Updating a Historic Upper Red Hook Home

Front of House keeps its traditional Paltine look

Side View shows the traditional front and the expanded back wing

This project was a fun transformation. The home is an old Palatine home "Stella Farm" from the mid 1800s. My clients loved their weekend retreat but knew that maintanence had been defered and wished for the place to be more up to date and gracious. The design accomplished these updates while maintaining much of the old-world feel inside and toward the street.

Raised Roof over the Back Wing with New Windows

The home had a small, closed off kitchen that we expanded by removing the walled off laundry area and steep back stair. We added a triple french glass door from this beautiful new kitchen to the existing deck. Old timbers were applied to the ceiling to mimic the historic beams and the existing WIDE (really wide) board floors were refinished. The laundry was stacked in a closet and the first floor bathroom, which was akward under the stair, became a pretty wall-papered powder room.

New Expanded Kitchen with Glass Door to Deck

Sitting Area end of Kitchen with Existing Fireplace and doors to Screened Porch

Dining Nook end of Kitchen

The home's second floor was low and chopped up into strange rooms without many windows or privacy and only one bathroom. We raised the floor level and the roof over the back wing, adding height, space and light- and allowing for large windows with a view toward the pond. 

Dormer in small bedroom added height and three windows

New Back Bedroom

Existing Front Bedroom

After the renovation the home now has two large bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and one of the two smaller bedrooms got a dormer and windows added to what was once a short, blank wall. The hall and hall bathroom also received an update.

Hall Bath 

EnSuite Bathroom from Bedroom

Powder Room

   

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - Before

My clients say it feels like a whole new house! 

It has more connection to the views of the beautiful property and a better functioning floor plan.  And all this was accomplished without any increase in the footprint, just roof changes to gain more area. The home still looks and feels like itself- historic- but in a more thoughtful way. The side and front-facing windows remain double-hung style with divided lites, but for the new windows toward the back larger casement units were used to allow unobstructed views toward the pond. The exterior yellow vinyl siding was removed and white clapboards installed, the existing back screened porch and open front porch remained and were repaired, insulation was added, and the mechanical system was changed to inconspicuous, efficient heat pumps.

Garden and Privacy Fence around Heat Pumps

Before

when the roof was torn off

during construction

Taller Wall/ Dormer adds Windows

Before the dormer

Hallway to New Back Bedroom

Built-in Shower replaces Tub