The old town house
An historic preservation and remodel project in King and Queen County, Virginia
the challenge
The Old Town House, built in the 1830s, had seen few updates since the 1950s. When the current owners purchased the property, they were faced with the monumental task of restoring the sinking, twisted foundation, updating the home for energy efficiency and “honoring the history” of the home while creating functional spaces for entertaining, both outside and inside.
The homeowners searched for a contractor who echoed their passion for their historical property and who was able to meet the high standards of construction quality, while listening to their needs.
“We interviewed a couple different people and we felt really comfortable that Michael understood what we wanted to do. We wanted to honor the old house, but wanted the updates to blend seamlessly with the older structure, improved energy efficiency and lower maintenance as we get older. We just knew that the house was in good hands and felt like Michael loves our house as much as we do. ”
The Solution
Storybound Construction, Inc. met with and communicated with the homeowners often, fostering a working relationship built on trust. The Storybound team stayed on-site during the project, while the homeowners lived off-site in Virginia Beach, to ensure that the project maintained the highest of construction standards and stayed on track. The full scope of the project included the addition of bathrooms, an open floor plan kitchen/family room space, new screened-in porch with ample room for musical performances, updates for energy efficiency and the repurposing of a number of historic pieces.
“I wanted to repurpose older pieces of the home in other ways throughout the project. The wainscoting that is in the new addition, was the paneling from the old kitchen. The sink that the former owners installed in the former kitchen was re-powdered and turned into the sink for the laundry room. The mantelpiece from the old family room was reused in the new family room.”
The Result
With the updates to the energy efficiency of the home, the homeowners have noticed a dramatic difference in the monthly bills, they’re able to hold “music circles” on their screened in porch and can easily accommodate family & friends for extended stays. The homeowners have a deeper love and appreciation for their home, having seen it go through such a wonderful transformation and the experience was just as educational as it was inspirational. Their high standards for quality construction were met by the experience and passion of the Storybound Construction, Inc. team and they are excited to begin working with Storybound on the next phase of their home’s story.
“Over the process, we discovered so much that we didn’t know about the home. It was incredibly interesting and it was fascinating getting to see how the house was built. We knew the things that everyone was originally telling us about the construction of the house but, with Michael’s help, we learned that it was actually constructed in a completely different way.”