ABOUT

State-of-the-Art Victorian Restoration

The house was built in 1888 and in 2012 was gutted to its skeletal frame, structurally reinforced and essentially rebuilt as new.  For example, there isn’t an inch of old electrical wiring or plumbing pipe anywhere in the house and the house now has state-of-the-art mechanical, heating and cooling and electrical systems.

All of the original Victorian design features have been restored and/or replicated with high-quality materials inside and outside of the house.  Most of the original interior woodwork has been restored, including the pocket doors in the living room, the stairway between the first and second floors, the fireplace mantel on the second floor, and the wood-trimmed windows, doorways and baseboards throughout the house.  All of the original exterior woodwork has been replicated, including the decorative skirt surrounding the entire house and the decorative railings on the various exterior balconies.

The house has abundant natural light that comes through extra-large windows.  Electric light is provided by wall sconces and ceiling fixtures, and there is ample recessed lighting that provides additional ambient and accent lighting.  Almost all of the lights are controlled by dimmer switches.  In addition, most of the light fixtures contain long-lasting LED light bulbs in order to reduce energy costs.

Smart Home

The house is wired as a "smart" home.  Cable, phone and internet service originate at the utility pole located in the neighbor's backyard and wires pass through underground conduit into a communications room located in the basement.  Cable, phone and internet lines are distributed from the communications room to other rooms throughout the house (each room has at least one wall outlet containing phone, cable and CAT6 computer wiring).

Audio and video lines are distributed from the communications room to other rooms in the house.  There are 12 pairs of high-quality, 8” Definitive Technology speakers located throughout the interior of the house, as well as a pair of high quality speakers on each of the family room and master bedroom decks.  The third floor and the basement have each been wired to accommodate the installation of a surround sound home entertainment system.  All audio and video components can be wired so that every source component and every output component can be controlled by a cell phone, a computer, an iPad etc.

The house contains an alarm system monitored by Universal Security that provides security and fire detection.  Finally, the front, back and basement doors, as well as the garage, have each been wired to a Backstreet surveillance security camera system located in the communications room.

In addition, there is a RING Video Doorbell wired to each of the front and back doors

 

Features

The kitchen has:

  • high-quality cabinets that have in-cabinet and under-cabinet lighting;

  • granite counter tops;

  • a 42"-wide, stainless-steel Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer;

  • a 36"-wide, 6-burner Wolf gas range/oven with a stainless steel exhaust hood;

  • a 10"-deep, 15" by 25" stainless steel sink with a garbage disposal;

  • under-sink garbage and recycling containers;

  • a Miele dishwasher;

  • a 30"-wide Wolf electric oven;

  • a 24"-wide Wolf microwave; and

  • a 37" by 63" granite Island with space for under-counter seating.

The family room has:

  • wiring to accommodate a large screen television on the south wall;

  • double doors opening onto a 15' by 12' deck with stairs that lead to the backyard; and

  • a mudroom with a separate door and a landing with stairs leading to the backyard and garage.

The wet bar adjacent to the living room and dining room has:

  • a bar sink with a granite countertop;

  • a 15" U-Line ice maker;

  • a 15" U-Line refrigerator; and

  • ample space in three cabinets, one of which is a glass cabinet with in-cabinet and under-cabinet lighting.

The master bedroom suite has:

  • a walk-in closet including two chests of drawers and ample hanging and shelf space;

  • a Carrara marble bathroom that has a whirlpool tub and a glass shower stall with rain and steam showers in addition to a standard shower;

  • wiring to accommodate a large screen television on the south wall of the bedroom and a small television on the north wall of the bathroom; and

  • a wrap-around deck off the bedroom that provides easy outside access with southern and eastern sun exposure.

Other bedrooms, closets and bathrooms have:

  • 24 linear feet of hanging space;

  • granite countertops;

  • high-quality plumbing fixtures (Toto, Kohler and Grohe); and

  • attractive wall and floor tiles.

The large coffee bar on the third floor has:

  • a bar sink with a granite countertop; and

  • a 24" U-Line refrigerator.

Unusual storage space includes:

  • a closet located under the stairs in the basement;

  • a cabinet located under the stairs going from the basement to the first floor;

  • two cabinets located under the stairs going from the first floor to the second floor; and

  • secured external storage located:

    1. under the deck off the family room, which is lighted and protected from water, and

    2. under the stairs from the mudroom to the driveway.

The 12' by 20' garage located behind the house at the end of the brick driveway has:

  • interior lights and power outlets;

  • an automatic garage door;

  • light fixtures on the front of the garage that are operated by a light sensor; and

  • a light fixture on the south side of the garage that is operated by a motion detector.

Energy Savings and Comfort

The roof, exterior walls, foundation walls, and the entire basement floor are all very well insulated, which reduces energy costs and provides extraordinary comfort throughout the house.

The roof consists of the following materials from top to bottom:

  • standing-seam metal roofing that reflects sunlight and dissipates heat quickly;

  • 5/8” plywood;

  • a 1½” airspace;

  • 3" rigid foam insulation;

  • 5/8" plywood; and

  • 2" x 8" rafters filled with rolled fiberglass insulation.

The exterior walls consist of the following materials from outside to inside:

  • 1/2" cedar siding;

  • Tyvek;

  • rigid foam insulation (1½” from the foundation up until the bottom of the decorative skirt and 1" in the skirt and above);

  • 5/8" fire-rated, external drywall;

  • 7/8" tongue and groove wood planks;

  • 3½” double-studded frame filled with stone installation; and

  • 5/8" drywall.

The front door is a new, high-quality Simpson product and all of the other doors and the windows are new, high-quality, energy-efficient Marvin products.

The foundation walls in the basement are insulated with stone insulation.  In addition, the foundation wall has been tarred and sealed with a plastic lining to help prevent water seepage into the house.

The entire basement floor, which contains a radiant heating system in the concrete portion of the floor, consists of the following materials from the deepest point in the ground to the inside flooring:

  • 3" of crushed gravel;

  • 3" rigid foam insulation;

  • 5" of concrete; and

  • carpet or slate tile.

Plumbing System

The water service from the city comes through 1½” piping (supplying 4 times the amount of water provided by the 3/4" piping that was replaced and 2 1/4 times the amount of water provided by the 1" piping that is often used today) to ensure there is enough water for multiple showers and other uses occurring at the same time.  There is a whole-house water filtration system (with 1.5" piping) located in the utility room in the basement that supplies filtered water to every faucet throughout the house.  There is a recirculation loop running from the basement to the master bathroom on the second floor to ensure hot water flows at each fixture within moments after opening the hot water faucets.

There are two sump pump systems in the basement that are designed to prevent flooding. The first sump pump collects water from the periphery of the house through piping that loops both the exterior and the interior of the foundation wall.  The second sump pump collects water from the plumbing fixtures on the basement level of the house and pumps it up to ceiling height in the basement and then down into the city sewer system.

Natural Gas System

Natural gas is provided to:

  • the HVAC systems in the basement and on the third floor;

  • the backup generator on an "if-needed" basis;

  • the boiler supplying radiant floor heating and domestic hot water;

  • the gas lines in the fireplaces in the living room and in the bedroom/den in the southwest corner of the second floor; and

  • the family room deck for an outdoor grill.

Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning System

There are two HVAC systems in the house.  The system located in the basement serves the basement and the first floor.  The system located on the third floor serves the second and third floors.  Each system consists of:

  • a high-tech Honeywell thermostat; and

  • the following high-quality Trane components:

    1. a 90K-btu furnace;

    2. a 3-ton condenser;

    3. an electrostatic air filter; and

    4. a humidifier.

Each room in the house has at least one HVAC supply line (each of which has an inline damper and an adjustable grill at the end of the line) and, except in the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms, each room has at least one HVAC return line.  The abundance of supply and return lines helps reduce energy costs and helps equalize temperature and humidity levels throughout the house.

There is a radiant floor heating system installed throughout the basement that takes the chill out of the basement floor during winter months and can be used to heat the basement as well.

The kitchen and bathrooms each has a high-quality, high-volume, quiet-operation exhaust fan.

Finally, the living room and the bedroom/den in the southwest corner of the second floor each has a fireplace that can be operated as a faux-log, gas fireplace or as a wood burning fireplace with a gas starter bar.

Electrical System

Electrical service is provided to the house through underground conduit, which avoids unsightly wires hanging over the back yard and deck.  A 200-amperage service, 56 separate circuits and a 17-kw backup generator have all been installed to ensure continuous, ample power for the home.  Electric lighting is provided throughout the house as described above.

Four 1½” conduit channels are contained within the walls from the roof line to the communications room in the basement to accommodate the future installation of a rooftop solar energy system, if it ever becomes economically justified.

Finally, electric heat is supplied to the gutters and downspouts around the house to help reduce the formation of destructive and dangerous ice and snow mounds.

Central Vacuum System

There is an Electrolux central vacuum system installed in the basement with suction lines and sockets distributed throughout the house for ease of use.