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Before and Afters
Historical Carriage House Transformed Into an Artist’s Studio
A design-build firm helps bring a Massachusetts artist and her husband’s 20-year vision to life
Nancy and Mark Jarzombek had a beautiful 1910 carriage house on their property that was full of potential. But 20 years ago when they wanted to turn it into a studio and library space, the strict zoning bylaws for historical projects in Belmont, Massachusetts, prevented them from heating it. They went ahead and turned one side into a library space that was too cold to use during the winter months, while the other side sat as an unfinished garage. But Nancy, an artist who illustrates books, always had a vision for the building as a studio.
Fast forward two decades and the zoning bylaws had loosened up, allowing structures like the carriage house to be transformed into habitable spaces. So the homeowners hired design-build firm principal Glenn Travis to help them carry out their vision. Lovers of architectural salvage, the couple sourced many materials for the space themselves, while Travis brought their strong vision to life. The result is an inviting, insulated and heated studio complete with a cleanup area and powder room.
Fast forward two decades and the zoning bylaws had loosened up, allowing structures like the carriage house to be transformed into habitable spaces. So the homeowners hired design-build firm principal Glenn Travis to help them carry out their vision. Lovers of architectural salvage, the couple sourced many materials for the space themselves, while Travis brought their strong vision to life. The result is an inviting, insulated and heated studio complete with a cleanup area and powder room.
The right side of the building had sagged due to rotting wood underneath it. Travis collaborated with Gallagher Remodeling to shore up and square up the building. They had the rotten wood removed, then boosted up the building to install steel helical piers and a new engineered wood sill. This straightened up the old building and made it structurally sound.
Travis was able to preserve these wonderful original double doors and freshened them up with paint. They open to the library space, which was not insulated or heated as part of this project.
Browse doors in the Houzz Shop
Browse doors in the Houzz Shop
Before: This was the condition of the unfinished garage side. The library is on the other side of the sliding barn door. Note that this space was open to both sets of carriage doors, because that changed in the new layout.
After: Now one set of carriage doors opens to the new studio space. “As an artist, Nancy wanted to have a studio she could use year-round,” Travis says. “The studio side now has insulation, heat and hot water.” The finished space is cheerful and bright.
Finishing the space required pouring a new concrete floor and adding insulation to the walls and ceiling. The team also installed a new electrical system and three wall-mounted radiators.
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Finishing the space required pouring a new concrete floor and adding insulation to the walls and ceiling. The team also installed a new electrical system and three wall-mounted radiators.
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The other set of carriage doors opens to this new vestibule space, which separates the new studio from the existing library. This space is not heated.
The homeowners sourced the salvaged leaded glass window themselves. They also found the vintage Park Market sign and wanted to incorporate it into the design. “Nancy and Mark were very involved in the design process and knew exactly what they wanted,” Travis says.
The homeowners sourced the salvaged leaded glass window themselves. They also found the vintage Park Market sign and wanted to incorporate it into the design. “Nancy and Mark were very involved in the design process and knew exactly what they wanted,” Travis says.
The homeowners also knew they wanted a salvaged wood floor, shiplap walls and other vintage touches. All these things maintain the historical feel of the building. Travis installed a built-in daybed for Nancy to take reading or lounging breaks and for Mark to be able to hang out comfortably after grabbing a book from the library. It has built-in drawers for storage.
Shop for a daybed
Shop for a daybed
Before: The wall on the left is the back wall of the carriage house.
After: The back of the space is where Nancy does most of her work. She figured out the storage she would need for the area, including flat files and open shelving, and Travis had it all installed according to her specifications.
She also knew exactly what kind of lighting she’d need for her work. “She wanted specific lights to hang from the ceiling so that she could angle them as needed, depending on the size of her paintings,” Travis says. In addition, new clerestory windows above the shelving let in natural light.
She also knew exactly what kind of lighting she’d need for her work. “She wanted specific lights to hang from the ceiling so that she could angle them as needed, depending on the size of her paintings,” Travis says. In addition, new clerestory windows above the shelving let in natural light.
Before: The sliding barn door opened to the library side of the carriage house. But now the vestibule is in front of the opening seen here.
After: Travis created a new opening to the left of the work area that leads to the new cleanup space and powder room, and he moved the original sliding barn door to that spot. The new door that leads to the vestibule, seen in the front left corner of this photo, and the new insulated wall provide a tight envelope to hold heat in the studio.
Repurposing was important to the homeowners. In addition to the floors, barn door and interior leaded glass windows, the ceiling beam is reclaimed.
Repurposing was important to the homeowners. In addition to the floors, barn door and interior leaded glass windows, the ceiling beam is reclaimed.
The wood trim around the cleanup area’s door is also reclaimed. The original barn door can close off the cleanup area. Adding a salvaged glass window to the original barn door made it a wonderful architectural piece to admire when closed.
Here’s a look at that door from inside the cleanup space. The salvaged window in the door allows light to be shared between the cleanup space and the studio when the door is closed.
The cleanup space includes a vintage sink and cabinets the homeowners found. The grooved vintage countertop is mahogany. The sink is a convenient spot for Nancy to clean her paintbrushes. The leaded glass window is the same one seen in the photo of the vestibule.
The barn sconces also suit the historical feel of the space. “We kept a Victorian flavor throughout,” Travis says. “All the nifty antiques and architectural salvage the homeowners found played a big role. Most of the architectural salvage they found came from Nor’east Architectural Antiques in South Hampton, New Hampshire.”
The barn sconces also suit the historical feel of the space. “We kept a Victorian flavor throughout,” Travis says. “All the nifty antiques and architectural salvage the homeowners found played a big role. Most of the architectural salvage they found came from Nor’east Architectural Antiques in South Hampton, New Hampshire.”
A colorful light fixture and antique mirror add personality in the powder room. The stairs on the right cut through to the library space.
Another salvaged door closes off the powder room. Its little window slides open.“I believe this door was salvaged from an old outhouse,” Travis says.
Before: While the studio side of the carriage house had been built for carriages, the library side had contained stalls for the horses that pulled them. The homeowners converted the stall space to a library 20 years ago, but it had started to become a bit of a hodgepodge storage area.
After: Creating the studio inspired a cleanup of the library. The space remains unheated and uninsulated, but during the colder months the homeowners can pop in for a book and retreat to the heated studio side.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A proud rooster on top of the cupola shows which way the wind is blowing.
The carriage house is located behind the lovely Victorian-era main house. This was taken on the kind of winter day that makes Nancy very glad her studio is heated.
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Carriage House at a Glance
Who lives here: Nancy and Mark Jarzombek
Location: Belmont, Massachusetts
Size: 800 square feet (74 square meters)
Designers: The homeowners in collaboration with Glenn and Carrie Travis of GMT Home Designs
Construction: Gallagher Remodeling
This is the view from the back of the main house out to the carriage house. Travis maintained the historical look of the building, but he needed to shore up the sagging structure and replace the original carriage doors on the right, which had rotted, with replicas. He also added a few new windows to other sides of the building to give the studio more natural light.
The left side of the carriage house was already being used as a library, while the right side was an unfinished garage space. The main purpose of finishing the right side was to give Nancy a proper heated art studio.
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