Building an Old House from Scratch
It was 2:00 a.m. and everyone was blessedly asleep. We slumbered like moles on top of each other in my first home. My kindergarten twins had a small, 18 inch aisle separating their beds. Big brother, age 7, barred his siblings from his 9 x 7 foot kingdom. If one small child stirred, all of the dominos tumbled. Everyone was excited for our upcoming move nearby to our new big house, a c. 1900 Victorian with a wraparound porch.
It had been a tough week and we needed our rest. Seven days earlier the World Trade Center came down 12 miles away on the twins’ first-ever full day of school. My oldest lost his hockey coach in the disaster, and a friend of mine lost her husband.
Suddenly we were jolted awake by the phone.
While up feeding her baby, a neighbor looked out the window and saw flames reaching the sky from our new house. Soon the loud honks of the fire alarm rang through the town. My husband rushed to the scene. I remained with the children and put my law degree to work studying our recently bound homeowners’ insurance policy. We only closed ten days prior.
The sour smell of burning tar paper blanketed the air of our small town. We were in the process of replacing the roof before our move. The shingles were still in the home’s barn, but the recently nailed down tar paper was ablaze. It would be almost 2 years before those shingles were installed. We lost the house to both water and fire damage.
The top two floors where lost to fire, the rest to water damage. The day after the fire we had 5 feet of water in the basement.
Similar to a stage set, we were able to salvage some of the facade and the stone foundation. The second photo shows the early rebuild stage.
Nevertheless, we considered ourselves very fortunate. Many others had lost loved ones in 9/11 and we were safe. We could rebuild. And so we did.
I have already written about this adventure and my tips for making new construction look old (add millwork to that list) and the home had a cover feature in This Old House magazine. New readers, however, requested a house tour of my “old” new home after my blog post on decorating in the New Normal.
I very fondly remember this home, so I am happy to oblige and included some never before seen shots. The experience was a defining moment in my life as it propelled me to exchange my legal career for design. I launched my interior design business shortly after the housewarming party with a client roster obtained while celebrating.
One fore note: after the roof, we had intended on immediately tackling the kitchen and breakfast room. You will see why soon. The house had been remuddled over the years and quite frankly, the fire was a blessing in disguise. We were able to create a much more comfortable home for our family than we could have achieved had the fire not occurred.
On to the house tour!
The Entrance
Day One of Demo Day, Spring 2002
Same view. The window seat replaced the white screen door at the rear in the above photo.
Almost precisely where I was standing in the first photo. We saved and restored the original front door.
The Parlors
When built around the turn of the last century, the house originally had two front parlors on either side of the entry. Previous owners knocked down the walls, creating one large room. We had the chance to put them back. One parlor became my husband’s study, and the other a formal parlor. Down the center separating the two parlors, was a long enfilade comprising a foyer that opened up to a large family gathering space.
We could save the front door (the inner door here), because previous owners impinged on the front porch with a vestibule. The vestibule door was a solid thick oak and became our new back door. The study is to the right.
The Study
During construction. We saved the fireplace. The stairs in the back were temporary.
My late husband was an avid angler. The fish print is an homage to his favorite leisure activity. We gave him some privacy without losing light by adding french doors.
The foyer.
The Formal Parlor
The Dining Room
Since we hosted every gathering for our extended family, a formal dining room was important to us.
The dining room served as my general contractor’s office during construction. It was the first whole house he built and all of our subs were local to the town, akin to a modern barn raising.
We debated for weeks about adding pocket doors but ultimately decided they took up too much space.
The Family Room
Back in way Before Times (the early 2000s), Great Rooms were all the rage. I put in a modified one, but kept separate spaces elsewhere. Our main eating area, kitchen and family space were open to one another. I was adamant, however about not including a kitchen island, against all professional advice. I used a peninsula to keep those boys out from underfoot while I was cooking.
Our architect and builder were already hired before the fire to get rid of this elevation.
The “After.”
The Breakfast Area
I was very happy the day this kitchen was ripped out.
Same angle.
The Kitchen
The same elevation as below. By not rebuilding the back staircase, we gained space for a powder room and a butler’s pantry.
To keep out a kitchen island, I had to beat back cabinet designers with a stick. The peninsula and pendants gave me a much needed buffer and a sense of separation.
A small wicker table substituted for an island.
The Butler’s Pantry. Those ugly green binders still hold my recipes. Not sure why we didn’t style them out of the photo. Farrow & Ball’s Dead Salmon on the walls.
The Powder Room. The wainscott is lincrusta imported from England. Candace Wheeler designed the historic honeybee wallpaper. Period wallpaper is hung throughout the house.
The Basement
A walk-out basement, this space became a mudroom, laundry room, powder room and play area. It was cute but I only have one photo of it.
I am standing with the architect, Paul Osmolskis, in what would become the mudroom area.
Farrow & Ball’s Skylight is on the walls. The floor is slate.
Bedrooms and Master Bath
I never was satisfied with my master bedroom decor, but I loved the bath. The other photo is a guest room. For the most part, I let my boys do what they wanted with their rooms. No amount of photoshoot styling could fix that. The remaining two bedrooms in the seven bedroom house served as my office and an exercise room.
I shudder at this duvet cover, but I love the drapes. I custom mixed the pink on the walls. Instagram followers know I am trying again with another pink bedroom. Maybe this time I will like the decor better!
I always have liked art and real furniture in a bathroom.
The rebuilt house did not have a single bathroom vanity. I found other storage solutions. The pedestal sinks felt more like an old house feature to me.
Exterior and Outside Rooms
The day after the fire, the front didn’t look that bad. Once the engineers came through, it was clear that not much was safe to save.
The front porch was our favorite room in the house.
We bumped out ten feet and supported the addition with stone arches inspired by other shingle style Victorians in our neighborhood. This created a lovely sheltered terrace perfect for large outdoor parties, no tent required!
The Covered Terrace
The End
No wait, it’s the beginning. I am having a blast designing my new coop. Eagle eyes can try to spot the very few items from this house that I still own and are now in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Credits
All “after” photos by Ellen Mcdermott and styled by Anthony Santelli.