With a more open (storage-packed!) first floor, a new master suite, and dedicated space for visiting grandparents, this 1879 Italianate’s remodel was designed with family in mind
For Liz McQuillan Delfino, stepping through her front entry is a lot like step-ping back in time. She pushes open the same heavy wood door, glimpses the same quirky fireplace nook, and passes the same staircase she knew growing up. Once the kitchen comes into view, however, it’s clear things have changed in her childhood home. Framed by a columned half-wall divider, the enlarged, opened-up cook space now has an island at its center, all-new cabinetry, quartz and reclaimed-wood countertops, and gleaming stainless steel appliances—testament to a just-completed eight-month renovation documented on the current season of This Old House television. With the construction dust now settled, the army of contractors, subs, and Generation NEXT apprentices have moved on—and Liz, her husband, Joe Delfino, and their two young daughters are finally moved in.
The 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home in Newton, Massachusetts, has an updated layout perfect for modern family life. But it also carefully preserves many elements of the old house that Liz cherishes. “The stairs even squeak in the same place,” she says, with a smile. “It reminds me of my mom walking up and down the staircase when I was young.”
After Liz lost her mother in 2015, she and Joe inherited the house. Finally ready to make it their own family’s home, they turned to architect Mat Cummings to help them maximize the square footage, including carving out space for extended visits from Joe’s parents. With the Delfinos’ desire to retain the house’s character in mind, Cummings designed a new open-plan kitchen-dining family-mudroom flow on the first floor, a new master suite upstairs, and a garage addition with a second-floor guest suite with its own sitting area.
What the couple hadn’t anticipated when work began were some of the condition issues that surfaced.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2018 من This Old House Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2018 من This Old House Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Mobile kitchen island
TOH DIY expert Jenn Largesse shows how to build a rolling kitchen cart with a butcher-block top
Bathtub tray
TOH general contractor Tom Silva and TOH host Kevin O'Connor construct a slatted zebrawood caddy to hold grooming essentials, a book, and even a glass of wine, for those who like a long soak
Navigating the rise in mortgage rates
Looking to buy—or refinance—and feeling frustrated by lenders’ sky-high interest rates? Here’s how to get the best deal
Graceful grasses
With dramatic foliage and distinctive plumes, ornamental grasses come in sizes to suit virtually any garden
A better asphalt driveway
It's long-lasting and recyclable, and it weathers extreme temperatures. You can repair small cracks and divots in asphalt, too. Here's what you need to know to get-and maintain-a great-looking asphalt driveway
Modernizing a mid-century house
A family turns to TOH to renovate a 1960 house that had been awkwardly expanded over time. Their goal: to create a contemporary, energy-efficient, open-plan home that is fully accessible for a son with mobility issues
Making a house her own
Renovating in stages over nearly two decades, a homeowner transforms a once forlorn bungalow into a cozy, very personal space
A little house that lives large
A reimagined interior and second-story addition double the living area inside a narrow shotgun house, while respecting its historical roots
Before & After: Bath Fit for a Queen Anne
Classic meets modern in this primary-suite retreat
Before & After: Kitchen Moving a wall makes it work
Grabbing a few feet from the adjacent dining room yields major layout improvements