This New Jersey Home’s Scandinavian-Style Refresh Banishes Winter Blues

Architect Peter Goodhue had to figure out how to bring light to darkness when taking on the renovation of this property in Fair Haven, Connecticut.  The family living in the home had grown tired of its congested layout and shadowed rooms, which seemed smaller in the gray winter months. The couple wanted a larger second floor with room for a primary suite, separate bedrooms for the their kids, and an additional bathroom—a challenge in itself—but they also asked that the entire home receive more sunlight inside. 

"We explored a few options: One was to raise the roof over the left side of the house, but this would have been very unbalanced," Goodhue says. "We came up with the idea to remove the entire roof and ceiling structure over the center, ground-floor rooms, and add a true second-story addition. This would give the house balance." 

The new layout also gave the house a refreshed style, since the owners opted to trade a traditional Cape Cod look for a more Scandinavian vibe. The retooled structure allowed for larger openings on the ground floor, and the opportunity to replaced nearly every window and door with an Andersen option. 

"The kitchen and dining rooms were blended into one room and given larger openings," Goodhue says. "The screened porch was tired, so we added the cypress ceiling and fireplace. We chose to use the largest possible Andersen sliding glass door for the dining space nearby to share the increased light." 

Learn more about Andersen Windows & Doors at andersenwindows.com. 

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Project Credits: 

Architecture: Peter Goodhue