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.