Before Emily and Nick Deldon bought the home that would become a featured This Old House television project, they spent ten years caught in a pattern of fruitless house hunting followed by furious renovating. They loved living in Arlington, Massachusetts, near extended family, but no amount of work could give their existing house the yard their daughter and their 120-pound Newfoundland needed to play. Nor could it move the house away from the busy street out front. So the Deldons shifted tactics. Instead of waiting for listings to appear, they walked older neighborhoods, identifying homes they would buy if those properties ever came to market. Their patience paid off when a 1909 Arts and Crafts house on a quiet road, set on a half-acre lot, became available in spring 2013. Every renovation project begins somewhere, and understanding Key Facts About Construction Project Life Cycle Phases In Life Cycle Of A Construction Project helps contextualize the journey the Deldons were about to begin.
Finding the Right Home and Recognizing Its Potential
As the real estate agent led the Deldons up the spongy porch steps that spring morning, the couple already knew the key statistics: 2,433 square feet, a half-acre lot, and a construction date of 1909. They had admired the house from the street many times, drawn to its steep roof lines, dormer windows, and period charm. What they did not yet know was the architectural style that gave the home its distinctive character. The steeply pitched roofs and stucco-and-half-timber detailing in the gables suggested Tudor influences. The heavy quartersawn oak front door and simple blocky interior moldings pointed toward Craftsman. The arched-top dormer and turned stair balusters added another layer of eclecticism. Emily later solved the mystery by Googling a neighborhood street name and discovering a town in England with the same name. Looking at photographs of English houses, she realized their home belonged to the Arts and Crafts tradition. While the Arts and Crafts movement is often associated with American interpretations such as Craftsman and Prairie styles, the movement actually began in mid-nineteenth-century England as a reaction against industrial mass production. In 1909, New England designers were still taking cues from across the Atlantic, which explains the blend of Tudor and Gothic motifs found in the Arlington house. For homeowners and builders interested in how thoughtful planning can guide a complex restoration, studying the Best Sustainability Development Project 2024 The Zero Waste Project offers valuable insights into resource-conscious construction approaches.
The front rooms of the house were lovely and spacious, with generous proportions that immediately felt right. But when the Deldons toured the back of the house, they encountered a problem. The kitchen was little more than a converted pantry, and the three-story building was nearly just one room deep. To get the space they needed would require a significant multistory addition. Despite this challenge, the couple trusted their experience as serial renovators. Before the first visit ended, as their daughter played the sellers’ upright piano, Emily and Nick exchanged a wordless agreement. They had found the home they had been searching for.
Architectural Heritage and the Arts and Crafts Movement
The Arts and Crafts movement represents more than just a house style. It was a broad movement in art, architecture, furniture, and politics that began in England in the mid-nineteenth century. According to architectural historian Maureen Meister, author of Arts and Crafts Architecture: History and Heritage in New England, the movement pushed back against the brutal working conditions in factories at that time. Leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement rejected mass production and celebrated handcraftsmanship. For home designers, this meant rebelling against the excessive ornamentation of the Victorian era, which they viewed as factory-made products lacking soul. Instead, they looked back to the preindustrial period of the Middle Ages and Renaissance for design inspiration. This is why Arts and Crafts houses in America more closely resemble English houses, incorporating elements of Tudor and Gothic architecture. The Arlington house fits squarely within this tradition. Understanding the architectural style was critical for planning the renovation because every design decision, from the roof lines to the porch columns, needed to honor the original aesthetic. Proper Construction Project Scheduling Methods Tools And Best Practices For On Time Project Delivery became essential as the team worked through the sequencing of this complex restoration.
Navigating the Structural and Design Challenges
It took three years from the purchase date for construction to begin. The Deldons and several local design-build firms struggled with how to expand the narrow, steep-roofed house. The contractors kept proposing different versions of boxy additions attached to the rear, none of which felt right. No less challenging was determining the appropriate architectural direction. The home appeared to be a hodgepodge of styles until Emily identified its Arts and Crafts pedigree. Once the style was identified, the design direction became clear. The addition needed to complement rather than compete with the existing structure. The This Old House team, led by general contractor Tom Silva, devised a three-story back addition with carefully matched rooflines. The new space includes a kitchen, powder room, laundry, and family room on the first level, a master bath on the smaller second floor, and a craft room on the still-smaller third floor. Most of the new space is tucked under a steep gabled roofline that echoes the house’s original 18/12 pitch. The family room and entry porch are capped with gently sloped hip roofs. Before undertaking this type of complex work, homeowners should review Factors Considered Before Undertaking A New Construction Project to evaluate structural readiness and budget requirements.
The existing front porch presented another difficulty. Decades of alteration had left it looking mismatched with the rest of the house, and the structure was unsalvageable. The This Old House team designed a showpiece replacement featuring a flared hip roof, beefy wood columns, and shingled detailing that ties the architecture together and makes the entrance welcoming. The new porch includes flourishes such as a flared shingled base and a copper hip roof that reflect the Arts and Crafts design language of the original house.
Preserving Original Features While Adding Modern Comfort
A key principle of this renovation was preserving the grand front rooms while adding all new living space at the rear. The living room, dining room, and foyer are untouched by demolition. This approach is possible because all of the wet rooms, including the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms, are located in the addition. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey can run rough plumbing through the newly constructed space without disturbing the original interiors. The Deldons planned to use natural materials throughout the new spaces to honor the Arts and Crafts ethos:
- Marble kitchen counters for durability and natural beauty
- Exposed wood beams to celebrate handcraftsmanship
- A wood-clad ceiling in the family room for warmth and texture
- New shingle siding to refresh the exterior appearance
- Insulating-concrete-form foundation with a splash stucco finish that picks up the stucco in the original half-timbered gables
However, the homeowners did not stick strictly to period authenticity. To keep the interior bright and contemporary, they chose painted white cabinetry for the new kitchen and white wall paneling in the living room. Emily explained that dark wood, while traditional for Arts and Crafts houses, would be brought in through furniture rather than fixed architectural elements. This compromise between historical accuracy and modern livability reflects a thoughtful approach to renovation.
The following table summarizes the key renovation components and their purposes:
| Component | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Three-story back addition | Rear of house | New kitchen, family room, master bath, craft room |
| Rebuilt front porch | Front entry | Showpiece entrance with flared copper hip roof |
| New shingle siding | Exterior | Improved insulation and refreshed Arts and Crafts look |
| Insulating concrete foundation | Back addition | Splash stucco finish matching original half-timbered gables |
| Steel I-beam replacement | Original rear wall | 28-foot beam enabling open-plan kitchen and family room |
| Rebuilt chimney | Main house and extension | Corbeled cap reflecting Arts and Crafts style |
The structural system that makes the open-plan first floor possible is a network of engineered beams tied to a wood-clad I-beam where the original rear wall once stood. The largest component is a 28-foot-long, 10-inch-high, thousand-pound steel I-beam that carries the load of the upper floors and roof. This system also supports the steel framing for the family room’s hip roof. Without these hidden structural elements, the open kitchen and family room concept would not have been achievable within the existing narrow footprint.
Lessons from the Arlington Arts and Crafts Project
The Arlington Arts and Crafts project demonstrates several important principles for anyone considering a historic home renovation. First, patience is essential. The Deldons spent ten years improving one house, then three more years refining their plans for the next one before construction began. Good design takes time, especially when working with a structure that presents unusual challenges. Second, understanding the architectural style of a home is critical for making appropriate design decisions. Identifying the Arts and Crafts heritage of the Arlington house unlocked the design direction for the entire project, ensuring that new work complements rather than conflicts with the original structure. Third, a skilled team makes all the difference. The This Old House crew brought decades of experience to the project, from Tom Silva’s framing expertise to Richard Trethewey’s plumbing knowledge and Mark McCullough’s masonry work. Examining the full Construction Project Life Cycle Phases In Life Cycle Of A Construction Project shows how each stage from planning through execution must be carefully coordinated for a successful outcome.
The renovation includes an 805-square-foot multistory addition that brings the total living space to over 3,200 square feet. The finished basement adds even more usable area. Throughout the project, the team focused on three core priorities:
- Preserving the architectural character of the original Arts and Crafts structure
- Adding modern amenities such as an open-plan kitchen and family room
- Using natural materials and period-appropriate detailing throughout
The Arlington Arts and Crafts house stands as a reminder that the best renovation projects honor what came before while making space for what comes next. By combining careful research, patient planning, and skilled craftsmanship, the Deldons and the This Old House team transformed a neglected early twentieth-century home into a residence ready for the next century of family life.