Cumberland Farmhouse

Most of the renovation of this 225-year-old farmhouse took place on the upper floor. There, two large bedrooms with extremely low ceilings (6’ at the high point!) and an outdated bath awaited our handiwork.

In the bedrooms we needed to raise the ceilings to give the rooms a more comfortable feeling and create closets that would provide the owners with much-needed storage space. The goal was to do this while creating a feel that would be more in keeping with the original house, instead of the character of this relatively young 90-year-old second floor “pop-up”.

While the roof structure was re-engineered to allow us to raise the ceilings, the closet interiors were being pre-fabricated and pre-finished. We assembled them on-site, set them in place and then built the walls around the cabinetry. Low-voltage halogen lights turn on when the closet doors are opened.

In addition to the obvious changes, this project also required increasing the thermal efficiency of the rooms requiring cellulose insulation in the walls, foam insulation in the ceilings and replacement of old single-pane windows with thermally efficient, gas-filled, double-pane units. The window seats are cedar-lined storage areas.

The baseboard heat was removed and replaced with a central-air heating and cooling system and the original floors were re-finished with tung-oil to add richness and warmth to the rooms.

We even designed the mahogany 4-poster Colonial bed and night stands. The homeowners now have two very functional and beautiful bedrooms with plenty of space for “his & hers” clothing.

Just down the hall, the successful transformation of the long and narrow room in this centuries-old house into a charming bathroom is a testament to thoughtful design. The vestibule, a welcoming transitional space in which the owners display art and antiques, leads to the main bathroom.

Here, a raised ceiling, ample lighting and a large mirror combine to create a more open feel. The mahogany counter is warm and welcoming while Sky-blue walls lend a cool, soothing quality to the room. Beadboard wainscot, hand-cut nails and wide-plank pine floors complete this very functional and aesthetically pleasing room while adding to the charming, old-house feel.

Downstairs, the wall-to-wall carpeting was removed and the floors restored to their original beauty. Plastering and painting finished off the dining room.

The existing kitchen received an inexpensive, but effective makeover with new appliances and red paint for the cabinets. This project was the recipient of not one, but four regional and national awards as well as being featured on HGTV’s Generation Renovation.