Historical Carriage House Transformed Into an Artist’s Studio

Historical Carriage House Transformed Into an Artist’s Studio

Nancy and Mark Jarzombek had a 1910 carriage house on their property that was full of potential, but the zoning bylaws for historical projects in Belmont, Massachusetts prevented them from heating it. So they hired design-build firm principal Glenn Travis to help them carry out their vision. Travis maintained the historical look of the building, but needed to shore up the sagging structure and replace the original carriage doors on the right with replicas. He also added a few new windows to other sides of the building to give the studio more natural light. The left side of the carriage house was already being used as a library, while the right side was an unfinished garage space.

To give Nancy a proper heated art studio, Travis collaborated with Gallagher Remodeling to shore up and square up the building. They removed the rotten wood and installed steel helical piers and a new engineered wood sill. The original double doors were preserved and freshened up with paint, and now one set of carriage doors opens to the new studio space. The finished space is cheerful and bright, with insulation, heat and hot water. The team also installed a new electrical system and three wall-mounted radiators.