When Marina Barnes and Thomas Pittlik were looking for a Philadelphia row house to remodel, there were a few key things that sold them on this Fishtown property. First, it’s wider than others of its kind. “Unusually wide—most row houses are very narrow,” notes Marina of the home’s 20-foot width. It also has two mature maples in the front, and one in the back, so many of the windows look out into the trees rather than the neighbors.

And last but not least, Tom could stand up in the basement, where he planned to set up his workshop and tools. “That was important for me, because I’m pretty tall,” says Tom. “All of the other places we went to, I had to sort of stoop in the basement. And I wound up spending a lot of time there during this renovation.”

Before: Living Room

After: Dining Room

The couple—she owns the ski apparel company Racysuits, and he’s a software programmer—bought the home in 2019, after wrapping up a DIY cabin remodel in the Pocono Mountains. “It’s hard work, but it’s really enjoyable,” says Tom of remodeling. “It’s so different from what we do day-to-day. I really find it rewarding to do carpentry after I spend all day on the computer.”

With a leaking roof, broken windows, and failing appliances, this row house was ready for an intervention. “I don’t think a single door worked,” says Marina. “Even after the inspection, our real estate agent was basically trying to tell us that we should pass.”

So, what made them persevere? “You get a gut feeling about a place,” says Marina. “Also, it just ticked so many of our boxes—we didn’t think we were going to come across another opportunity like it.”

Before: Dining Room

After: Kitchen

Over the next three years, they gutted and redid every room while simultaneously living on-site. Out went layers of fake brick, popcorn ceilings, wood paneling, and wallpaper as they slowly exposed the bones of the original structure. “We just love the interior brick and the story it tells,” says Tom. “You see this story of different things that have happened to that brick wall before it was covered up, and markings that are probably 120 years old.”

Before: Kitchen

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

They flipped the floor plan on the main level so that the kitchen is in the center, with the dining room at the front and the living room in the rear. This creates more privacy from the street when the couple is lounging in the living room at night.

“A lot of Philly row homes have their living room right at the front,” says Tom. “It’s kind of awkward, because when you’re walking down the sidewalk, you can look straight inside.” On this note, they added frosted glass to the lower panes in their front windows, to keep natural light flowing while obscuring views.

The kitchen is now anchored by a long central island (perfect for dinner parties, or as a makeshift desk for working from home) that allows sight lines throughout the main floor. “I love the kitchen,” says Marina. “Being in the center of the house, everything happens around it.”

Before: Guest Room

After: Guest Room

The couple started and completed the remodel upstairs. They demoed the guest room in 2019, and put the final touches on the primary bedroom in 2022, after removing eras of finishes along the way.

“There were layers upon layers,” says Tom. “We found 1970s wood paneling, and behind that wallpaper, and behind that stucco—and atop it all was drywall. It was just different homeowners doing a cheap job of changing and updating the look.”

“The house got bigger, because we probably took off a couple inches in each room,” adds Marina with a laugh.

Before: Study/Bedroom

After: Study/Bedroom

After: Primary Bedroom

Before: Main Bathroom

After: Main Bathroom

More Before & After stories:

The Most Shocking Before & After Renovations of 2022

14 Row Houses and Brownstones “Before & After” Their Much-Needed Makeovers

Project Credits:

Design and Build: Marina Barnes & Thomas Pittlik