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Reviewing Plans for Updating the Victorian

Bob meets homeowner David Masher and architect Greg Colling at Masher's Queen Anne Victorian in Rowley, Massachusett's historic district. Masher explains that he and his wife Jeanne have lived in the house for 10 years, first as a couple and now with a young child. As their family grew, they needed to decide whether to expand the house to accommodate the family's living needs or look for another house. The Mashers decided to redesign the interior first-floor living space and mud room to better serve the family. Architect Greg Colling shows Bob the plans for the home, which is 26 by 30 feet, or just under 2,000 square feet. The plans show a hatched area that is the addition to the existing footprint. There will be a new entrance and a large deck that will serve as a transition space between the living area and the beautifully landscaped yard. The Mashers own one acre of land that slopes to a backyard stream running through the property. Colling's plan for the new entrance and deck will follow the linear design of the home. The backyard will be regraded to meet the new deck and, toward the side yard, three steps will lead to a newly landscaped yard and barbecue area. Masher tells Bob that their budget for the project is between $75,000 and $80,000.

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Chapters from this episode

Excavation and Foundation Work on the Rowley Victorian Now Playing

Excavation and Foundation Work on the Rowley Victorian

Tour of the Victorian Interior Now Playing

Tour of the Victorian Interior

Exterior Demolition on the Victorian in Rowley, Massachusetts Now Playing

Exterior Demolition on the Victorian in Rowley, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Queen Anne Victorian Now Playing

Massachusetts Queen Anne Victorian

Reviewing Plans for Updating the Victorian Now Playing

Reviewing Plans for Updating the Victorian

Clip Transcript For:

Reviewing Plans for Updating the Victorian

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" All right the excavator is done -- work now let's say -- homeowner David mash your high did I Bob and Greg calling the architect on the job. So this is always an exciting point we actually do damage to your house yes David how long have you lived here we've been here about ten years."

" We've moved here from the city. We loved the area we love the home. And we've grown with the home you know spend very durable but we're at a point now with a new child where we're at making the decision whether we need to move to another place or adjust our living here."

" And now we're in in an area -- beltway around Boston where the technology. Industry is sort of driven real estate prices up through the roof it has that we've learned that with this house the original you know -- this house who is something we would only dream of now and that looking to move forward to another house it's. Possibly. You know something out of reach so we decided that we'd rather improve this we enjoy the neighborhood we enjoy the town -- it. And so that's the improvement here is mostly going to be interior redesign right Greg. Right and the the reason we're excavating is that you're creating a new mudroom anyway. When a wall space in the kitchen for cabinets I see if you get any plans we will look at yeah right over there. OK so what's that the footprint of the house it's such one above approximately 26 by thirty feet. So it's a small house two stories that total square footage is -- much over 2000 not even -- I think 1890s. Right. So explain this to us Greg we've got."

" Here's the existing house right well the hatched area right here is is -- the new addition. And it's right there will be where word. We have a new mud room. And there's an existing bathroom here which the clients had had requested to to maintain. So we've kept that. And since we are adding this new entrance sequence here in new deck this is the corner where we just saw the excavation right correct yes. And then we are adding this large deck area here which serves as a transition between the the public rooms in the house -- in the landscape and this this nice gazebo. Here in their backyard sure he spent a lot of time and this is."

" After all the 1890s which even in a modest house like this one the being the lifestyle was such that kitchen areas and backyards were really service areas -- entertain there. How much landing path we have just under an acre. Nice and it's land that's sloping away towards a stream there's a brook in the back chances of growth so that. Although our Summers are brief here in New England still it's a very very attractive -- attack it is yes so tell us about the orientation of this. Deck and the size of it."

" Welded the house itself has. It has this Linear. Plan basically there's a the kitchen dining room in this bay window and I took that. Linear organization and ends. Replicated that with the deck. And we have a local landscape over here in the side yard that's fairly large -- mean it's not used very often. Because there are no doors that that -- access that that portion of the property. He's always done is created this deck for entertaining in and had we're actually grating up the yard. And -- and we have three steps that step down into that that side property. So raining or make it more useful -- general re landscape."

" So that when you're you're done you won't really have a big grade difference between the top of the deck and write the grass."

" Corrects and we have three risers for the stair which is sound. Maximum on a series that you can use without having rails season exactly now what about. The cost of something like this is that it I mean it's basically a kitchen remodel a little add on and a big backyard deck."

" Well with the home prices going up as well on the you can imagine the remodeling prices are are also not as cheap as one would have hoped but. We have a budget in place between seventy to 85000. Dollars to use this. Well David's going to be great little project is going to be our dream house. "

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