Photo by Marshall Evan Photography
Before
When she bought her home in 2019, Ann Stickney knew the flattering house listing photos couldn't hide the dated look of the house, but there were still some surprises with the kitchen.
“Our main concern was that the floors were very uneven,” she says. “You could place a ball down and it would roll all over the place. It gave me the feeling of walking on a ship on the water.”
Stickney worked with The Cleary Company to tackle the kitchen remodeling. The project entailed adding a large beam for structural support, because the kitchen ceiling was sagging, and reconfiguring the layout of the half-bath, pantry and wall with the refrigerator.
“At first, to save on cost, we decided to not touch the bathroom at all, but there was a code or vent that needed to be moved and we had to cut into the bathroom,” Stickney says. “So the whole thing was flipped around to better suit the layout.”
The surprises kept coming. The owners originally intended to remove the large brick fireplace in the kitchen but, when the remodelers prepared to tear it down, they discovered it was actually the vent and chimney for the heaters.
“We had to rethink and pick a way to make it feel less awkward a space,” Stickney says. “I think the small cupboard works pretty well.”
Photo by Marshall Evan Photography
In the end, the remodeling was worth it. Stickney says they were attracted to the “amazing and crazy house” they found on Zillow that just needed an update.
“We didn’t want to live in a house that felt like it belonged to grandma,” she says.“If we didn’t have a dime to spend on updating it, I know we could have lived, but the improvement has just really opened up the house and taken it from a dark, almost spooky feel to something fresh and new. Plus now we are much more inclined (COVID permitting) to have friends and family come over for drinks and barbecue.”
Stickney says her favorite part of the project was the addition of the pedestal sink she purchased from California.
“It’s pretty unique,” she says. “There is also a backlit LED mirror in that bathroom that I am pretty proud of.”
In the end, all the time and anguish put into the project made for a stunning transformation.
“If the pictures from Zillow ever go down, no one would ever know that the kitchen looked any different,” Stickney says. “All the materials are the same and it flows with the rest of the house beautifully. Pictures can’t do it justice. There are so many stories and trials that went on behind the scenes that you just can’t see in a single picture.”
Photo by Marshall Evan Photography
Brandon Klein is the senior editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.
