Wells (Otis Street, Newton): Design by: OOTW Scope: Gut 3rd floor, add dormer, create full bath & guest/office space Create master bath Finish basement Kitchen remodel Dining room remodel: add windows, revive fireplace that had been buried Remodel 1st floor ½ bath Imitation slate roof New ceilings and heart pine flooring throughout 1st floor By others: Painting The project that just kept growing! It was a pleasure to execute over 50 change orders “before the baby came.” Within the 1st week of the project, in early September, the owners decided that whatever they were ever going to do to their house, they’d better do it before the baby came…in late January. Their being perfectly pleasant the whole time helped a lot. We earned our DPM (doctorate in project management) on this one. We love working for pregnant clients. It adds that extra level of satisfaction when we can keep that special period in their life as stress free as possible. Tavilla (Hastings Rd., Winchester): Design by: OOTW Scope: Master Bathroom Gut Patio Fireplace Mantel Laundry/mudroom Portico By others: Painting General: A house with great space but builder grade finishes, needing a bit of refining. Master Bathroom: This bathroom is like a water park for the owners’ 4 year old son. Portico: A simple, classic answer to a previously two-dimensional entryway. We built it in the shop (including paint and rubber roof), hauled it to the site, bolted it to the house, and propped the columns underneath. Our third pre-fab portico! These tall ceilings required much more mantel… Mudroom: Just a pretty place where the owner could store and wash his hockey gear. Todisco (Samuel Parlin Dr., Acton): Design: OOTW Scope: Master Bathroom Gut ½ bathroom: new fixtures and flooring Basement Finish Add pocket doors between master bedroom and study By others: Painting Bathroom: Some contractors would avoid working for their wife’s best friend… We’re happy to report a friendship intact and multiple projects since! Krutt (Samoset Road, Winchester): Design by: OOTW Scope: Two Story addition Kitchen Master bathroom Remodel kids bathroom Laundry Master dressing room By others: Painting Adding a small amount of space opened up great possibilities for what was a builder-grade kitchen. By the end of this 4-month project, Dagwood the wiener dog had grown comfortable enough with the crew to only bark 75% of the time. A warm bathroom, with plenty of natural light… We were able to re-use the client’s whirlpool tub and save them some money. Taylor/Phenner (Mystic Street, Arlington): Design by: OOTW Scope: Raise Roof on low-ceiling alcove off of Master Bedroom Create Master Bathroom By others: Painting It’s great to be able to create a haven of comfort for people you really like. The “tub in the trees” effect is one we really loved. Levin (Churchill Road, Arlington): Design by: OOTW Scope: Two Story addition 2nd floor apartment kitchen, master bathroom, create 3rd floor bathroom 1st floor apartment kitchen Structural repair of termite damage Front Porch By others: Painting, patios Project like this have made Greg consider specializing in front porches. The product of great collaborative design effort with one of our favorite clients. The illuminated fir beadboard ceiling (and the secret stain/sealer recipe) create a very warm and inviting approach to the house. The barrel roof and it’s sloping intersections with the three flat roof planes had us feeling more like boat builders than framers. Notice the lack of downspouts… they’re buried in the walls. Greg would like to thank the owners for allowing him to check “build sloping arched ceiling over segmented arch window and blending into flat ceiling” off of his wish list. Seven feet of window to welcome the morning sun… McDonald (Mass Ave, Arlington): Design by: OOTW Scope: Complete residing, original shingle patterns Complete window tear-out and replacement Replaced rotten sills on uphill side of house By others: Painting, roofing, gutters This was just a fun project, period. The owner, one of our subcontractors, gave us carte blanch to create the shingle patterns. Working right on Mass Ave, there were plenty of “oohs and “ahs” from passers-by to feed our egos for years to come! Nolan (Pleasant Street, Arlington): Design by: OOTW Scope: Acquire Historical Commission approval Complete residing, original shingle patterns Complete window tear-out and replacement Rebuild front porch Roofing Blown insulation in entire house Interior crown mouldings, etc. New footings under back porch By others: Painting, landscaping We knew we had a gem of a client when she gave us the mandate to “add whimsy.” We did just that. The swags were laid-out in the shop, lauan templates were made, shingles were cut, numbered and then taken out to the site and nailed-up…no sweat. We hate mucking up a front porch with downspouts, so we buried them inside the columns. Cut bowed balusters ourselves. I guess we made an impression. The owner’s mother, while traveling in Cuba, met someone who said, “I know that house” and then had the same experience with another traveler in Honduras! Carr-Jones (Lehigh Street, Arlington): Design by: Client Scope: 2nd floor addition Offices Master bedroom Bathroom Portico Stairwell By others: Painting, staining The owners boast that it is the greatest shower anywhere. One of them, a trained architect, spent 20 years designing (so it better be). We were flattered to be chosen to finally execute the 20 year plan for their 2nd floor addition. The skylight in the shower begs a photo during a full moon. Stay tuned… Oh, and that’s a cork floor. Rogers/White (Hawthorne Road, Arlington): Design: OOTW & other kitchen cabinet supplier Scope: Gut kitchen Remove load-bearing partitions between kitchen, dining room, back hall, front hall Create ½ bath at entryway We love doing kitchens for real cooks, especially when they invite us to sample their cuisine at project closing. These owners love to cook…for many. We were happy to remove a large section of load-bearing wall from the center of their house to make entertaining more fun for them. Aside from being a great cook, this client is also our photographer. Kiewra (Ledyard Road, Winchester): Design by: Clients’ architect Scope: Two story addition Master bedroom and bathroom Stairwell Family room Relocate kitchen Relocate dining room Porch By others: Painting, landscaping, patio Talk about having the clients’ trust… These owners, who hadn’t moved in yet, wouldn’t come by for 10 days at a time! Another client “in the business” who knew plenty of contractors, but chose OOTW for his house. The new family room with its large French doors connected the house with the rest of the ample double lot. Swanton (Church Street, Winchester): Design by: Front dormer: 100 year old photograph Bathroom, etc: Client Scope: Rebuild front, center dormer & railing to original shape and detail 3rd floor bathroom gut 3rd floor laundry room 3rd floor study Re-roof carriage house By others: Painting, staining Exterior: Sometimes an old house gets lucky and is bought by people who really respect it. We were handed a grainy photo and asked to restore the large, center gable to its original look, before it was enlarged during the house’s period as MIT student housing. 3rd floor bathroom: We restored this (guest) bathroom to its original look (as far as we could tell without having seen it before the bomb hit it). Okay, we took liberties with adding the steam shower too. Aside from hiking two flights of stairs, we decided this is the best house in which to be a guest. We milled the fir in our shop to match the existing and built the vanity to fit the marble top acquired from a salvage yard During this project we learned a very valuable lesson: Teenaged girls, arriving home from school with their friends, are mortified to find an old, used toilet temporarily placed on the front porch and will call their mother at work to let her know about the grave social impact. Thankfully, the mother will find it very amusing.