Northshore Magazine

The house looks across the street to Manchester Harbor with an attitude of shingle-style ease and elegance. The massing is irregular, porches wrap around the first floor, porch posts are shingle-clad and the whole ensemble is encased in a uniform covering of wood shingles. This family home epitomizes the architectural style first popularized in this coastal community 130 years ago. But it was not always so. When the owners first saw the house, "It was a '90s spec house," says Michael T. Gray, managing director of architecture at Carpenter & MacNeille, the Essex design-build firm. "But they decided to buy it and to tweak it a little." The new homeowners saw the Carpenter & MacNeille construction crew engaged in a major renovation across the street, liked what they saw, and popped over to approach Gray about hiring the firm to do a few simple interior renovations. Family friend and interior designer John De Bastiani, who had helped them to select the house, was on board for a freshening up. But when the homeowners began to work with Gray and De Bastiani, one thing led to another. Projects begat other projects. Areas abutting new improvements now required improvements, too. Then, to match what was becoming a glamorous interior, Gray sketched a design for a new entry. That led to the transformation of the exterior as well. "When all was said and done, we touched every part of the house," says Gray, "though it started as such a modest project." "At first we said, 'Oh, we'll just do a few things,'" says John De Bastiani, whose design firm operates both on the East and West Coasts. "But the interior was dated looking. I encouraged them to do the kitchen and to upgrade the baths. Then, on their Facelift Carpenter & MacNeille gave the 1990s spec house a freshening up, starting with a new entryway. 184 KJ NS Mar14 FECarpenter.indd 184 1/17/14 10:54 AM

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