Before addition -

After 2-story addition -

A later project involved remodeling the attic -

The railings and shelves at the landing were added -

Finished attic -

With a growing family the homeowners of this 2-story Colonial Revival home were looking for more space and some modern amenities.  The addition included a master suite and balcony on the 2nd floor and a family room on the 1st floor.  A masonry fireplace was included on each floor. 

All of the details were made to match the 1910 original including curved rafter tails, clapboard siding on the 1st story, band between floors, and shake on the 2nd. 

New master bedroom interior –

A granite keystone was added to the new family room fireplace to bring a part of New Hampshire [the homeowner’s boyhood home] into the new family room.

Interesting Find –  While we were doing the framing of the addition we found underneath the attic floor and against the back wall of the old house – a diary that was printed in 1878.  There was handwriting in German but was difficult to decipher.   Interesting notes included in the diary from the printer were facts about the country and our Presidents.  The current President was Rutherford B. Hayes.  Ulysses S. Grant was still alive.  There was a listing of the amount of time it took to get a telegram from New York to different parts of the country.  It was surprisingly quick to get a letter to Chicago, about 3-4 days if I remember right [that’s quicker than it is today isn’t it?].   Several other areas were listed.  The longest time for a delivery was to the Oregon Territory, about 2 months!