The Dolan/Dewolf whole-house remodel in Merrimac is finished! Now Cheryl and Jim get to enjoy it! Here's the story of how we got the job and our process for completing it.

In December 2001, we were one of three contractors to place a bid on a whole-house makeover for Cheryl Dolan and Jim DeWolf of Merrimac, MA. They had just purchased a home at 6 River Road, across the street from the Merrimac River. The gambrel-style house was built about twenty years ago. It had two small bedrooms upstairs, a small galley-style kitchen, dining room, library, and family room downstairs. The main house was connected by a small first-floor room to a massive 36 x 28 foot two-story structure. The first floor was a garage, and the second an apartment.

The owners hired a local architect, Bruce Stevenson Taylor, to design the house makeover. They wanted Bruce to add a master bedroom suite and office to the house and redesign the kitchen and family room areas. They also wanted to expand the views to the river. Having reviewed the building plans, my first thought was that the Dolan/DeWolfs had chosen the right architect for the design work. Bruce Stevenson Taylor has gained a strong reputation for whole-house makeovers and his notoriety is well deserved.

The existing building had some major design flaws. The house and garage seemed to be out of balance. Because of its size, the garage overwhelmed the main house. To remedy this, Bruce added a gambrel addition to the front of the house and a small dormer to the right of the addition. These changes fixed two problems. First, the windows in the dormer and addition opened up gorgeous views of the river. Second, additional space created hallway access to the area above the garage.

The one-story connector to the garage was redesigned as a two-story space and a 12 x 16 foot addition was placed at the rear of the house. The addition became the family room. It has 10 foot high walls and a cathedral ceiling. A walkway was created on the second floor to access the area above the garage. The walkway looks down on the cathedral ceiling in the rear: In the front, the walkway provides a view of the river from a dormer which matches the new dormer on the front of the house. The apartment above the garage became the master bedroom suite, complete with a tiled shower, jacuzzi, and office area. An inset balcony, accessed by French doors, provides a view of the river.

In mid-December, we met with Cheryl and Jim to discuss the project. They were hoping to begin the project in the spring, but their timetable was altered when they sold their house in West Newbury and had to move out by the end of December. We were awarded the job for three main reasons: We could begin the framing in February, our price was competitive, and we told Cheryl and Jim that they could live in the house while we did the work. The other contractors had suggested they vacate the house during construction.

They moved in at the end of December. The project was completed in two stages. The first stage was to complete the work on the main house. The two children slept in the bedrooms in the main house, while the garage apartment was used as a kitchen, office and master bedroom. Once the work in the main house was finished, we gutted the apartment and completed the master bedroom. We poured the foundations for the two additions in early January and began the framing in February. The plastering and exterior siding was completed the week of April 22nd. The kitchen cabinets and interior trim began the week of May 6th. We finished the interior trim and flooring by the end of May and began the master bedroom suite in June. Jim Dewolf & Cheryl Dolan moved into their master-bedroom suite in early September. Chris Desmond, the painter, worked through September and October to complete the interior and exterior painting.

The master-bedroom suite consists of a master bedroom, "his and her" offices, a spacious walk-in closet and a master bath. The master bath, complete with hot tub, steam shower, and 80-inch double vanity, was tiled in marble by Bruce Martino, our master tile installer. Access to the balcony, which overlooks the Merrimac River, is gained directly from the master bedroom.