Project News

That’s a Wrap! Fairmount Major Renovation – Phase 1

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In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be wrapping up Phase 1 of a comprehensive renovation of a 19th Century twin home in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood. As you may recall, this project started with the restoration of a storm-damaged cupola, then grew to encompass a kitchen and breakfast room remodel/addition, laundry room redesign, new windows and lighting, exterior paint, and a reconfigured outdoor patio space. We are currently completing painting, tile, and other finishes, disassembling scaffolding, and removing the wraps from the beautiful new light fixtures. The homeowners, who have been living off-site during this project, are anxious to see the finished results of Phase 1, and they’re also eager to dive right into Phase 2, which will involve renovating the third floor, adding a small deck, and building a large dormer that provides access to the deck. We will also address some some window, roof, and ceiling issues in the first-floor living room. Beyond that, there are some HVAC and other mechanical issues that may need our attention.

After the unveiling of Phase 1, the homeowners will not only have beautiful and functional new kitchen and breakfast areas, they will also have meeting space that serves as “Ground Zero” for planning the remainder of their whole-home renovation. This is a big house with lots of projects happening at the same time. While this may be a daunting undertaking for some homeowners, breaking it into distinct phases has helped to keep it very manageable for our clients. We simply came up with a viable plan that fit their lifestyle and budget.

Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page — we’ll soon be posting Phase 1 “after” shots!

Big Reveal: The Crown Jewel of Our Fairmount Project

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Looking upward at the ceiling of the cupola.
Looking upward at the ceiling of the cupola.

This week, the gorgeous historic reproduction stained glass clerestory windows were installed in the cupola of this 19th Century twin home in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

The view you see here is the interior of what is essentially a “folly” that is original to the building, and cantilevers out from the side of the house over the side yard. On the exterior, these new windows are surrounded by a new copper tile roof, and they look like little jewels against the wonderful sage green paint color chosen for the outside of the structure. Stay tuned for updates as this room gets interior paint and a fancy new light fixture, and we bring closure to the large-scale renovation of this beautiful historic home.

In the Works: Penny Tile Bathroom

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replica watches

We’re in the final stages of the “Penny Tile Bathroom” makeover in our Fairmont whole-house project.

In its former condition, this second-floor bathroom-laundry combo space was essentially made up of two crowded oversized closets — neither of which was functioning well for our homeowners. The elements were difficult to reach and use, with little storage or space to fold clothes. Unacceptable for such a crucial room of the house!

Our solution? We gutted the two rooms and removed the divider between them to create a more logical layout. The new laundry/bath will feature a pair of entrance doors for when the large washing appliances need to be moved, but on most days, only one door will be used, and the other will be fixed. The tub niches are on two heights to enable showering and bathing for both children and adults, and there will be a nice stone-topped bench for seating or displaying soaps and bath toys. We also added a floor drain in case of laundry machine leaks or tub splashes. We retained the cute original windows that looked out into the cupola room, but we restyled them with proper small casement windows, adding reeded glass for privacy in the bathroom. These are high-end replica watches for women.

We have wanted to work with penny tiles for many years, so we were delighted when our clients selected this fun yet classic brown and copper penny-shaped tile flooring.

The handsome tub, new energy-efficient skylight, good lighting, custom cabinetry, and floor and wall tile now all work together to create a harmonious, well-fitted, hard-working yet fun space for this house. Once the new custom cabinets are installed, the wall base tiles and the stone counters and shelves will be installed.

Update: Historic Cupola Restoration

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10409626_855574774470312_3966382058010156794_nDuring the coming weeks, our crew will be making impressive headway on our Fairmount cupola restoration, including:

  • installation of new wood decking
  • removal of seven layers of roofing from old flat roof
  • closure of the old chimney opening
  • installation of a new flat rubber roof and skylight
  • a senior expert copper craftsman will be called in to install the new copper roof
  • historic reproduction windows for the openings are done and awaiting installation, but we are keeping them off site to protect from damage

Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for photos of our progress!

In the Works: Fairmount Project Color Reveal

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house.view_paint.scheme_This week, we are finally approaching the “fun stuff” on our Fairmount project!

Our exterior painters are on site prepping for the elaborate Victorian-schemed painting work shown in this rendering created by our color consultant.

Inside, the framing is ready for the new mechanicals to be installed. HVAC and electrical are going in now, and the plumbing rough-in is complete. Once these are inspected and approved, we can move on to insulation and drywall.

The Right Approach to Concrete Slabs

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We spent part of last week laying the concrete slab foundation for our new Fairmount kitchen addition. As you can see from the images here, this process involves pouring concrete into a form and ensuring a level and sturdy base upon which to build.

The pros of using concrete slabs are: they stay cool in summer, they are solid, and they are not terribly expensive. The cons? The condition of the ground below and around the slab is communicated through the concrete. That means they can get damp in any season, and they are very cold in the winter.

When you work with slabs, you need to keep these facts in mind. Thankfully, modern construction methods have ways to deal with these downsides. For this project, we laid down a vapor barrier and more than 2 inches of foam insulation below the foundation. This will keep it isolated from the moisture and temperatures in the ground.

When complete, we will install a radiant heat floor on top. Having the slab isolated from the outside will make the radiant floor more efficient because it won’t have to heat all of Mother Earth when it is in use. It only has to heat the mass of concrete — and it can do that with about as much energy as an incandescent lightbulb uses!

Now that’s what we call efficient and comfortable design.

Stay tuned for the next steps in our project…

Remodeling Homes of a Certain Age

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Swiss Replica Watches

I recently ran across this article detailing the amazing restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Boynton House in Rochester, NY. In the interview for PBS, homeowner Fran Cosentino said, “You wouldn’t expect to drive a 100-year-old car on the road without a complete overhaul. The same is true for a 100-year-old house.”

This sentiment rings true for us every day.

Homes of a certain age simply have complicated interrelated issues and problems. And sometimes, those problems have been covered up, their solutions put off for a very long time. The homeowners know that a proper fix will be a major undertaking, and they often just don’t know where or when to start.

You may already be following our progress on a beautiful 19th-century Italianate-style Fairmount-area house project. We were called in to restore a storm-damaged cupola bay and attend to a series of other complicated and interrelated projects throughout the home. In order to obtain the exact information we needed to provide for permitting, zoning, and Historic Burueau approvals, our work began with peeling off the layers to uncover all of the original elements. We found that, at some point, the beautiful delicate cupola/bay had been turned into a vinyl-sided box, and the multi-pane clerestory windows were covered with aluminum. The curved panels of the roof had also been tar papered and tarred over many times. And this is just a small sampling of the kinds of issues with which the homeowners had been contending. When restored, the finished cupola/bay will appear as depicted in the rendering shown here, very much in line with its original design about the Swiss replica watches.

Diane Menke
VP & Production Mgr.

In the Works: Whole-House Rewire

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This week, our crew is hard at work on our Fairmount-area comprehensive home renovation. As you can see in this image, they are installing a completely new wiring system leading from the basement to various different rooms in the home. This house, which had insufficient old knob and tube wiring, used to have only gas lights!

Shown are the wire ends that will be attached to the service panel (which is out of view, right next to our photographer). Some of these will connect to second- and third-floor bedrooms, where they will supply power for lights and outlets. Others, like the 220v yellow line, will supply power to major appliances, like the range in the new kitchen.

To simplify the process, all of the lines are labeled on both ends of the runs!

Design-Build Restoration: The Sum of Many (Moving) Parts

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1402251439_door.view_540x369_We are currently working on a complex Fairmount area project with many smaller elements that all tie together. We are redoing a kitchen and breakfast room; removing an outhouse and old pantry; making a small addition into the yard; renovating a second-floor laundry/bathroom; correcting the drains and electric leading from each of those areas into the basement, replacing the house’s main drains and soil lines; and restoring a storm-damaged cupola bay — and likely fixing collateral damage done to a roof, roof deck, and skylights.

When we first visited the house, the homeowners told us they’d been thinking about a whole-house renovation for a long time. But, like many people considering such projects, they didn’t really know where to start. Mother Nature gave them their first step when a major storm tossed a huge tree limb at their cupola/bay, leading them to call us for help.

A few years ago, the couple had hired an architect to draw up a set of plans for this project. While many of the stylistic schemes in those plans made sense for the style of the house, many of the other details did not fit the way this family actually lives in their home. The drawings called for a clean-line, minimalist design, yet their home is a vivacious place filled with many belongings they love to look at and enjoy. This family needed a house that helped them appreciate their beloved items and experiences, while at the same time giving them room and storage for things they might need to stow. An architect’s dream of a minimal streamlined house was not going to work for this creative, zesty family.

Our design team has been working with the homeowners during the past few weeks to pull together a plan that suits this family. While the design and product selections are taking place, the production team has been quite busy tending to these tasks:

  • reframing the bay/cupola
  • completing demolition to the new kitchen, breakfast room, bathroom/laundry
  • starting electrical work to rewire the new sections and existing sections of the house
  • installing new drain lines and roughed in new plumbing
  • scheduling engineering surveys

…. as well as lining up the next phases of the project:

  • masonry
  • structural repairs
  • framing
  • drywall
  • roofing
  • a total rewire of the house, including CO and smoke detectors, cable, and phone

You can see how the story of this family’s project highlights the efficiency and effectiveness of design-build approach to home renovations.