I can relate to the ‘crack den’ comment on the architect’s website as this is basically what my house was when I bought it and began renovating 6 years ago. The idea of renovating old houses with modern interiors is very fun – and guilt free if it was a run down old dump to begin with! Check out those downspouts too! I love them! I can’t stop using exclamation points!

From Platform 5: Mapledene Road is situated in a conservation area in Hackney. The property had been stripped of virtually all its period features and had become run down and used as a “crack den” leaving it ripe for modernisation. The cellular ground floor was opened up and extended to the rear to allow the spaces to flow into each other and to the garden. The kitchen and patio areas are unified by a concrete floor and London stock brick garden wall. The expansive glass roof opens up the view to the sky giving the space an external character.The project has been shortlisted for the RIBA Awards, AJ Small Projects Awards and the Grand Designs Awards 2009.

Platform 5 Hackney House Extension

I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me – and I’m sure that brings a tear to your eye, but I have a fabulous “Home of The Week” for you. There are a lot of cute homes in “JP” no doubt. Every once in a while you come across an owner who has that special talent for design. That’s Anna. She’s sharp as a whip and a bit of a Super Mom.

Open dining and kitchen

I’m not really sure how she managed a career, pregnancy and this stint as General Contractor, but she did – and it’s smashing.

From the street, this fashionable home on Plainfield St. is an unassuming Colonial, not unlike other single families in Jamaica Plain. Although it has a large yard and beautiful landscaping (you wouldn’t know it right now as it’s hidden under a layer of snow) you might not give it a lot of thought if you were walking by. However, behind the front door is an attention to detail and design seldom seen.

Anna had some help from her hubby Edward, but I think even he would give her the lion share of credit for this enormous undertaking. I sat with them recently at the robust dining table and talked about the work they had done. I got woozy. Much of the work that Anna did took place behind the walls. This isn’t just a little icing on a cake. She engineered this home top to bottom. Feel free to grab us at the open house Dec 13th (11:30a-1:30p) and we’ll tell  you all about that, but for now I’ll show you the fun stuff.

You enter a pretty common foyer with a set of stairs up and a doorway to the kitchen – which is uncommon. It’s kind of hard to describe Anna’s style but I guess you could call it Danish Modern.

Custom cabs, honed granite & fab apps

There’s just the right mix of mod light fixtures and Italian tile with warm wooden furniture and European decor. The powder blue cabinets are the first thing you notice. They look sturdy and significant – not the normal stock. It turns out that Anna had them custom finished because she couldn’t find something she liked that was mass produced. This is the kind of kitchen where you can make a serious meal and entertain a large group of people. The massive center island houses a Dacor range and a stainless steel vent hood hangs down from the ceiling. The honed granite counters contrast perfectly with the modern cabinets and the sleek tile backsplash. The wall oven and microwave are also Dacor and there’s a ginormous Amana fridge that could hold provisions for an army. It’s all well lit with recessed lighting and plenty of great natural light.

One of my favorite features of this home is the half flight up, half flight down design of the living and family rooms. It gives you easy and immediate access to both but provides enough separation that guests wont hear pots and pans banging while they’re conversing or watching the game, but getting food and drinks back and forth is a snap. Also, as those with kids would appreciate, mom or dad can easily keep an eye on the kids without having them underfoot during food prep or adult convos.  In the photo above, the door on the left goes up to the more formal living room, while the door on the right goes down a half flight to a family room.

Master bath

This was originally designed as a master suite. It is expansive and has french doors out to a very private patio on one side and sleek, narrow windows on the other that afford a little more privacy while allowing natural light to flood the room. The bathroom that ajoins this space is rich. Upon opening the door you are enveloped in cool green mosaic-like tiles and and a timeless marble floor. It’s not that thin, slippery, cheap stuff. It has a real permanence to it. The bathrooms in this home, in general, are amazing and will all look great in 20 years. The design is classic and solid. It’s the kind of materials you might see in a Gropius house or the like.

This space also has good storage and a laundry closet. It’s currently used as a family room where little Archie and Harrison can play without being out of earshot and mommy’s watchful eye. It’s even big enough to make into an au pair suite or an in-law when you need help with the kids. (That’s one lucky nanny.)

A half flight up from the kitchen is the formal living room. It has a cavernous volume to it. Cathedral ceilings slope down to a modern fireplace surrounded by a sophisticated, neutral tile.

Living room

Master bed or family room?

The combined open kitchen/dining, living room and family room are enough space to have a very large group of people without anyone feeling like they’re bumping into each other.

Off the foyer and the kitchen you’ll find another stunning full bathroom, mud room, closet (formerly used as a study!) and a door leading out to the deck and another large patio.

Anna put more work and money into her bathrooms than most people put into their whole house. Both of the lower level baths have showers with a simple glass panel and a tile ridge to keep the water in. The faucetry throughout the home is all the very best money can buy – each fixture, each faucet making a subtle, sophisticated statement.

The upstairs bath is a Zen paradise. The focal point of the room is a beautiful soaking tub with sleek, modern lines that contrasts remarkably with the slate floor. All the baths have undergone a full transition with recessed lights and touches that indicate this was no “once over” renovation.

Upstairs bath with sleek soaking tub

There is a landing at the top of the stairs with three bedrooms off of it and the bath I just described.  The largest of the upstairs rooms is currently used as the master. Anna & Edward outfitted this room with a fantastic closet, of course. The second bedroom is quite large as well and the third upstairs room is a perfect room for a child or a nursery.

There is multi-zoned heating and air conditioning throughout the home and all sorts of electrical and plumbing upgrades.

If you’re not familiar with the Parkside Neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, the name kind of says it all. To the North is a beautiful park bordering Williams Street and Dungarven Road. There are vegetable plots there and the neighborhood folks sometimes use it for pot lucks and such. Just a block away at the corner of Rossmore Road and Stedman Street you’ll find a brand new tot lot completely outfitted with state-of-the-art play structures and a bouncy soft ground material. Two blocks to the east is Franklin Park which is home to America’s oldest zoo and golf course and some fantastic trails. I often ride my bike there. Recently a friend showed my some great foraging opportunities just minutes from the entrance and my daughter loves to go geocaching and letterboxing there as well. I hope you can make it by our open house on Sunday. Of course call if you have any questions. 617-828-7956 or www.TheBostonHomeTeam.com for a virtual tour.

If you’re interested in whats happening in the building industry or looking for that new, cutting edge product you’d better mosey over to Boston Build 2009 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston from November 18th-20th. You can visit the exhibit hall only for about $15 or register for work shops, symposiums and tours which cost starting around $150. There is an entire range of options.

This directly from the website, “Build Boston is the largest regional convention and tradeshow for the design and construction industry. In this 25th anniversary year, over 250 exhibits fill the tradeshow floor and more than 200 workshops, tours and other professional development and networking events are offered. More than 10,000 building industry professionals from 43 states and 19 countries attended last year’s event.

There’s something for everyone at Build Boston — building owners/managers, architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, design and construction firm administrators, landscape architects and all professionals, interns and students with an interest in the built environment.

This year, three keynote speakers, seven one-day symposiums and dozens of alumni receptions, building industry dinners and special tradeshow events are planned.

View the show information online, download the full conference program or request a hard-copy brochure and start planning your Build Boston 2009 experience today.

I promised a follow-up on my neighbor’s roofing job so here it is. In my last post I used the analogy of a box of Cracker Jacks (referring to the surprises) and this job has been nothing but a surprise. We left off last with Josh, Bill & Ted frantically tarping the roof in a downpour with upside down smiles. We pick up today with a new surprise.

Exposing the Mansard hip

The fellas decided to start work on the hip, fascia and soffit of the roof apparently to avoid some of the exposure to the rain, but maybe also because they needed to deal with the area where the hip meets the top part of the roof. The knuckleheads who had put on the last roof had wrapped the top edge right over the hip. No trim board – nothing. Anyway, as the guys peeled away the old fascia, they saw a lot of rot. Most of the boards that hold the gently curving boards that create the Mansard contour were either totally or in part rotted. These will all need new boards “sistered” to them so the new fascia boards will stay in place.

Peeling off the Mansard hip shingles and sheeting

On this morning (I should have kept an exact timeline because the weather forced a lot of stops and starts – but I’m not that organized) Bill & Ted found that the sheating, although quite rotten, was no rose garden. Trying to pull off 135 year old wood while standing on a 12 inch platform is not fun. No real weight can be put on the board their feet are on as it is just nailed into old rotten wood.

Plaster and lath

The backside of the plaster and lath wall can be seen here nicely. They could have easily kicked right through to the rental unit if they had wanted. It’s really interesting to see how simple a house really is. We take them for granted when we’re inside and dry, but there’s very little real estate between us and a good bit of weather.

Josh's foot goes through the sheeting.

Josh’s foot passed through the sheeting somewhere near the chimney and it is decided that it needs to be completely replaced. The job is now 3-4 times bigger than it started. Hmmm, those clouds are looking dark aren’t they???

These poor guys got held up by rain and lots of set backs. In order to close up the gaping hole in the roof they had to work well after dusk by work light in order to get all the new sheeting on. The cold beer must’ve tasted pretty good that night.

The 1st row of felt paper goes on.

I think it’s actually starting to rain here – but the guys aren’t phased at this point. They’re rolling out the 1st line of felt paper. The outermost edge is a weather guard that is more durable than the subsequent rows. Mainly this protects the edge as it gets the most wear and the most weather.

Almost done with the felt paper.

Josh lays down on the job for a while as he tacks the felt paper up. You can see the sheen on the wood from the rain. It’s pretty slippery up there. Almost ready for the shingles – another day…

The first side gets shingles!

Josh’s crew nears the home stretch (for the top of the roof anyway) as they come around the second side with the shingles. Once the entire roof is covered they will still need to come back and do ridge vents. Next is the flashing on the chimney.

Josh flashes around the chimney.

An 8 inch or so piece of aluminum wraps around the chimney and then a row of shingles gets tacked snugly around it to keep the water out. Before he is done, Josh will have to use some heavy duty caulk and seal the top edge under the rubber flaps shown.

The Mansard hip gets insulation.

I almost forgot this picture. The hip is now totally exposed and this has given the guys the opportunity to insulate. This has all been a lot of work for them, but what a payoff the new roof and insulation will be. More to come…

Today I had the privilege of having a birds-eye-view of my neighbor (I’ll refer to him as Josh to protect his anonymity) roofing his own house. Josh purchased his home a couple years ago in less than perfect condition and has gone on to prove that this can often be a great way to enter an otherwise expensive market. Obviously one must be armed with a first hand knowledge of carpentry and home improvement or enough money to pay someone else – which as many of us know can sometimes end up worse than if we had just done it ourselves.

Josh perches precariously on a ladder

Josh has been slowly turning an ugly duckling into a bonafide gem. His latest effort is ambitious – a new roof. Keep in mind that our homes (they were probably built by the same builder and are certainly the same vintage) are roughly 135 years old. Pretty much every job is like a box of Cracker Jacks. There’s a surprise in there somewhere… and this project was no exception. I was able to stick my head out my kitchen window and monitor progress which I’m sure Josh appreciated immensely. I tried to lighten the dreariness of the day the best way I knew how – by being a Wisenheimer. At first I thought Josh was telling me I was “#1″ but quickly realized he was destined for victory [over the roof].

Josh & George install scaffolding

Josh was being helped today by his friends Bill & Ted. (Their names have also been changed to protect their anonymity.) Here they are installing scaffolding so they don’t fall off the roof as they remove the old shingles. I’m only mildly scared of heights, but this was making me quite nervous. Actually, I’m not nearly as scared of heights as I am of falling to my death – so it’s really all about security for me. Clearly Josh, Bill & Ted do not share this fear.

Josh harnesses to the chimney

There was some level of safety exercised however. Josh lashed the fellas to the 135 year old chimney with climbing gear. I thought this was a great idea and it made me feel much better until I remembered the old Warner Bros cartoons where Wiley Coyote would similarly lash himself to a tree or a rock outcropping only to fall to the canyon floor followed by the large, heavy object to make two successive poofs of dust, one for Wiley and the other, slightly larger poof for the very heavy object that usually pushed him 10 ft or so into the Earth’s crust. Seriously though, who doesn’t get an audible chuckle from the image of Wiley Coyote walking away, disgruntled, with his mid-section bobbing like an accordion? Anyway, Ted is beginning the process of prying off the old shingles and removing the nails. This is a filthy, hard job and it makes a BIG mess.

Josh, Bill & Ted start making progress as the rain starts

The guys really got down to business peeling off the shingles. This is when Josh found the surprise in the Cracker Jacks. Much of the roof sheating and fascia was practically dust on the top side. He had previously checked the condition from the attic and it looked great – but the top side wouldn’t likely hold nails any longer. He’s also planning on rebuilding a lot of the Mansard hip (the steeply sloped sides). As you can see, Josh’s job just got a lot bigger, and a lot more expensive. His house is getting an entirely new roof.

Josh inspects his 135 year old roof sheating

Josh is inspecting his antique roof sheating. Look closely at the veins in his forehead as he comes to terms with the fact that he is now going to have to hoist large sheets of plywood up onto his roof. Don’t forget he has to pry all this old wood off first which will leave the inside of his house open to the elements until he can seal it back up. Thankfully, his tenant lives on the second floor.

Josh & Bill brave the Tempest

Suddenly, without warning (except for the weather report) the rain really started coming down. Who would have thought – two surprises in one box of Cracker Jacks! Luckily I had a huge tarp to add to Josh’s collection and the guys frantically started to cover up the house. This was no easy job. Check out the driving rain and the look of grit determination on Bill’s face. They got it covered up in short time and now it looks like some of the houses from back home in the Ozark Mountains.

A hairnet for the house

The only problem with the tarps is that they are like big sails up there on the roof. They all have to be tacked down with furring strips. The surface was then so slippery that they had to tack in strips of wood like a ladder to climb up and down. It’s like a big residential rubber.

Bill & Ted clean up the mess

This kind of job makes a nasty mess. The little grit from the old shingles gets everywhere and the material is heavy and cumbersome. It would be interesting if someone could come up with use for all the old shingles in the world.

More on this adventure as it unfolds.