To antique charm, add modern details
That's the recipe for homeowners who treasure history -- and updated amenities
Working as a part-time contractor, Scott Richter lived by the old saw that one man's trash is another's treasure. However, while working on a restoration project at a 19th-century mansion on Beacon Hill, Richter stumbled across a rubbish bonanza: antique fireplace grills and vent covers, Oriental carpet runners, custom doors and cabinets, and a grand mahogany handrail.
''I figured I'd bring a little Beacon Hill to Pope's Hill," said Richter, who, along with his wife, Minter, is restoring two Victorian homes in Dorchester with an eye toward architectural integrity, as well as modern functionality.
''We always wanted to live in a home with a lot of history and magnificence," said Minter Richter. ''And since we couldn't afford to buy that kind of home, we decided to make it ourselves."
The Richters' two Queen Anne Victorian homes on Ainsley Street, built in 1880 and 1890, overlook a row of smaller Garrison Colonials that the couple says once served as stables. They purchased 2 Ainsley in 2001 for $229,900, which they're transforming into their dream home, and 6 Ainsley in 2004 for $369,000, which they plan to put on the market this spring work for between $480,00 and $500,000. If they accomplish some ''extra" goals like a new wrap-around porch, the asking price may be higher.
In a world of brand-new luxury condos and custom McMansions, real estate watchers say there is a subculture of homeowners like the Richters who would rather experience the history and charm of an older New England home. Still, while they appreciate antiques, they don't necessarily want to live like people did in Colonial times. Instead, they are restoring the homes in ways that mesh mahogany moldings with stainless steel, historical architecture with contemporary amenities.
''Antique homes that haven't been updated tend to take longer to market because people very much want these basic updates -- the kitchen, the bathroom," said Karen LaChance, a certified residential specialist with ERA Key Realty Services in Framingham and cofounder of an annual house tour of historic homes. ''It's certainly a niche market where people draw more pleasure from living in a piece of history than in luxury, but nevertheless, they don't want to live like Pilgrims either."
In many cases, the modernization of many of New England's older homes is what got them into trouble in the first place, said Patrick Hickox, president of Hickox Williams Architects.
''From the 1950s through the 1980s, a lot of beautiful moldings and period detail ended up in the dumpster" as homeowners opted for dropped ceilings, simulated-wood paneling, linoleum, and other accoutrements of the times, he said.
''For years, people made their spaces darker and more closed in, like little rabbits' dens of houses. They renovated without understanding the DNA of the house or appreciating its history," Hickox said. ''Today, I see a lot more clients who want to open these homes up and restore their original detail."
According to the MLS Property Information Network Inc., a real estate listing service in Shrewsbury, there are approximately 3,600 antique properties built between 1700 and 1900 for sale in Massachusetts, with a median price of $575,327 and an average of 84 days on the market. In November 2004, there were 2,482 antique homes on the market with a median price of $601,869 and an estimated 79 days on the market.
When the Richters purchased their home four years ago, the property had ''dropped ceilings, Pepto-Bismol pink walls, a wall of disco-mirrors," said Minter Richter. ''The couple that lived there before had been there for 67 years and covered everything first with linoleum and then with orange and gray shag rug."
The Richters stripped away three layers of flooring to reveal the gleaming pine floors that lay beneath. They also had to rebuild the entire electrical and plumbing systems and replaster the walls before they could begin focusing on the period details.
Drawing on inspiration and ideas from historical homes he's worked on, Scott Richter handcrafted, multilayered pine and mahogany crown moldings in every room and raised-panel wainscoting in the upstairs library. He built Victorian-style radiator covers, as well as a built-in revolving bookcase that opens on to a secret closet. One of the couple's favorite features appears in the home's grand foyer: a ''good morning staircase," a stairway that descends into the foyer as well as into the kitchen.
''Back in the old days, when a husband smelled his breakfast being cooked, he would descend the stairs into the kitchen and say 'good morning,' " said Minter Richter, noting the staircase doesen't serve a similar purpose in their home.
The home is also decorated with antique furniture -- such as a Victorian buffet and a mahogany dining room table -- found during numerous visits to the annual Brimfield Antique Show.
''The table originally sat eight people. Scott made new leaves for it out of mahogany from his Beacon Hill projects, so now it can seat 12 comfortably," she said.
The attention to detail is something that even the luxury industry is demanding as homeowners view their spaces more critically.
Merrill Diamond, owner of development firm Diamond/Sinacori LLP and a codeveloper of the luxury condo project The Waterworks at Chestnut Hill, said he's seen a demand for more antique-like details even within these brand-new units, which led the developers to offer residents a choice between more traditional or contemporary architectural details.
''For many years, an old house was just an old house and people would do anything to make the home appear newer, which often meant replacing a beautiful, multipaned window with a huge picture window or some other inappropriate fenestration," Diamond said. ''Today, people would rise up in righteous indignation if molding and period details were removed from a home. Now they even want it added in."
Diamond said he credits local historical societies for creating an impetus toward restoration, even among properties that aren't on the National Register of Historic Places or in historic districts.
''For many years, historical societies functioned as social clubs. Today, they're more involved and visible and that tends to influence homeowners on some level -- even if they've never appreciated architecture," he said.
Concord is certainly one example of a town where restored, updated antique homes reach a wider market, said Hope Galton, a developer who's restored antique properties in Lincoln and Concord.
''Buyers here are demanding the historic charm of yesteryear but they also want the eight-burner cooktop and the double dishwashers," she said.
While restoring an antique Dutch Colonial home at 712 Main St. in Concord, Galton pored through architecture books and magazines to make sure she presented the home as historically accurate as possible.
Galton purchased the home, built in 1897, for $433,000 in July 2004 on a double lot with plans for expansion. She increased the property's size from 1,200 square feet to 3,400 square feet, and added 450 square feet of living space above a new two-car garage.
''We really wanted to focus on historical character on the outside and then have everything state-of-the-art on the inside," she said. ''We added exterior finishes specific to the Dutch Colonial period like square columns, ornate moldings, elliptical windows, large six-over-one paned windows, and wood shutters with two-inch louvers.
In order to stay true to period, Galton said she had added architectural touches that were more difficult and much more expensive to pull off like dormer windows, weather shingles, and an authentic brick fireplace and chimney.
She also added an elaborate custom walnut door to make a statement, Colonial-style.
''Back then, the front door was often a statement of the features and qualities that awaited you inside," said Galton.
Inside, Galton installed moldings and details specific to the Dutch Colonial period as well as French doors and a powder room with wainscoting.
However, she also included modern amenities like a state-of-the-art kitchen and bathrooms with double vanities, Jacuzzi tubs and walk-in showers.
Galton plans to live in the home for a while and is not sure when she will sell it. However, a Dutch Colonial comparable in size and condition sold on Thoreau Street in Concord in July 2005 for $1.49 million. 