Home Buying

Home of the Week: Winchester reno borrows the best from popular styles

The two-bedroom, 1.5-bath home features shiplap, exposed beams, dark window trim, custom cabinetry, barn doors, and a beautiful entrance.

The kitchen comes with an island with a butcher-block top and seating for two. (Atlantic Visuals)

By John R. Ellement

December 20, 2022

30 Clark St., Winchester

$899,000

Style Contemporary

Year built 1890; renovated 2022

Square feet 1,370

Bedrooms 2

Baths 1 full, 1 half

Water/Sewer Public

Taxes $8,646 (2022)

When the goal is to transform a dowdy late 19th-century home into “a gem on the street,” it’s very, very helpful to have connections in the trades. Meaghan Merullo and her husband, Brendon Kerrigan, had that goal, and they turned to her father, Peter Merullo of Semper and Diving Marine, for his coterie of craftsmen to achieve it.

Once the COVID-forced delay ended, the renovation and expansion took about a year to complete, and proof the effort succeeded is visible from the sidewalk. Nestled between a sloping roof and a trio of rough-hewn granite stairs is a custom mahogany door of Arts and Crafts styling. The home’s windows have black frames, and the Hardie plank siding is board and batten on the lower half and clapboard on the upper.

The home sits on a 0.1-acre lot with a paver driveway. — *Atlantic Visuals*

Stepping inside, one finds a boon in New England: a 55-square-foot mudroom with shiplap, a bench, coat hooks, and shelving in natural-toned wood. A half bath with a single vanity, a quartz countertop, and ceramic tile flooring is a great place to wash up.

A space-saving barn-style sliding door with black metal anchors separates the entry from the rest of the first floor. The space behind the sliding door is open, offering the stairs to the second floor, the living and dining rooms, and the kitchen. The flooring throughout much of the home is hickory, and ceiling joists and beams, all new, are fully visible. The metal-and-wire stair railings are in keeping with the contemporary aesthetic.

The mudroom features a built-in bench, hooks, and cubbies. — *Atlantic Visuals*

A barn door separates the front entrance and the mudroom from the main living spaces. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The living room (168 square feet) features custom cabinetry, an inset for a television, a gas fireplace with a natural wood mantel, a pair of windows, and a drum shade light fixture tucked amid the beams.

A couch currently separates the living room from the 156-square-foot dining area, but a light fixture with an industrial vibe helps direct just where the table should go: right next to a pair of windows and glass sliders to a composite deck with a fire pit and a plumbed-in gas grill.

The living room has custom cabinetry, exposed beams, and a gas fireplace. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The dining area in the kitchen is set before a bank of windows and a slider to a composite deck. — *Atlantic Visuals*

Of course, the dining area is connected to the kitchen, separated by an island with a butcher-block top and seating for two. The backsplash in the kitchen is a white subway tile, and the appliances, including the gas stove, are stainless steel. The countertops in the 168-square-foot space are quartz, and the custom Shaker-style cabinets are white. The sink sits under a double-hung window with a marble look and boasts a custom inset cutting board.

The second floor is home to the two bedrooms and the full bath. The primary bedroom, found in the back of the house, is the largest at 140 square feet. It includes a triplex of double-hung windows and, behind a sliding barn door, sits a 50-square-foot walk-in closet with custom shelving.

The primary bedroom has its own door to the full bath; everyone else needs to go in via the hallway. The bath has a double vanity with a quartz counter, ceramic tile flooring, and a multi-headed shower behind clear glass doors. The shower surround is a stone set in a herringbone design.

The stairs have a modern aesthetic with iron railings and wire balusters. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The primary bedroom is 140 square feet and sits in the back of the house. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The primary bedroom comes with a walk-in closet. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The primary bedroom shares this bathroom with the guest bedroom but has its own entrance. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The laundry closet sits next to the hallway entrance to the bath and accommodates a stacked washer and dryer.

The second bedroom (126 square feet) offers three windows looking out to the street and a double-door closet.

The laundry closet off the bathroom offers a stacked washer and dryer, making it easy to toss dirty towels. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The guest bedroom has three windows looking out to the street. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The hefty chunk of the lower level is set aside for a 264-square-foot family room with hickory flooring. The remainder of the level is for utilities and storage.

The paver driveway on the 0.10-acre lot has room for three vehicles.

This spot in the basement is being used as a home gym. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The backyard features a composite deck. — *Atlantic Visuals*

The home has central air and is heated via gas-forced air.

Kim Covino of Kim Covino & Company at Compass has the listing.

Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue.