In October 2015, Nick and Kristen Swain knew they were in trouble when they attended an open house in New Albany and fell in love.
Kristen says the family was in no position to move or buy a house at the time, but were overwhelmed by how much they loved the jigsaw-puzzle house.
In March 2016, the Swains made an offer and that April the family moved into their dream home.
“We’re not leaving anytime soon,” Kristen says.
The property had a rich history before it was a family home. The house is estimated to have been built in 1805 because of
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its walk-in fireplace that was only built in the United States between 1800-1810.
According to Kristen, the property was built on a land grant plot from the Revolutionary War with wood entirely from the first residents’ family mill. The family had two sons and two daughters, and when the parents passed, one of the sons built an addition to the house that he taught school out of – hence the school bell that still sits on top of the house.
Tyler Swartzmiller, principal designer at Haus Studio, says the property was purchased and turned into a law office in the mid-1800s before it was changed one final time into a private residence in the early 1900s.
Despite their love-at-first-sight reaction to the home, the Swains knew they would soon be facing a major renovation. The kitchen was tiny, and for a family with two kids that also likes to host family gatherings, this was a non-negotiable.
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after renovations
“No matter how big the house is, everyone just stands in the kitchen. At any party, any family gathering, we’re all just standing around this tiny little island and no one can open a drawer to throw away the trash,” Kristen says.
Kristen’s brother-in-law’s boss recommended Swartzmiller to the Swains. They called him in December 2022 and started renovations in the middle of February 2023. The $180,000 project wrapped up last summer in July.
The Swains tasked Swartzmiller with updating the house to give it a more modern feel while keeping the charm of a 200-year-old house. The age also brought challenges regarding the structure of the house. Swartzmiller’s team had to go down to the bare bones of the house and rebuild it back up to support the weight of the new appliances and cabinets they were bringing in.
He calls it the “Frankenstein house,” because the additions made throughout the years made the house feel like a bunch of different pieces all over the place.
“It was like we were constructing a puzzle without having the picture,” Swartzmiller says.
Whole New Home
The Swains wanted to make the kitchen feel integrated and like the center of the house, despite it being an addition. They were using their laundry room as a bar during parties, so they made it an official bar space and relocated the laundry room. The rest of the renovations included taking down walls to combine rooms to make the house feel whole, and adding a pantry.
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renovation kitchen
“It’s a home now. We created a space where they can all come over and they can all hang out and be together,” Swartzmiller says.
The house is 4,400 square feet, but Kristen says it never felt that big pre-renovation because of the odd composition of the rooms. Her brother-in-law and his four kids live across the creek, and Kristen says there are 10-17 people constantly in their house.
“The original layout was very choppy and closed off. Everyone fit but no one was together,” she says.
Kristen describes their previous kitchen as being “very dark, no windows with a sink looking at a corner.” The renovations turned the space around and created a more positive environment.
“The lack of space always felt cluttered and claustrophobic. It was depressing. The reno has given us more natural light, room to give all our kitchen supplies a home. Organization is key,” she says.
The new space is integral in Kristen’s life as she prioritizes cooking healthy meals for her family. She says it’s therapeutic for her and enables her to be present and focused.
“We prefer to cook so we can control what goes into the food and tend to swap for healthier ingredients and options,” she says.
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kitchen
While Kristen is a cook, her daughters – Marcella, 10, and Maren, 6 – love to bake. Having a bigger kitchen has helped Kristen connect more with her daughters.
“Every week we’re making banana bread or cupcakes or something along those lines and they are getting more involved in it which I love because there’s actually space to teach them how to do it now,” Kristen says.
It was important to both Kristen and Swartzmiller that the original character of the house was preserved through the renovation process. There’s an original fireplace in every room and they kept the wooden beams in the ceiling decorated with Roman numerals untouched.
“I love antiques, I love vintage,” Kristen says. “I love all the things and there’s just something about it that feels loved and lived in and worn and you can’t replicate it in a new build for sure.”
Ava Huelskamp is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
