In our last blog post, we spoke of the home renovation process as a metamorphosis, the transformation of the tired caterpillar into the beautiful butterfly. To carry that analogy a little further, if you look closely at the butterfly you can still see the former caterpillar. In a similar way, we at AJH Renovations, LLC and Designed for Downtown, LLC will design the renovation of a mature home so that the shadows of the former house remain, only beautified and accented. This process is called reclamation, and it’s both a lot of fun and a lot of work.

Due to the conditions of construction fifty or more years ago, and the rigors of the modern International Building Code, we are not often able to reuse existing materials in the same use for the renovation. Hardwood flooring may have been refinished one too many times to allow it to be reused as flooring, original windows are usually single-pane and no longer meet energy standards, lighting fixtures were installed before UL ratings and are probably no longer safe enough for reuse for the same purpose. But all is not lost, and these original materials need not be sent to the landfill.

Early 20 th Century single-pane windows can be repurposed as accent cabinetry doors for a wet bar or utility zone; attic plank flooring becomes wainscot for the new second-story living space, and old wall paneling is incorporated into the custom cabinetry design as door and drawer panels. Old beams in an out-building become new mantels, and even an unused old washstand can be converted into a single-sink vanity. A new renovation, and a house full of memories at the same time.

We at Designed for Downtown, LLC and AJH Renovations, LLC frankly love old homes and, while we understand that times change and houses need to keep up with the latest technology, safety features, and styles, we still want to be able to see that caterpillar almost hidden, but not quite, by the beautiful butterfly. Give us a call today to start the conversation of mixing the old with the new in your home’s future life.

A whole-house renovation is very much a metamorphosis – a ‘change of form’ not unlike the dramatic change of a caterpillar to a butterfly. We don’t get to see the amazing transformation of the caterpillar to the butterfly because it’s all done inside a cocoon. It might be a good idea, though few would be willing to pay for it, to wrap the entire renovation site in a similar cocoon, because the renovation process is probably as ugly as the metamorphosis of the insect. Some of our renovations over the years have been so dramatic that the homeowners have admitted to low-grade depression and even tears after the demolition phase. Alas, for the cocoon. I guess the adage, “you have to crack some eggs to make an omelet” applies.

It’s not always that bad. At AJH Renovations, LLC and our sister design studio, Designed for Downtown, LLC, we do try to preserve as much of the old house look as we can. Sometimes, when the renovation is mostly inside, the shell of the house acts like that cocoon, hiding the transformation until complete (of course, you have to get invited in to see the butterfly). But, frankly, some houses are just too run down or, to be honest, ugly. When that is the case, metamorphosis is the solution. Sometimes the only indication that the butterfly used to be the caterpillar is the house number! It’s an exciting process, giving a new lease on life to an old home or, as our tag line says, “Turning a 20th Century House into a 21st Century Home.”

At AJH Renovations, LLC we know that the process is not pretty, and that there will be times when all seems lost and hopeless. But the design is there, the drawings are done and the material & finishes selected. Soon the butterfly will emerge and the metamorphosis will be complete! Give us a call today at AJH Renovations, LLC and let us help you with your ugly caterpillar.