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rhalas

Renovating an 1850 coastal Ct home

We bought this 1850 home this past summer. It was painted turquoise. Here are some pics of the progression. We painted it SW Alabaster. New stone porch and walkway next spring if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to share. Would like to look like home stone foundation and wall…

Comments (12)

  • last month

    New door and paint look great. Nice to be done with the shutters. Great appropriately sized new light.


    When you say new porch, do you mean you are adding a porch across the front of your house with a porch roof for sitting on?


    The best ideas you can find will come from driving your area and looking at other 1850 homes to see how the ones with original porches were designed, as well as what additions people have put on that either work or fail. Your on the ground research will be better than what you find here.

  • PRO
    last month

    thank you! We are going to keep same size,scale with stone. Agree, looking at lots of old homes here in CT for inspiration

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Looks great, especially like the removal of those hideous utillity (?) wires & metal tubing. Love the door!

  • PRO
    last month

    Thank You, we went underground with piwer so we could replace the wood clapboard and get utilities off house - moved meter to side. Makes a difference!

  • last month

    Is that a part of your home or the neighbor's I'm seeing in the first photo...? Bottom right, looks like a prch with white columns.

    Perhaps a couple more photos from an angle to show the rest of the lot and home.

    I also like the "cruise the neighborhood" suggestion to look for local ideas.


  • PRO
    last month

    It is our home, there was a sunroom addition added on in the 1980’s. Better pic here. We plan on an addition, bringing the addition out towards front from sunroom, but jogged back from the current front of house.

  • PRO
    last month

    We’ve worked on historic homes in Washington with similar updates, and your choice of SW Alabaster really highlights the character of the 1850 structure. For the stone porch and walkway, a natural fieldstone or ledgestone foundation look blends beautifully with rustic homes and keeps the design authentic. In Washington, we typically see stone porch and walkway projects range $12,000–$25,000 depending on size and material — for example, a 300 sq ft stone porch with matching walkway came in around $15,000 last spring.


    If you want the foundation wall effect, using stone veneer along the base of the home is a cost‑effective option (usually $40–$75 per sq ft) that gives the appearance of a full stone foundation without the structural rebuild. Done together, the porch, walkway, and veneer create a cohesive look that feels original to the home.


  • PRO
    last month

    Thank You so much, appreciate the insight and compliment ;)

  • PRO
    last month

    You've done a good job to date restoring the authentic Greek Revival look of the home. Designing the planned addition in the same architectural style will improve curb appeal vs. the current Sunroom. I recommend you include double hung windows in the addition to be consistent with those on the original portion of the home. Good luck!

  • PRO
    last month

    TY! Need to figure out next move. Talked to an architect we may hire, also looking at design/build firms. Husband will GC addition/reno (he has background). Want to also join back of house to garage -half of garage now is a “studio”

  • PRO
    last month

    If your husband will function as the GC, it doesn't make sense to hire a design/build firm. I think you'll be better served by a local architect with experience in Greek Revival style.

  • last month

    Love Greek Revival homes, and here on the Cape we have so many. This one happens to be in Chatham, with additions done in early 20th century. Thought you might enjoy this article as the additions look original to the house.

    https://onekindesign.com/greek-revival-home-cape-cod/