Before & After: New Life for an Eye-Catching Façade

January 20, 2021

Design

This unique Clinton Hill home was originally built as a single-family home. At some point in the mid-1900s, it had been split into separate apartments. Despite this, the French Second Empire exterior remained intact.

Front façade of a stucco Clinton Hill rowhome with light blue painted shingles. — Painted shingles on the mansard roof made it striking from the start, but fully restoring the existing front façade truly made it stand out.

Front façade of a stucco Clinton Hill rowhome with light blue painted shingles before renovation — Painted shingles on the mansard roof made it striking from the start, but fully restoring the existing front façade truly made it stand out.

We restored the cement stucco, replaced existing windows, and swapped the iron-gated front door for a historically accurate double door with arched transom.

Refurbished brick rear façade of a Clinton Hill rowhome with restored shingles, new windows, and enlarged openings. — During the mid-1900s renovation, a partial rear addition was added. We kept this in place, converting it into a sunny breakfast nook off the kitchen.

Painted brick rear facade of a Clinton Hill rowhome before our renovation. — During the mid-1900s renovation, a partial rear addition was added. We kept this in place, converting it into a sunny breakfast nook off the kitchen.

Relocating the deck increased usable yard space. We stripped the paint from the brick and restored the openings with new stone lintels and sills. New divided lite windows, roof tiles, and a refreshed cornice revived the rear façade without altering its footprint.