Renovation bumps up Winchester ranch, preserves period details
The home, priced at $1,629,000, has six bedrooms and four baths -- and a new top.
This 4,488-square-foot home in Winchester has a steep roofline, but that wasn’t always the case. The home, which is listed for $1,629,000 and was built in 1952, used to be a ranch — that is, until Craig Miller stepped in.
Miller lives and works in Winchester, and homes throughout the community often catch his eye. And for years, he had his eyes on 170 Forest St.
“It was a really characteristic home,” he said. “It was originally a ranch. It was long and had all this great granite. You could barely make out the features through the trees.”
“I could tell between the trees that there was something interesting back there, but I had to respect [the owner’s] privacy,” said Miller, who owns Waterfield Design Group and a boutique home-building company called Five Points Development. One day, he knocked on a neighbor’s door to see whether anyone knew anything about the property and who lived there. The neighbor told him that the owner had just died and that there were no heirs to the property.
Four months later, according to Miller, that same neighbor called to tell him that the home might be ready to be sold. Miller said he bought the property intending to preserve it, but it wasn’t in move-in condition. “There were so many trees,” he said. “The roof was full of pine needles, [there were] leaves in gutters, there was a tree growing out of the chimney.” The roof sagged, and the interior needed updating.
Through it all, though, Miller knew he needed to keep that granite facade.
“You could tell it was something special back in its heyday,” Miller said of the home. “The inside was filled with period woodwork and paneling. … [There were] paneled arches that led to a tiny little kitchen. Back in the day, this was a special place.”
There was a full bar in the basement that he envisioned was a space for holiday parties back in the day.
“There are structural issues, but it would be a shame to lose all this great craftsmanship,” Miller said he thought when he first saw the home. “Back 100 years ago, when people built homes, it was a labor of love, and today people work hard, but the architecture and attention to detail don’t always show through.”
During the renovation, Miller knew he had to save the granite-and brick-exterior, which remains at its base. He also kept the wainscot and two fireplaces.
The home now offers six bedrooms, four baths, and 4,488 square feet of living space — all on nearly a half acre of land. There is an open floor plan and a kitchen with subway tile, an island, and stainless-steel appliances.
In the master suite, you’ll find dual closets and a bath with a soaking tub and a glass shower. The attic is finished, and there is a two-car garage, a walk-out lower level, and a deck.
Miller said he was proud to save something with great bones through repurposing.
“It’s a perfect example of what today’s sustainability is about,” he said.
There will be an open house on Sunday, April 15, from noon to 4 p.m.
See more photos of the home:
Subscribe to our free real estate newsletter — our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design — at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com