2017 Awards of Excellence – Residential Addition or Renovation – $500,000 – $750,000
This Bernardsville project was a residential home with a wonderful, cottage-style architecture which needed upgrading. The house is situated directly across from the Somerset Hills Country Club so there was opportunity to capitalize on the fantastic views available. Challenges arose from having to work right up to the setback line to dealing with prior renovation work that was not done to code.
The following areas were recreated:
- Master bedroom suite with walk-in closets and 5-piece bathroom with walk-in shower.
- Expanded dining room and powder room on first floor.
- True custom kitchen, butler’s pantry, and dinette in sunroom area.
- Laundry/mudroom, garden room, and finish-grade garage.
The following are the renovations and improvements that were made:
- Construction – Bearing walls and concrete floors were removed requiring custom and complicated steelwork and extensive concrete interior footing work.
- Windows and Doors – 26 new Pella windows and doors were installed with custom transom windows for the dinette.
- Electric and Plumbing – From heated floors to LED ceiling lights and everything in between, all old items were removed and replaced with state-of-the-art fixtures.
- Cabinetry – Custom cabinetry for the kitchen and butler’s pantry was imported from Kinzer, PA where every bit of construction was hand-made by Amish craftsmen.
- Tile – Don’t let the simple clean lines fool you. This install was as high-end and as exquisite as money can buy. Particularly there was extensive custom mosaic work on the bathroom floor.
- Trim – Custom barn doors in the master bedroom suite, 8-piece coffered ceiling and true-panelled biscuited wainscot was installed throughout the kitchen and dining area, and even the garage received crown molding.
- Finishes – Couture wallpaper and meticulous painting was furnished throughout. Epoxy garage and garden room floor were installed.
The beautiful restoration of this family home will enable the owners to enjoy their residence for the next 26 years. Unseen in the photos but worth mentioning is the wonderful experience that the homeowners and all laborers involved had collaborating together to build this creation. Each player acted in concert in wonderful accord making the construction process symphonic.
