This Season’s House Projects
This season’s project house is located in Silver Lake, California. The home is the result of a conversion of a dilapidated warehouse. In addition to creating a new home, the project improves the area.
In August, the National House Project was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. The goal of the organization is to improve housing conditions for the poor. As part of their mission, they design projects around the world to address the needs of the underserved. They are currently constructing a prototype home that will serve as a marketing tool for their initiative.
While the prototype was built to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept, the project team is collaborating with MIT’s School of Architecture to develop design proposals that will be constructed in various locations around the world. In addition, they have been developing financing models, business plans, and plans for a series of prototype units.
One of the first houses that was erected in the new subdivision was a Victorian. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A rotting roof and rotted porch will be repaired. When finished, the home will become an architectural piece of beauty.
The family that lives in the home includes three adults and three children. They have limited livable space and one bathroom. Their home also features holes in the wall and flooring stuffed with rugs to prevent rodents from entering. However, the family is on track to succeed.
Another project house is located in the town of Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Habitat is building another affordable housing project in the community. Although the family has disabilities, they have a positive attitude and are working hard to rebuild.
In the town of Lexington, Massachusetts, a two-family home was converted into a bed and breakfast. This project added 2,400 square feet to the home. Since the 1970s, the house has been leaking, and the interior has a worn out look. But the owners want a more modern and industrial aesthetic. Therefore, they have a functional scheme that includes an active zone on the first floor and a passive zone on the second.
In a pastoral suburb west of Boston, a crew from This Old House has refurbished an antique Colonial Revival farmhouse. The home was originally built in 1815.
Another renovation project took place in a historic neighborhood in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. This team restored a 1915 Dutch Colonial Revival home. It included an outdoor courtyard. After remodeling the interior, they added a greenhouse. This project was sponsored by the TD Bank and the Harold and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation.
After a fire, the Silva family rebuilt their 1895 “shotgun double” into a single family home. Using post and beam construction, the crew restored the interior and exterior of the house. They also raised the roof on Jan Winford’s 1907 Craftsman style bungalow in Santa Barbara, California.
In New Orleans, the crew of This Old House is helping a shotgun single family get back on their feet after a flood. This project is part of a community-wide effort to support the family.