It’s understandable why anyone considering a major home renovation would take a step back before making the commitment to ask themselves if this is the right decision for their needs.
“That was the big debate—stay or move,” says Brian O’Mara who lives with his wife Carrie in a 120-year-old home in the Columbus neighborhood of Marble Cliff.
The couple questioned whether they wanted to “deal with all the time and destruction while being displaced,” he says. “We could make a clean break and move to something newer that didn’t need as much work.”
In the end, as with most decisions of this type, it came down to location. “We like our community, neighbors, sidewalks, streetlights and golf carts,” Brian says. Plus, he’s a fan of the area’s pace: “No speed limit is higher than 25 mph.”
Older and wiser
The couple moved into this home in 2003 with two young children. Like many older homes, Brian says, the layout was choppy and there were a lot of load-carrying beams. The goal for the renovation was to respect the heritage of the home while updating and modernizing some of its features and functions.
The original home was designed by architect Frank Packard, whose work is well known in the Marble Cliff and Greater Columbus area and documented by the area’s historical society. When choosing the team who would handle the extensive makeover, the couple went with J.S. Brown & Co. for a good reason.
“I’d seen their name a lot in the yards of older homes in Upper Arlington,” Brian says. “Since our house was built in 1903, we wanted a company with extensive expertise dealing with older architecture. We wanted solid experience uncovering all the things I expected to uncover.”
“We have a very deep level of experience dealing with older homes,” says Paul Martin, production manager with J.S. Brown. “As remodelers, we know we are going to find issues that need to be fixed. We have what we think the plan is, and then open up the house and say, ‘oh boy.’”
As Brian expected, there were many things done by various contractors, prior to his family living here, that Martin says shouldn’t have been allowed. But the J.S. Brown crew had the knowledge and experience to deal with the detours.
Man with a plan
“I had a vision for what I wanted the house to be—the design, the concept and the built ins,” Brian says. “They took my vision and brought it to life.”
Brian is especially complimentary of the craftspeople who worked on his home. “It was like watching an artist starting with a blank canvas,” he says. “It went from nothing to artwork. Their eye for detail was fascinating to watch.”
“I enjoyed working with Don, Tom and Mike—the whole team,” he says. “They were respectful and educational. Don, the lead carpenter, and I would banter around ideas, and sometimes he would say ‘Brian, you’re crazy!’ I was okay with that. I wanted them to let me know when my ideas wouldn’t work.”
Starting from scratch
The construction crew replaced every bit of drywall, woodwork, trim, and flooring. Everything you see in the entry, living rooms, bedroom and primary bathroom is new. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems were upgraded. Steel beams were installed which allowed them to eliminate walls and open up the floor plan.
It was important to Brian that the new floors were “absolutely level.” So, the old floors were ripped up. During construction, he says, you could walk in the front door and see through to the basement floor.
But, before you go inside, one of the first changes you see when approaching the home is the newly covered front porch. “My wife loves sitting out on our porch, but it faces west. In August it became unbearable,” Brian says. “We wanted to cover the porch while maintaining the existing stonework and yet almost create an additional living space.”
Now, with the help of ceiling fans and comfy furniture, the shaded area is a fresh-air favorite. “Carrie and our English bulldog Rudy got their money’s worth out of that front porch in the first year,” Brian says.
Inside the home, when it comes to watching TV, Brian says, he and Carrie have very different tastes. So, each has their own living area on opposite ends of the home, separated by the kitchen. Carrie’s is in the original part of the home and features comfy blue chairs and an original stone fireplace; Brian’s is in the new addition and includes a well-stocked bar and dining area.
Brittany Miller, interior designer with J.S. Brown, worked with Brian on several of the selections for his space. “Brian is very decisive,” she says. The designer would show him samples for finishes, cabinets, hardware, and provide resources, for example for the bar’s concrete countertop, to, as she says, “help the bar come to life.”
Room to roam
During the occasional evening of entertaining, the couple likes how the new layout flows. Guests can roam from the bar area through the kitchen and on to Carrie’s room. “People can spread out and not be on top of one another,” Brian says.
However, when the need arises, let’s say the dog needs to be contained, pocket doors are in place in each of the rooms, to close the area off and as Brian says, make the house “smaller.”
The couple access their primary suite either through double doors off that gym or via a back hallway. Updates in this space included a wood-like tile, floor-to ceiling fireplace surround. A television is embedded flush with the tile. The shower area features full-height sheets of Cambria quartz, a suggestion from Miller which eliminates grout lines for a sleek, low-maintenance result.
Three bedrooms are located on the second floor, and there’s a basement which Brian describes as “old dungeon.” Neither of these floors were revamped.
Sopping setback
However, the second floor did come in to play in an unfortunate series of events. On December 23, 2022, just hours after Brian wished the crew happy holidays and went home to the couple’s temporary apartment, temperatures fell below zero. That night, the power went out in Marble Cliff. A pipe on an exterior wall burst in an upstairs bathroom that wasn’t being renovated. Returning to the home the morning of the 26th, Brian discovered water “pouring down like you wouldn’t believe.”
After the call from Brian, Martin rushed to the site. Brian had turned off the water, but it was still pouring down through the ceilings into the front living room and the workout room and soaking the crew’s tools and materials. Martin contacted project manager, Matt Casto and lead carpenter, Don Gaulin, who both arrived within the hour. The men worked to limit the damage as much as possible and begin the drying out process.
“Those rooms were destroyed,” Martin says, “We had to take them back down to bare studs.”
While that delayed work for a bit in those spaces, the crew shifted focus for a few weeks and accelerated efforts in other areas of the home that were undergoing renovation.
The overall result is precisely what Brian had in mind. Now, he says, there is no reason to leave. He and Carrie look forward to visits with any grandchildren that may be in their future. “It will be a great house for them,” says Brian. “With the pool, the fenced-in back yard and all the great benefits of living in Marble Cliff.
Editor’s Note: This project won the Contractor of the Year (CotyY) award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) of Central Ohio in the Entire House category.
RESOURCES
Builder J.S Brown & Company, Tony Hudson, architect; Brittany Miller, interior designer EXTERIOR Front door Aurora fiberglass, Northern Window & Door Roofing Everlasting Roofing Windows Pella Gas Lanterns French Market Georgetown Cultured stone White Gold Orchard Limestone, Hamilton Parker, installed by Collier Enterprises INTERIOR Flooring Sheoga Vintage Charm Hickory, Panel Town Doors Sommers Wood-N-Door Gym flooring Pavigym Ceiling fans Big Ass Fans KITCHEN Backsplash Adex Translucent Glaze Silver Sands, Hamilton Parker Sink and faucet Kohler, Bath Works Countertops Temptation Leathered from Mont Granite, fabricated by Konkus Marble & Granite BAR AREA Cabinets Mullet Cabinet Countertops and sink Complete Restoration Services Appliances Scotsman icemaker, Monogram beverage fridge, Custom Distributors, Inc. Fireplace, column, bar stone Virginia Ledgestone, Hamilton Parker Hearth Indiana Limestone, Lang Stone PRIMARY BATH Shower and wall tile La Marca Carrara, Hamilton Parker Vanity James Martin Vanity Vanity top and show panels Cambria, Midwest Quartz Heated flooring Watts, Hamilton Parker Sink, tub, plumbing Bath Works Tile Kuni Dark Brown, Hamilton Parker
Article by Karen Bradner | Photos by New Horizon
Article originally appeared in February 2024