When homeowners Robyn and Derek bought their home on a quiet Boston street nine years ago, they walked into a house where time had stood still for decades. Originally built on farmland in 1894, the West Roxbury Victorian was the first single-family home erected in its new subdivision at a time when carriages still ruled Boston roads. The house caught the attention of the This Old House team for Season 43, and the before photos reveal both the charm and the challenges hidden beneath nearly 130 years of history. Taking on a project of this magnitude requires careful forethought, much like planning before building your dream custom home from the ground up.
A Victorian Frozen in Time Since 1894
The West Roxbury Victorian stands as a testament to late-19th-century craftsmanship, but decades of deferred maintenance have taken their toll. During the 1930s, the second floor was converted into a separate living space for extended family. The homeowners who made that conversion installed a second kitchen upstairs, added extra doorways between rooms, and essentially split the house into two distinct residences under one roof. It was not until 1990 that the house returned to single-family occupancy, but the physical evidence of that conversion remained in nearly every room.
The entryway alone tells the story in vivid detail. A magnificent stained glass window casts colored light across the original wooden floorboards, a large pendant chandelier hangs from an ornate ceiling rosette, and a sweeping grand staircase with turned balusters greets visitors just as it did when the house was new in the 1890s. The homeowners describe this space as having changed very little in the last 70 years, which speaks to both the quality of original construction and the remarkable lack of modernization that characterized the home. Historic houses like this one often incorporate building techniques that are fascinating to compare with modern methods, much like the engineering marvels documented in rare construction photographs of the Seattle Space Needle.
Assessing the Kitchen and Bathroom Challenges
The kitchen situation was emblematic of the entire homes disjointed history. When the second floor was converted back to single-family use, the kitchen cabinets from the upstairs unit were moved downstairs to the main kitchen area. However, in a revealing detail about the quality of that transition, the cabinets were never actually attached to the walls. The original wainscotting and pantry were worn out and in need of significant repair. Countertops were dated, appliances were from different eras, and nothing in the kitchen functioned as a cohesive modern cooking space for a family of four.
The bathrooms of the house are a study in architectural time travel, each one representing a different decade. The main bathroom transports you to the 1930s, complete with a clawfoot soaking tub standing proudly on original tile and a wall-mounted sink with exposed plumbing. The second-floor bathroom belongs squarely to the 1990s, featuring linoleum flooring that has seen better days and a glass block shower wall that feels out of place in a Victorian home. Neither bathroom meets the accessibility, efficiency, or comfort standards that a modern family expects. Every fixture, from the faucets to the toilet, needed replacement. When evaluating a propertys structural integrity from foundation to fixtures, learning how to inspect foundation stability before buying a house is an essential skill for any homeowner taking on an older property.
The crew faced difficult decisions about which bathroom elements to preserve and which to replace. Here are the priorities they established:
- Retaining the clawfoot tub as a period feature while updating its supply and drain plumbing
- Replacing the linoleum flooring with water-resistant ceramic tile in a period-appropriate pattern
- Removing the glass block shower wall to create a more open and accessible shower area
- Adding modern exhaust fans to prevent mildew problems
- Updating all fixtures to meet current water efficiency standards without sacrificing the vintage aesthetic
- Reconfiguring the layout where possible to add storage and counter space
Exterior Repairs and Structural Updates
Stepping outside the West Roxbury Victorian revealed a different but equally urgent set of problems. Many of the original double-hung windows were failing after more than a century of service. The sash weights had broken, the glazing putty had cracked and fallen away, and the frames had swollen from decades of New England weather. These windows created drafts that drove up heating costs and let moisture seep into the wall cavities.
The condition of the exterior walls was even more concerning. The old building paper that had been installed beneath the original wood siding had deteriorated to the point where it no longer protected the house against moisture intrusion. Rainwater was reaching the sheathing, and the crew found evidence of mildew growth behind the siding. This hidden moisture damage can rot structural framing before any visible signs appear on interior walls.
The This Old House team developed a comprehensive exterior plan. They would strip the old siding completely, remove and replace the deteriorated building paper with modern vapor-permeable house wrap, and install new cedar siding and trim that matched the original Victorian character. Brand-new energy-efficient windows with true divided lights would replace the failing originals, keeping the historic look while eliminating drafts. The landscaping also needed attention, with overgrown shrubs and trees requiring significant pruning and screening being added to the backyard for privacy. Soil conditions around a homes foundation can complicate these exterior projects significantly, which is why understanding how to deal with collapsible soil before construction is critical for any renovation team working on older homes.
The exterior work was broken into six distinct phases to ensure each step was done properly before moving to the next:
- Remove all old siding and inspect the sheathing and framing underneath for rot
- Replace failing building paper with modern vapor-permeable house wrap, properly taped at seams
- Install new cedar siding and trim, maintaining the original clapboard profile
- Replace all windows with energy-efficient wood-clad units that match the original proportions
- Prune back overgrown landscaping and remove any trees too close to the foundation
- Add privacy screening and improve drainage around the perimeter of the house
Preserving Antique Character While Adding Modern Comfort
The second-floor bedrooms presented a layout problem that many homeowners in multi-generational homes will recognize. Each room had both closets and additional passageways that connected the rooms to one another. These extra doorways, installed to allow family members to move between rooms without using the main hallway, sacrificed privacy and reduced usable wall space for furniture placement. The crew planned to close off some of these passageways, turning them into additional closet space and giving each bedroom more defined boundaries.
Despite all the structural and layout changes needed, the house had retained many of its finest 1930s details. Original solid-wood doors with mortise locks and glass knobs were still functioning smoothly. Decorative light fixtures from both the original 1894 construction and the 1930s update hung throughout the house. Baseboards and crown molding displayed the kind of millwork nearly impossible to replicate today.
Robyn and Derek, a family of four, stated repeatedly that the biggest challenge was creating a home that speaks to the 2020s while preserving its historic charm. This balancing act touches every decision, from choosing paint colors that complement original woodwork to selecting lighting that bridges old and new aesthetics. The crew helped them categorize the homes historic features into four groups:
| Feature Category | Examples | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Preserve in place | Stained glass window, grand staircase, mortise locks | Clean, repair, and retain as-is |
| Restore and reuse | Hardware, light fixtures, clawfoot tub | Refinish and reinstall in original locations |
| Replace with period reproductions | Windows, exterior siding, kitchen cabinets | Use modern materials in historic profiles |
| Replace with modern equivalents | Plumbing, electrical, bathroom fixtures | Update for code compliance and efficiency |
This framework helped the homeowners focus their preservation budget on the elements that truly mattered to the character of the home.
Planning a Thoughtful Renovation Strategy
Successful renovations of historic homes follow a deliberate sequence, and the This Old House approach to the West Roxbury Victorian demonstrates how a systematic strategy prevents costly mistakes and preserves what matters most. The crew emphasized that each phase of work built on the one before it, and that cutting corners on structural prep would compromise everything that followed. They started with the exterior envelope, moved to mechanical systems, and addressed finishes last, a sequence that prevents damage to new work.
Below is a comparison of the traditional renovation approaches that often lead to problems versus the modern best practices that the crew applied to this project.
| Renovation Task | Common Mistake | Best Practice Used Here |
|---|---|---|
| Window replacement | Full replacement with vinyl that changes the homes appearance | Period-appropriate wood-clad units with correct divided lights |
| Siding repair | Patch and paint over rot instead of addressing the root cause | Full strip, modern house wrap, and new cedar siding |
| Kitchen layout | Keep the awkward existing footprint to save money | Reconfigure for modern workflow and storage needs |
| Bathroom fixtures | Match original style only, ignoring efficiency and accessibility | Mix period style with modern water-saving and ADA-ready features |
| Floor plan changes | Open concept everywhere, losing the homes original room character | Selective openings while maintaining defined room boundaries |
| Preservation budget | Try to save every single original element | Prioritize preservation on high-impact visible features only |
The homeowners learned that a renovation of this scope demands patience, trust in the process, and a willingness to make difficult trade-offs. Not every original detail could be saved, and not every modern convenience could be added. The key was knowing which battles to fight.
For Robyn, Derek, and their two children, the reward at the end of the process was a home that finally matched its potential. After years of living with a kitchen that never really worked, bathrooms that belonged to other decades, bedrooms connected by useless passageways, and an exterior that leaked air and moisture, the West Roxbury Victorian would once again function as a cohesive modern home honoring its 130-year history. A project of this scale inevitably involves decisions about materials and finishes, and knowing what to consider before installing mud flooring is just one example of the many material choices that arise during a full-home restoration.
The message from the This Old House team is clear: a house that has stood for more than a century deserves a renovation that will let it stand for another one. With careful planning, deep respect for the original craftsmanship, and a willingness to invest in quality materials, the West Roxbury Victorian is on track to become a home that serves its 21st-century family while carrying the soul of its 19th-century origins. For anyone considering a similar journey with an older home, the before photos of this project offer both a cautionary tale and an inspiring vision of what is possible when skilled hands meet history.