The Captain’s House was a well loved home that had been adapted and edited over centuries to embrace all ages. From a historical perspective, it had been cared for and had cared back in return.

Its current residents are a large family – a close family despite the ages, and varying interests and activities. It was this house that brought them together throughout the day for chaotic meals and, at other times, well planned gatherings.

The family was growing, as families do, both in age and size. The house needed to bend again because it was too GOOD to leave behind.

The 3rd floor, an attic, had always been there. A cluster of small spaces, some empty, and others packed full of storage. It was a forgotten place where retired dolls sat slumped next to boxes of dated Tupperware and other miscellany-always thought to be needed again someday. ‘This stuff is just too GOOD to throw away,’ they’d say.

The home’s attic was prime real estate. Through eliminating the many small areas and reconfiguring the rooms, we created another floor of flexible family space. A master bedroom suite was prominently located at the top of the new 3rd Floor stair landing. This allowed the parents to feel apart and be available to their children who were now expanding to take over the second floor while still feeling like a private place of respite in the evenings.

The 3rd floor landing was also family-friendly, opening up to a multi-purpose family area to the front of the home. Workspaces for mom and dad flanked a custom built circular booth designed in the front tower. Here the kids could play and work together with mom and dad nearby. Walls were covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves. The centerpiece, a soaring Victorian-style spiral staircase provided access to a small reading room and out to a new widows walk.

To match the appearance of this new, handsome cap to the house, the exterior was dressed up with an expanded and corbelled chimney, new shutters, and a fresh coat of paint.

Since completion, the home has welcomed in new infants and seen others off to high school. It has provided a place to curl up, and a place to dance – from theater practice to music lessons. Annually it showcases a fireworks display from the best view in town: home, a place too GOOD to leave behind.