Background

When this circa 1840s carriage house was purchased in the center of town, its new owners knew it had plenty of problems. Not only was it poorly sited on the lot, the building had sat vacant and neglected for years and was in pretty rough shape overall. Where others saw a tear-down, however, they saw potential, and they called North River Builders to help.

The Renovation

Once the pre-construction planning phase was complete and with permitting and approvals in hand, we began relocating the building onto a nicely-sited brand-new foundation; then, we fully renovated the interior and exterior, including installing all-new systems throughout. We took care to preserve any original house elements that could be saved. The house-moving crew did a fantastic job – not only did the original chimneys and fireplaces survive the move completely unscathed, the majority of the interior plaster remained crack-free and was left in place. While the renovated home now has the efficiency and conveniences of a newly built home, the owners were interested in preserving the details of the original building. This attention to detail is apparent throughout the house, down to the new foundation, which we clad with hand-split granite slabs to match the original stone foundation.

Many thanks to the owners for saving an antique building and helping preserve the historic flavor of the neighborhood in the process.