Old House My House

We need a special what?

2009-07-06T18:31:53-04:00

Well, we never expected to need a special permit for our modest project. We had very carefully planned all aspects of the renovation to conform with existing zoning and floor area ratio (FAR) regulations and to fit in with the other houses on our street. The last thing we wanted was to tangle with the City of Newton.

What we didn’t know was that the recent deletion of an all-important footnote in the city’s Zoning Ordinance meant that suddenly we would need a special permit where none had been necessary before, and that obtaining one was by no means a given, even though we were told by the city planners that a relatively modest project such as ours was not the kind of thing the city would be likely to oppose. Yikes!

This nerve-wracking process, which involved a public hearing and deliberations of the city’s Board of Aldermen and Land Use Subcommittee, unexpectedly delayed the start of our project by several months and caused all of us quite a bit of concern. Would this mean that This Old House would have to find a different house project to feature for its 30th-anniversary season?

Like many communities, Newton is grappling with the problem of how best to control urban density while still allowing families in smaller houses to add needed living space. The city first adopted FAR regulations in 1997 to help regulate the density of development by setting limits on gross floor area with respect to lot size. These limits are designed to prevent “monster homes” and other kinds of development that are out of keeping with the essential character of existing residential neighborhoods. The city is still working on fine-tuning the language of the regulation to close loopholes without creating an unncessarily cumbersome permit process.

So while we understand the need for FAR regulation, we were dismayed to be caught up in it ourselves. Luckily, we were able to count on the support of many friends and neighbors who signed a petition in favor of the project and attended the public hearing on our behalf. A long night in the Aldermanic Chambers of City Hall with our architect Paul Rovinelli, TOH producer Deborah Hood, and a handful of supporters from the neighborhood resulted in a 7-0 vote of the Land Use Subcommittee in favor of our project. Two weeks later, the full Board of Aldermen also voted to grant our special permit, so we were free to proceed with some limited demolition until the end of a 21-day appeal period.

I can’t tell you how happy ALL of us are to see that unmistakable orange permit hanging prominently in the window of our house!

Hello from Newton Centre!

2009-06-25T17:56:40-04:00

Here's the first post from our new homeowner, Gillian Pierce:

Well, this is a project that’s been years in the making. When Bill and
I bought our 1915 Dutch colonial five years ago, we knew it needed a
lot of work, some of it cosmetic, some more fundamental. We chose the
house for its wonderful location near the city in a great neighborhood
and school district not far from conservation land and, being “old
house people,” for its underlying charm. We felt it had good bones,
but it would need quite a bit of repair, updating, and some careful
adding to before it would really work well for our family of four plus
labrador retriever. The prospect of solving water problems (stained
wallpaper was pretty clear evidence) and fixing the house up was
overwhelming enough that I even cried at the closing. But we decided to
live in the house for a few years to get to know it before making any
big decisions.

Two years ago, a family member put us in touch with architect Paul
Rovinelli to begin to talk about how we could thoughtfully renovate,
working within our fixed budget, to add some functional spaces such as
an office for Bill, a family room, and an updated kitchen, while
leaving most of the existing house untouched. We are delighted with
the plans Paul came up with and can’t wait to see them realized.

Bill and I still can’t believe our good fortune in having our project
chosen for This Old House! I think it’s every homeowner’s dream to
have Tom, Norm, Roger, and Richard on site working, and we plan to
enjoy every minute of the experience -- part of our decision to live in
the house during the renovation (the other factor was the high cost of
relocating). Tom has been arriving with his crew every morning at
seven to do demolition work and some siding repairs and doesn’t seem to
mind our being underfoot during the morning chaos of getting the dog
walked and kids off to school. Even after some unexpected delays (more
on that later), things are progressing more quickly than we could have
imagined.

We look forward to chronicling our experiences behind the scenes for
blog readers. Please share your comments and encouragements with us!
Has anyone else out there tried to live in a house during a major
renovation? We’d love to hear from you.

Historic fabric, part one

2009-06-02T11:04:33-04:00

When we signed on to do this project with the City and the non-profit Nuestra Comunidad, I had pretty high hopes for saving lots of the original historic fabric. But given the condition of the house, I definitely should have known better. This house was not only foreclosed upon, but it had also been vacant for quite some time. It is astounding to see how quickly a once well cared for building can deteriorate if not properly maintained. Exposure to extreme heat and cold, moisture, and in some cases to direct rainfall (in one area there was a wide open hole in the roof) has sadly left most of the period details beyond salvage.

Two survivors, however, are pictured here – the two matching newel posts (one on each side of our duplex) and one marble fireplace surround.

The surround pictured is actually from the more badly damaged side of the house; it was found largely in tact (complete with beer can adornment) and has been removed for safekeeping and eventual cleaning and reinstallation near the end of the job. The fireplace surround from the other side was missing; we later found it in pieces in the basement. Part of it had been used to patch (!) the failing fieldstone foundation, and the other pieces lay broken in the dirt on the floor.

We’ll be seeking a replacement at one of the local Boston area salvage yards…let us know if you’ve seen a similar one, or if you’ve seen a match anywhere in your travels. It’s been a while (since our Washington DC project, where the house was in in similarly bad condition) since we’ve been out to the local salvage yards in search of a period fireplace surround.

Next post I’ll file a report on the plaster details, as there is a bit of good news (and bad) there as well.

Roxbury makes the news

2009-05-14T11:56:15-04:00

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We're sure you've read all about Roxbury at thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv, but local Boston news channel NECN also brings to light some additional details on the effect the project will have on the neighborhood.

Aside from helping to revitalize a community and save an old house, the renovation creates a great buying opportunity. You've got the best in the business doing the work, and when it's all done, a family will benefit from up to $25,000 in financial assistance, low interest, and a possible $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers.

All kinds of win!

Announcing the NEW Roxbury project house

2009-05-13T16:48:29-04:00

To help celebrate its 30th anniversary season, This Old House TV is giving back to the community where the show got its start in 1979: Boston, Massachusetts.

Working alongside affordable housing nonprofit Nuestra Comunidad, Norm Abram, Tom Silva, and the rest of the TOH TV crew will hammer out the complete renovation of a foreclosed 1870s Second Empire in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. Once the job is done, the house's two units will be sold to two deserving area families.

The show begins airing on PBS in January 2010, but you can check on the crew's progress in real time RIGHT NOW through the webcams, which will be focused on the house 24/7. Today, the crew tore down a three story addition in the rear of the house—with an excavator and everything!

Read more at thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv and check in here from time to time for updates from the worksite!

Our Old House by everyone's hero, Michael Streaman

2009-04-21T15:36:55-04:00

Here we are six months after the first sledgehammer hit and also our first time being filmed as a family for a national television show. As you can imagine, the last two months were insanely hectic as everyone involved in our renovation worked to finish the house for the final filming, the wrap party episode. Now that the adrenaline rush has mostly dissipated, we are slowly reclaiming our house into our family's home.

The kids are having a blast--they adore the yard, their spacious room and the spiral staircase! They miss both whole crews--MRS and TOH--and love to pretend they are Michael Streaman with their toy tools and have memorized all of the dialogue in many of the episodes, including the ads! It's really funny because the parts of the house that were featured on the show seem larger than life to them.

Kevin and I have been focused on the hard work of unpacking, organizing our lives over three floors and finishing up various things in the house (installing door/cabinet locks, retouching paint after the big wrap party bash, staining windows/doors).

We are thrilled that our last bathroom was finally completed yesterday! We predict that we'll be done unpacking in about two years...

We want to give endless thanks to Michael Streaman, our general contractor (M.R.S., Inc) for being so perfect for this exciting endeavor--for his astute design and functional input, his high standard of workmanship and his total dedication to the project. Thank you also to Mike's subcontractors, some of the best in NYC--Vinnie of SuperCharged Electric, Erik and Randy of Aladdin Plumbing, John Thomas woodwork restoration god and many more--and his own excellent crew, including Mario, Mike, Felix, Bolivar, Joseph Gregory, Jose, Wes, Stevie, Junior, Bobby, Louis and Nestor, for all of the hard, fast work, the long hours and for accomplishing it under the watchful eyes of an Emmy-award winning TV show and 24/7 webcams. Bravo, everyone!!! We are in awe of the results!

A huge thank you to the cast and crew of TOH for coming to Brooklyn, for being so great to work with, for your guidance with our project and for documenting it forever. We will always remember this incredible experience.Thank you also to the TOH sponsors!

And thank you for reading, watching and for your interest in our house.

The Shen/Costellos

A+++ Aladdin Plumbing

2009-02-23T19:30:37-05:00

The plumbing and heating rough-in work at our house looked similar to the illustrations in Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day―one of our kids' favorites―except that ours was done to perfection by Aladdin Plumbing. We ripped out all of the old pipes during demolition and started from scratch―put in all new Charlotte cast iron and copper pipes. Once we began working with TOH, we also decided to upgrade our heating system from steam to hydronic with radiant in selected areas.

Aladdin was the ideal company to handle this huge job as they specialize in high-efficiency heating systems and the Gitli brothers are 2nd generation plumbers.

With Munchin and Manny, who also have tons of experience, working tirelessly on our new pipes, and excellent Kevin and TJ handling the heating, we felt secure that everything was being done right. Older brother, Randy Gitli, even dedicated himself to configuring our amazing, new boiler room.

In addition, the Gitli brothers were so amazing when I asked them for info for this post, so in their own words (as I couldn't explain it more clearly or in such technical terms) the following explains the hot water return and the high-tech super efficient heating system, which will help us save water/energy and keep everyone in the house happy/comfortable.

Younger brother Erik explains:

The hot water return is a loop which tees off from the domestic hot water riser just below the top floor. It travels back down to the mechanical room and connects back to the domestic hot water storage tank. The line has an aquastat connected to it in the mechanical room, to sense the temperature of the return water, and a circulator. When the temperature drops in the return line (which means nobody is using hot water for a while―usually over night), the circulator kicks on for a short while to move the water in the domestic hot water riser to the top floor. This process allows for almost instantaneous hot water at the fixtures. It also increases efficiency because you don't have to run the water from the hot water tap for 5 minutes in the morning to evacuate the cool water from the line before the hot water comes up.

On the heating side, Randy explains:

We've installed two gas fired "Lochinvar Knight" condensing boilers: floor mounted model for the owner, wall hung for the tenant. With it's "Smart System" technology, The Knight boiler is considered one of the most advanced in the industry and can reach efficiencies up to 96 percent. These boilers are "mod/con", which is an industry term for modulating and condensing. The burner will modulate its gas flow based on the precise heat demand. The smart system(s) of the boiler(s) will also control multiple water temperatures to produce domestic hot water (via an indirect-fired, stainless steel storage tank), heat free-standing cast iron radiators, and supply lower temperature water for radiant floor heating.

The parlor floor level has radiant heat throughout the entire wood floor area. PEX tubing has been attached to the underside of the sub-flooring, between the joist bays. Aluminum heat transfer plates secure the tubing to the wood and help distribute the heat over a greater area. The joists bays are lined with a reflective radiant foil and filled with foam insulation to help drive the heat upward. Radiant heat has also been installed in a concrete slab extension, and tile floor mortar beds in 3 of the bathrooms. All the radiant floors are controlled with individual room thermostats.

It is a secure feeling to know that behind our perfectly redone walls and under our gorgeously laid wood/tiled floors are equally beautiful and exceptionally installed pipes and tubes. Aladdin's contribution to our project will provide long-term benefits to us, as new homeowners and landlords, and to our planet. We feel fortunate that our hundred year old house now has these state-of-the art, energy efficient plumbing and HVAC systems. I think even a purist would agree that they definitely represent a monumental improvement over shoveling coal into the historic "octopus" boiler, which originally heated our house!

REWIND: Supreme Super-Charged Electric!

2009-02-16T17:05:24-05:00

Since we began blogging when we were already over two months into our renovation, we are sorry we neglected to mention some of the key infrastructural overhauls that the house had began to undergo prior to December―completely new and upgraded plumbing, heating and electrical systems. It was truly awesome (and terrifying) to see our house opened up and exposed, and then to watch the process as Mike Streaman and his subs rebuilt her into a better, stronger, juiced-up building.

As nervous, first-time landlords, we are hugely thankful to Super-Charged Electric's Vincent Verderosa and his dedicated crew, brothers PJ and Anthony, and to Aladdin Plumbing's Randy and Eric Gitli and their tireless crew, including Munchin and Manny (see upcoming post) for making our old house brand-new. We feel very fortunate that within the walls/floors of our house are perfectly installed state-of-the art systems that will be smoothly humming along for many years to come.

From shortly after demolition was complete, PJ and Anthony were constant fixtures at the house.

They worked quietly and steadily rewiring electrical and cable/Internet lines on all the five floors with minimal disruption to the original plaster walls/ceilings. In the meantime, since often the details of electrical plans must be figured out on-site and after framing, we were meeting with Vinnie, then had to have second, third and fourth rounds of meetings with our designer, Carole Freehauf, which brought about further changes.

Through the whirlwind of ideas, Vinnie remained patient and focused, somehow managing to keep every switch, fixture and outlet straight. The cellar is the hub of the house's utilities. Mike calls it the wall of technology, where PJ and Anthony have set up four separate meters--one for each unit in the house and one for the common areas, which is required by building code.

One story that pretty much sums it up, involved our parlor floor foyer light, historically the main, formal entrance to the house. The original position of this probably low-hanging fixture was centered on the hallway mirror, the pocket doors and the large pier mirror in the front parlor or living room and finally, the living room ceiling light fixture. It must have been a beautifully balanced composition of lights, mirrors, doors and wood in 1904. The new reproduction ceiling light we chose from Rejuvenation is gorgeous and fitting to the period of the house, but hangs closer to the ceiling and will not be reflected in the mirror.

Well, there was much indecision over the exact position of this light―should it to be centered in the room or should the original harmony with the adjoining living room be maintained by keeping its existing position. Through all of the confusion, PJ and Anthony ended up having to move that electrical box in the ceiling back and forth between the two locations a total of four times!! Many, many thanks to Vinnie, PJ and Anthony for keeping your sanity and helping us to see the light. I think that we finally got it right! We are looking forward to seeing all of the light fixtures installed over the next few weeks!

A Valentine's Day quickie

2009-02-13T16:52:36-05:00

Kevin and I haven't had the extra time, energy or resources to devote to major gift-giving for ourselves these past 10 months. Of course, there are no complaints as the house will be the whole family's gift in a few weeks.

For Valentine's Day this year, however, Kevin is giving me a spectacular present…

…a personally laid mosaic of Dal-Tile hexagonal tile for our powder room floor. He labored on this mosaic, which is based on a vintage design from the original period of our house, for several days and nights, working until 1:30 am last Wednesday. It was a tedious and multi-step process, which is still not complete. Then, the final steps of setting the mosaic in the floor and grouting will be done by our tile master, Mauro Zanutto.

As you can see in the photo, (a floor tile pattern of) diamonds are a girl's best friend!

[Ed. note: For the rest of you handy spouses, how about trying our Honey-Do e-Cards?]

Spring is in the air

2009-02-11T18:36:46-05:00

Here in Brooklyn, as the Farmer's Almanac predicted, we have had a particularly cold and snowy winter, especially compared to the last few snow-free ones. The past couple of days, though, have presented a lovely sneak peek of what's around the corner: sunshine, temps in the 50's―SPRING! We even had a early-rising beetle flying around our apartment yesterday! Of course, a blizzard will probably hit next week, but I thought that in honor of these mild days, I would further elaborate on our outdoor space.

Back in mid-December, we were also blessed with a small window of record-high temp days, which fortunately coincided with the scheduled time for our backyard to be overhauled―regrading, hardscaping (brick patio, retaining wall, and steps to back area), new fence posts on both sides installed, and, of course, landscaping.

Enter Bob Reitmeyer of Chelsea Garden Center, with his wonderful, incredibly efficient crew. We applaud Bob―who lead his team and personally and perfectly cut and laid down the beautiful herringbone pattern of bricks on our patio―for making the whole yard so pretty and functional. If you had a chance to watch the "Back" web cam, you would have been amazed by the speed and scope of the transformation that began on December 15th and was completed on December 19th right before snow began to blanket the newly paved patio and wall. Check out the archived time lapse shots).

The row houses in our wonderful neighborhood typically have extra-deep lots compared to many other brownstone neighborhoods―130 ft. vs. 100 ft. This may seem puny to many of you, but here in the heart of NYC, a 20 ft x 90 ft backyard is absolute heaven! For us, a sizable yard was a requirement to give our three sons easy access to the great outdoors. Our plan includes a brick patio for dining/grilling/entertaining, then two steps up to the back third of the yard, which we are praying will have enough sunlight to sustain a nice lawn for the boys to romp around on. The downside of our extra-deep lots in the late summer is the abundance of hungry mosquitoes. We hope that citronella candles will minimize their buzzing.

Bob's crew also planted some beautiful bushes and trees, which we should be watching bloom after we move into the house (!). There are two white birches by the wall, and in front of the mud/guest room window, we chose a dogwood, a favorite of my father's, so he can enjoy it when he visits. We can't wait to see its first flowers in our little back yard!!

Will the stair fit? Drumroll, please...

2009-02-05T17:14:50-05:00

For any naysayers out there, our prized, 1930s cast-iron spiral staircase was successfully installed by Stephen Dijanic of DVS Iron & Aluminum Works last week. The actual, dramatic installation will be featured in one of the TV episodes.

Kevin and I never doubted the perfect "fit" of the vintage, "one-of-a-kind" staircase for our unique layout and beautiful woodwork on the parlor floor―or Mike's ability to install it. As you can see, it is an wonderful focal point for our "library" (center parlor) and will look even more spectacular once it is cleaned up and repainted. One of our favorite features of the stair is the brass handrail with its graceful curvature and lamb's tongue detail at the bottom.

Here's the story behind this piece:

Last year, while still house hunting, I noticed this gorgeous, cast iron staircase for sale on Brownstoner's Forum. Several months later, after we had signed a contract to buy our house and devised a plan to have a 1st/2nd floor duplex sandwiched by two rental apartments (one long-term and one short-term), we found ourselves in need of just such a staircase. Our architect, Susanne Lyn, recommended a few places to find new, nondescript metal or wood ones. We kept remembering the vintage one and thought about trying to contact the seller. One day we saw another post that the staircase was still available! So, we confirmed with Susanne that it was the correct height (11 ft, the height of our parlor ceiling), negotiated a great price, and that weekend, Kevin went to Park Slope to pick up the disassembled staircase and transport it, step by step, to our house. It is a heavy staircase, even in pieces.

Then, the 14 steps and handrail sat on the ground floor of our house for four months patiently awaiting their grand debut (we did not expect it to be nationally televised!). Here's a before shot of the support pole.

In October, shortly after work began, Mike broke the bad news to us. The staircase was actually three inches too short for our house. Luckily, Mike and Stephen were able to devise a solution―shorten the whole staircase to enable the top landing to end one full step below the 2nd floor. This may sound simple, but it required DVS to shorten each of the solid, cast iron steps by 1/8 inch.

Well, we are thrilled with the staircase that we almost lost and almost did not fit! Thank you Stephen of DVS for your superb work and Mike Streaman, always, for your amazing problem-solving ability!

Let there be light...in the hallways

2009-02-02T18:42:06-05:00

Another original detail of our house which had been removed when it was converted to a rooming house in the 1940s was the Victorian stained glass windows. Sadly there were none when we bought the place―not over the three over-sized front parlor windows, not over the two equally high rear parlor windows, not separating the center parlor from the hallway, not in the small pocket door, and not over the main staircase covering the skylight. In this last area, a very simple stained glass window that was typical for that time had been installed and was needing some TLC, as you can see.

If our budget allowed, Kevin and I would have indulged our romantic weakness for the detailed design of the turn of the last century and commissioned an ornate, reproduction stained glass window for the large skylight (there is a smaller, square skylight in the top floor bathroom).

Fortunately, Michael Streaman, our experienced and very practical general contractor, again offered his sage advice―replace the filthy and worn 40's window panes in the existing window frame with frosted glass to maximize the natural light in the hallway. Then, Kevin came up with a brilliantly simple plan of painting a grape vine on the backside of the glass using just black paint to personalize and add visual interest to the window without blocking the light. Our tenants upstairs also will enjoy viewing their very own grape vine through the bathroom skylight. Behold, the gorgeous revitalized hallway window!

Designer apartment kitchens

2009-01-29T13:38:42-05:00

The crew was in town this week for some filming and on-camera installation work. The Marmoleum linoleum tiles for the kitchen in our top floor, 2-bedroom apartment was actually laid down by an amazing pair of carpenters, Mario and Mike. The retro checkerboard patterns on both kitchen floors look very sharp. Thanks to Carole Freehauf, they also serve to visually increase the size of the rooms, since the tiles have been arranged on a diagonal and draw your eye wider into the adjoining living rooms.

Next, comes the cabinetry.

Installation of the American Woodmark cherry-stained cabinets by Oliver Earl and crew was completed on the garden level yesterday with beautiful results. Upstairs, the cabinets will have a more traditional, but simple design in an antique-white finish. The Caesarstone countertops (cream-colored downstairs and black upstairs) will go in next week and spectacularly complete these two kitchens. Appliances (stainless downstairs and white upstairs), including stackable front-loading washer and dryers, also arrive next week.

These two apartments are going to be fabulous! Despite the fact that they are rental units, Carole ensured that every detail was carefully considered, both aesthetically and functionally. We will get to see the satisfying results shortly.

I actually took a break from choosing ceiling fans and window blinds/shades for the apartments to write this tonight. We look forward to welcoming our new tenants in about 6 weeks!

To preserve or not to preserve, Part 3

2009-01-23T11:24:21-05:00

This should be subtitled To Divide or Not to Divide. The room that will be our master bedroom and nursery is very spacious and brightly lit by four large windows. Since Day One we adored the space and the bird's-eye maple woodwork that defined it: the mirrored mantelpiece and the two dramatic, wide door frames (one now shrunken, and one for the built-in cabinetry). It would be an incredible master bedroom…more than enough room for a big bed, a chaise by the window, a mirrored vanity table, even a large desk.

It's been a big dilemma for us and Mike Streaman, who has been adamantly trying to convince us to keep the room open.

He even offered to build a triple bunk bed for the boys in the other bedroom (just kidding). We certainly were tempted to consider other options and, up until a few days ago, were dreaming up a plan for sliding panels on tracks instead of a real wall. Unfortunately, the reality right now is that our baby needs a separate bedroom and the only sound-proof option is to divide our ideal master bedroom into two rooms.

Our five-year plan is to take over the top floor of the house, giving our kids enough time to enjoy the extra space and their own rooms, if they want, before they start leaving the nest to go to college―boo hoo! So, at that time when we are able to spread out on three whole floors, the thought is that we will restore our room to its original glory and remove the wall. We feel very fortunate that these large brownstone houses offer so much flexibility for growing families.

I don't have a photo of the divided room yet since Mike is postponing the dreaded event as long as possible, maybe in the hope that we will still come to our senses and preserve the whole room (also, the new floor needs to be laid down first). We would love to hear of any creative solutions out there!

Look at those pipes!

2009-01-21T10:56:06-05:00

When Karen and I first looked at the house, we knew that there was a problem in the cellar with water getting in. After every rain storm we would see a cascade of water from the back wall flowing into the center of the cellar. The concrete patio and the drainage pipes from the back yard were cracked and broken. This let all the water in the cellar back wall.

We have since rebuilt the patio and replaced all the drainage pipes. I am formally trained as a metalsmith, so to see all these large metal shapes in one spot so precisely arranged, gives me a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I have only one word to describe them: Art. I never thought I would be so into pipes. Thanks Randy and Erik!