This charming and historic Cape, located on Main Street in Chatham’s historic Old Village, was originally built around 1870 as a general store by Andrew Harding and his brother. In the 1930s, it became a tea room, and eventually was converted to a residence. The home, like many in the Old Village, was modified extensively over time to accommodate the needs of its occupants. It was even picked up and rotated on the property, probably when converted to a home, to create a more typical cape configuration where the roof slope faces the street.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva’s client’s goal was to add a small amount of living space through thoughtful additions and to enhance the traditional character of the house, situated on a street of quintessential early Chatham residences, through careful restoration.

We improved the historically significant Old Village streetscape by removing an unsightly deck constructed of materials and detailing which were out of character for the home and context. The deck was replaced with a more subtle stone patio made of fieldstone which – with convenient access to the dining room – increased usable outdoor living space. A dormer was added to the street elevation to accommodate increased headroom in a small second-floor bedroom at the front of the house. Another dormer was added to the back of the house to accommodate a new second floor bathroom.

The interiors were brightened by removing dark paneling and by refinishing existing wood floors. The kitchen was updated with new cabinets and appliances in a traditional cottage style. The basement was turned into a living area with walk-out access to the back yard. During the renovations, our carpenters discovered remnants of the shelving left over from the original Old Village general store.