It took seven years of waiting, but after seven months of hard work, homeowners Patrick and Liz Sheehan now have the house they’d always envisioned: one with old character combined with a new layout and updated systems. “It’s actually better than we imagined,” says Patrick, who wasn’t sure at the outset whether they would be able to address all the house’s issues in one go. Adds Liz: “The new open plan gives us that ideal gathering space, where we can be in the kitchen but also see what the kids are doing in the living area or backyard.”
Loving both the neighborhood and Victorian-era houses, Patrick and Liz had purchased the 3,000 square foot house in 2017 with the intention of renovating to solve its various issues. The cramped kitchen didn’t have enough room to gather and there was no mudroom, which was desperately needed to store sports gear for the house’s hockey players. There was only one full bathroom on the second floor, which the parents and the kids had to share. The house’s poor heat distribution warmed some spots in the house but not others. And, finally, the yard was teeming with overgrown plants and didn’t have enough lawn for a family with three sons.
Despite the problematic issues, the house itself was a gem and Liz and Patrick wanted to keep its original character and details. Built in 1896, the house is a Suburban Victorian—which is a simpler Victorian than the better-known Queen Anne—but it still features a steeply pitched roof, an expansive front porch, multiple bay windows, and large front-facing dormers.
Renovation plans had to be put on hold, however, due to COVID-19 and family concerns. Liz and Patrick’s oldest son was diagnosed with leukemia—he has thankfully fully recovered. Then, they also welcomed their third son into the world in 2024. So the family certainly had their hands full.
Getting the Right Renovation Team
Once they were ready to start thinking about renovating again, Liz and Patrick turned to architect Marcus Springer for a new layout and to TOH house builder Charlie Silva to bring the plans to life. The renovation was documented during TOH TV’s Season 47.
To create the open kitchen-living area and new primary suite that were at the top of Liz and Patrick’s wish list, the architect’s plan focused on a modest rear addition—it augmented the basement, first, and second floors each by a mere 200 square feet—but completely transformed the house’s layout.
Says Charlie Silva: “There were three things that had a tremendous impact on this renovation: a relatively small rear addition that actually made a huge difference; bringing in a 24-foot-long steel beam to support the open-plan layout; and removing an old unused chimney and fireplace.”
Creating a Functional Formal Living Space
The transformed first floor now has the formal-in-front, casual-in-back arrangement that Liz wanted. Whereas the formal dining room was previously located at the back of the house in a defined room adjacent to the small kitchen, now it is one of the two rooms at the front of the house and adjacent to the parlor. “I really like having these formal rooms next to each other, the first thing you see when you come in the front door,” says Liz. Although the parlor itself received very little work during the renovation, Charlie did a crucial fix to level the buckling floor near the room’s street-facing bay window.
In an example of cherishing the house’s original Victorian-era details, Liz and Patrick asked that a built-in breakfront be moved from the back of the house to a niche carved out by Charlie in the new dining room. Once in place, the breakfront was given a thorough refinishing by TOH painter Mauro Henrique, who restored the piece’s original luster.
Expanding the Kitchen-Living Area
The back half of the first floor features the much-desired open kitchen-living area made possible by removing several walls and installing a steel support beam. The focal point for the new kitchen is a 10-foot-long island, positioned so prep work can be done facing the living area. Liz wanted a timeless look for the kitchen, in keeping with the period charm of the house, and chose custom-made wood cabinets in a warm white finish with bronze door pulls. An induction cooktop with electric oven, large built-in fridge-freezer, and a coffee bar in a purpose-built closet were choices made for performance, while still complementing the overall traditional look. And for the countertops, they settled on quartz: “It’s good to have something three boys can’t damage,” says Liz.
Mudroom Where It’s Needed
Equally important to the open kitchen-living area in terms of addressing the family’s lifestyle is the mudroom at the rear of the house, in the newly added square footage. “We never had enough storage for all the gear,” says Patrick, himself a lifelong hockey player. Walls lined with benches, hooks, and built-in cubbies offer storage and a drop zone right inside the new rear deck and back door, near the driveway. A powder room was built just off the mudroom, convenient to the backyard.
New Primary Suite and More
Upstairs, the rear addition made way for the new primary bath, containing a luxurious tiled shower, soaking tub, double sinks, and separate closets—a vast improvement over the old layout, which had no full bath for Liz and Patrick at all. “It is great to have our own suite now, and not have the family sharing one bath,” says Liz.
The second-floor rear addition also made room for an updated bedroom for Declan, 18, and a totally new full bath on the second floor that will be shared by Declan and Ronan, nearly 2. The other teenager in the house, Brendan, 16, has a bedroom and bath on the third floor, which were not part of the renovation.
Removing an Unused Chimeny
Charlie’s suggestion that they remove an unused chimney, rather than wall around it, made way for a welcome perk: a bigger second-floor laundry room with space for a utility sink. “The floor plan is so much better without it,” says Charlie, noting that on the first floor, removing the chimney created more floor space for navigating from the dining room to the living area.
Smarter Systems and Envelope
Bringing comfort to the Victorian-era house involved several smart solutions for mechanicals, ductwork, insulation, and exterior elements. “I loved the fact that we were able to reuse the 12-year-old gas furnace but modify the ductwork and add zoning to make the system deliver heat and conditioned air much more efficiently,” says TOH plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey. The team hid new ductwork in dining room bookcases and second-floor corner chases, creating two zones on the first floor and second floor. They also added insulation in the attic and a new efficient inverter heat pump there as well, creating a zone devoted to the third floor.
Adding to the comfort factor are the new windows for the entire house and new manufactured-wood clapboard siding, the latter added after removing layers that included deteriorating aluminum siding and cedar shingles. Although the windows and siding weren’t in the original scope of the renovation, the homeowners were swayed by the benefits. “With so much work going on, it just made sense to do it all now, saving us money in the long run,” says Patrick.
More Useable Backyard
Outdoors, a key goal for Patrick was to remove overgrown plants and trees to minimize maintenance. Working with TOH landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, the homeowners removed a messy river birch tree, an abandoned frog pond, and a deteriorating pergola and also relocated an overgrown rhododendron from the front of the house to the backyard. They added boxwood foundation plantings in front and an expanse of sod in the back, as well as laid a new brick patio. “There is so much more yard for the boys now,” says Patrick, “and with the patio, we are much more likely to sit out here, eat meals, and spend more time outside.”
Old and New
Throughout the house, original elements were preserved for their Victorian-era charm. Liz was steadfast about keeping a quirky three-steps-up, three-steps-down passageway from the front parlor to the kitchen: “It’s one of the original details and I love the character,” says Liz. Although Charlie installed new quartersawn rift white oak flooring throughout the first floor, he worked to preserve as much of the original fir flooring on the second floor as possible. Bay windows still grace the parlor and living area, and the front door is original, refreshed with new stain and new door hardware.
“We bought this house partly because of all the old details,” says Liz, “and now we have that charming house with so many big improvements.” Adds Patrick: “We added only 600 square feet, but the entire house feels like it has a new configuration. It was a long time coming, but boy are we glad we did it.”
