Restructuring the First Floor and Kitchen Design

Project: Victorian Restoration, Episode 3, Part 3



Contractor Charlie Tomaszewski and crew are hard at work moving the front door of the main house to accommodate a new entranceway. In addition, Tomaszewski is using an air-driven palm nailer to finish up work on new support beams.

Bob meets homeowner Julie Graham, who is working with Faith Allen from Merillat to create the new kitchen layout. Across town, Bob tours the Isaac Royall House.
Part 1: Relocating the Front Door
Part 2: Touring the Isaac Royall House in Medford, MA
Part 3: Restructuring the First Floor and Kitchen Design
Charlie Tomaszewski uses a Craftsman palm nailer while installing the final joist hanger. This now completes the restructuring of the kitchen/family room section of the first floor. The small rooms with nooks and crannies and a rabbit warren of interior walls supporting the upstairs have been replaced with a 35-foot wide open span with strategically positioned structural lumber-- LVLs-- supporting the upstairs.

Bob joins homeowner Julie Graham and Merillat rep Faith Allen to discuss the new Merrilat kitchen that Julie has planned. Merillat has developed a new concept they call "organomics" to help homeowners overcome problems commonly encountered in designing a kitchen. Organomics is a blending of organization and ergonomics that encourages the homeowner to take a look at the space and to divide it into activity-based areas.

In the case of Julie's kitchen, the space is divided into a storage zone with pantry utility cabinet and refrigerator, a sink zone for cleanup, a cooking zone, a food prep zone, a planning zone, and an eating zone in the nook.
Located just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob's scouts discovered a Victorian-era house in a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets that was past due for a full-scale renovation.

The home's new owners, a work-at-home family, have set goals to modernize the home's floor plan, update the building's mechanical and electrical systems, and add home office and work spaces for two busy professionals.

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