Judson House

Client: Chris Haaf & Kristen Ford
Location: Art Museum Area, Philadelphia

Chris and Kristen had bought a house in the Art Museum area, and wanted a green renovation. This involved essentially gutting the house, rebuilding the walls, leveling the ceilings, re-doing all the electric, exposing the original yellow pine floors, and building a kitchen from reclaimed wood. The job was made all the more special by the fact that Chris and Kristen were expecting a baby – we would be instrumental in helping to build their first nest.

Chris was the best kind of client: he helped with demo, and didn't mind picking up our slack. It was a source of constant embarrassment for everyone when Kristen's mother would blow in and work harder than all of us: steaming off wallpaper, removing asphalt covering, sweeping up plaster.

When we finally got to the kitchen, we were ready to play. We removed the original brick back of the house and installed a lintel. Using Kristen's careful drawings, we built cabinets from reclaimed white pine from the 1600s. Because the lengths of custom-milled pine were long and wide, we were able to construct an entire front of a floor-to-ceiling cupboard using a singe piece wood. We were all excited about how the cabinets came out, and wish Chris and Kristen luck with the little one.

Client Testimonial

"My wife and I recently bought our first home near the Art Museum in Philadelphia. Having been vacant for more than ten years, the two story row home needed more than a little bit of work. Greensaw Design & Build fit our renovation needs perfectly as we wanted to incorporate green design practices and use salvaged materials where possible.

Brendan met with us several times to plan out every detail.  Work began on time and proceeded without a hitch.

The kitchen, which was rebuilt down to the joists and rafters, is the jewel of the house. Following Brendan's suggestions, part of the original brick wall separating the kitchen from the living room was removed to open up the space. Brendan and his crew built custom cabinets out of 300 year old white pine which provides a rustic contrast to the modern look of the slate floor and poured-concrete countertop.

The rest of the work, while somewhat less glamorous, was completed with no less care.  The original yellow pine floors, that Brendan carefully refinished, look incredible and give the house the character we were hoping for. In addition, Greensaw re-wired the entire house and replaced the walls and ceiling on the second floor, including installation of recessed lights and a ceiling fan. Even with all of this work, we moved in to our finished house only two months after closing.

We cannot recommend Brendan Jones and Greensaw Design & Build more highly."

Chris Haaf

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