This couple was also eager to renovate their cramped and dated kitchen. Storage and work surface were concentrated to one side, leaving the other underutilized. Access to the space was indirect, and a peninsula on legs gave up storage space while being too narrow to provide functional seating.
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The constricted garage entry of this 1960s split level home was a daily source of frustration for our clients. With little storage and no place to sit down, getting their two young kids out the door each day had become a thankless chore. Also, the closest bathroom was two half flights up from the entry, making comings and goings even more onerous.
Jump to GalleryA third priority was fixing their heating system. The couple had taken initial steps towards decarbonizing their home by insulating their walls through the Mass Save program and installing whole house heat pumps. They kept their oil boiler for back-up heat and hot water but hoped they could do without oil heat except on the coldest days of the year. Instead, they found that they had to routinely run the boiler during the winter to stay comfortable.
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Interior designer Annie Chow made a series of small adjustments to create a more functional and spacious entry and mudroom. First, she moved the wall and door to the garage to gain more floor space at the entry. Then, she widened the opening to the existing laundry room off the entry and reprogrammed most of that space for a proper mudroom with built-in bench and storage. Finally, she took over the closet from the adjacent office for the laundry and a new powder room. What had formerly been a major pinch point was now a delightful, light-filled space that served multiple purposes with ease.
In the kitchen, Annie made the most of the available space by capturing a formerly blank wall for...
She also improved access by shifting the doorway and pivoting it ninety degrees. This shift created a direct view from the main living level through the kitchen to the outdoors – brightening up a dark and confining space. She replaced the narrow peninsula on legs with a full-cabinet depth peninsula suitable for seating and storage. At the same time, she expertly avoided unnecessary costs by keeping the sink and range in their existing locations (swapping out the range for an induction cooktop).
Our blower door and infrared inspection revealed additional opportunities to improve the building shell, most notably in the attic, the garage ceiling, and the brick walls at the front of the house. We coordinated with Mass Save to address these areas as part of our project, resulting in an overall reduction in air leakage of 15%.
The air handler was in the attic above the thermal boundary, and its ducts – originally installed for central air conditioning and retained by the heat pump installer to save costs – were leaky and improperly sized. We built an insulated head house for the air handler, replaced ductwork as needed, and properly sealed all the ductwork. We then conducted leakage and flow tests to confirm the system was properly installed and balanced.
While the homeowners elected to hang on to their oil boiler for now, they hope that the envelope and mechanical improvements will render back-up heat unnecessary. Once the boiler goes, the last step in their decarbonization journey will be to install an electric (probably heat pump) water heater. And with that, they’ll have brought their mid-twentieth century home up to twenty-first century standards for both livability and sustainability.
Kitchen
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Mudroom
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