What was lacking from this waterfront Victorian the minute we stepped through the front door was the connection from front to back through to the Atlantic Ocean. Like many houses of its time, all living areas were closed off by narrow cased openings or doorways. An ill-designed existing structure off the rear not only disrupted the flow on the interior, but also lacked continuity on the exterior. Razing this form and moving the existing stairs helped to seamlessly tie in the house as a whole. The existing stair location was restricting our two main focuses: open concept and continuous site lines from front to back. With the shift, it allowed us to isolate the stairs in its own mass that started to change the appearance of the house from all sides. This gave us the continuity we were looking for on the exterior while creating the opportunity to begin to open the main living areas to maximize the oceanfront view.

On the exterior, an existing sunroom off the front that seemed to lack functionality was repurposed into a farmer's porch, and all new siding and windows gave the house a facelift out of the early 1900s. With all these decisions, and a great design team, this transformed house now sits as if it has always been there, creating a sense of living from today's standards while still holding onto that historic Victorian charm.

Other Credits

Builder: DiPierro & Brown Construction

Interior Designer: Kelly Boucher

Photography: Damianos Photography