Photos courtesy of Daniel Feldkamp
Collamore Built gutted the kitchen, reconfiguring some cabinets and custom building others to match, and installing new red oak floors in a herringbone pattern. A window and steel door were removed in favor of a 10-foot-wide bank of windows.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Feldkamp
The original rail and Newel posts on the stairs were refinished.
A whole-house remodel is always a significant undertaking, but when that house is almost 130 years old – well, it certainly doesn’t make things any easier.
Of course, when Collamore Built was contacted by the owners of an 1890-built Victorian home in Merion Village, just outside the boundaries of German Village, the company didn’t know it would be entirely reworking the house.
“We were originally hired to add a master bath and closet, and it just grew from there to the entire house,” says Collamore Built owner Justin Collamore.
Ensuring the house’s new look is congruent with its historical character was a high priority for the company, which worked to make sure building materials and visual details were period-appropriate – refinishing or repurposing existing trim and moldings, brick and doors moved from old locations to new ones that made more sense with the remodel, original cast iron registers used for new HVAC locations, etc.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Feldkamp
Photos courtesy of Daniel Feldkamp
Photos courtesy of Daniel Feldkamp
Photos courtesy of Daniel Feldkamp
“We really do kind of specialize in work on older homes,” Collamore says.
The remodel was completed in phases. The interior component was completed this past fall, and Collamore Built rebuilt the entire garage in the spring.
The project won a national Contractor of the Year award through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and the house appeared on the Home Improvement Tour organized by the local NARI chapter in May.
Garth Bishop is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
