons. Easy!!!

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  8. Can you tell me anything about the painting/picture above the bed in the 3rd bedroom.
    Everything is so fantastic!!

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    1. Thanks Karen! That is a canvas copy of a painting by Catherine Breer. She's a fantastic local artist, from Yarmouth, ME. I bought it a long time ago, but you might want to check her website to see what she has available.

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  9. Oh my goodness...the view from the front door looking in to the kitchen and the dining room! I think this is my dream house!

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  10. Love, love, love this remodel!!!! One day when my kids are grown this is what I would love to do myself. Oh and I am a huge fan of Dutch Colonials 😊

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  11. Beautiful remodel and love all the finishes you choose. Can you share the paint color of the off-white on most of the interior walls and also the trim color? Thanks!

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    1. Thanks so much. The walls throughout the house are SW Toque White. It's a nice offwhite, with warm gray undertones. I can't tell you how many people have asked about the color! And I always use SW Extra White for the trim.

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  12. Can we hire you for a 1930s Dutch Colonial remodel?

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    1. Ha ha - sorry no!!! I keep too busy with my own projects!! But hopefully you can get some ideas from ours.

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  13. I have desired the whale house number since last august when I found you on Pinterest and began following. I have googled. I have searched. I cannot find it anywhere. I’m guessing this was a local Maine artist? Please oh please tell where i can find one !

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  14. have desired the whale house number since last august when I found you on Pinterest and began following. I have googled. I have searched. I cannot find it anywhere. I’m guessing this was a local Maine artist? Please oh please tell where i can find one !

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