Erie Avenue Residence

This ambitious remodeling project took a dilapidated, two-family home and converted it into a modern LEED Platinum, single-family residence.

Situated on a busy street in an established suburb, this remodel carefully retains the scale, massing, height and setbacks of the neighborhood. However, the project took a huge risk; to question the assumption that market housing must necessarily retreat into the passive, quiet pool of mass-appeal housing draped in beige. The notion that design matters, that an architect’s fees can bolster the bottom line, is a popular mantra. In this case, the risk paid great dividends with an unprecedented sale price.

While the conventional entry porch is retained, it has also been reinterpreted as a third story covered terrace hovering over the street.