Big things are happening at the historic Wellesley renovation – we learned we’ve been saying the name wrong for a while. A few of our YouTube + Instagram followers kindly let us know it’s pronounced Wells-ley, not Well-es-ley as we thought. Oops! Head to our channel and let us know if you are in the same boat. 

Anyway, the full-house rehab project is moving along nicely – we’ve made significant progress on the structure, and we’re moving on to super exciting stuff as the design comes to life! Here’s what we accomplished over the winter:

Structural Updates

We spent December framing in the new addition, which includes the new kitchen, mudroom, half bath, primary bed, and primary bath, taking the home from 3 beds, 1 bath, and 1400 square feet to 5 beds, 3.5 baths, and 3,000 square feet.

It’s so much easier to imagine the layout of these added rooms now that the framing matches the floor plan we created using Materio! Materio partnered with us to sponsor this series and we’ve loved using their software to plan the layout, shop materials, and track spending. You can use code MOONSTONE for 30% off your first month with Materio.

In the basement, we poured concrete and also framed the space. We previously bumped out the basement a bit to add more square footage and make space for a living area, a bedroom with an egress window, and the house’s final full bathroom.

We completed the new electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-ins in the new additions and started the foundation for the new 2-car garage. We’ll finish that in our next episode!

In the new primary bedroom, we built two niches into the entry to give the owners room to add personal touches like photos and decor. We also installed lots of windows and two generous closets.

On the other side of the new primary bathroom wall is the original blue bathroom that was once the only bathroom in the house. We’ll frame over the old window opening on what used to be the exterior wall of the house and add built-in storage on the blue bathroom side so we won’t have to demo any of the original tiles. Speaking of tiles, we’ll finish re-tiling the floor after inspection.

Finally, we relocated the laundry room to the second floor in what used to be a bedroom closet and installed the rough-ins for the stacking washer, dryer, and laundry sink. Don’t worry – we added a new closet to the bedroom to make up for it!

Clawfoot Tub Restoration

As with the rest of this beautiful old home, the vision for the new primary bathroom was to marry old and new materials to balance vintage and modern in the design. We’re restoring a 100-year-old clawfoot tub that will eventually be the perfect place for a relaxing soak.

First, though, we had to grind off four layers of peeling paint and clean the interior with diluted white vinegar. We also soaked the original feet of the tub in water and vinegar. Both will get new paint: the tub will get a special enamel coating in either black, green, or brown, and the feet will get a nice glaze of chrome to match the rest of the bathroom fixtures.

There are some minor (but noticeable) scuffs and scratches on the inside of the tub, but we’ll leave those alone. A little wear and tear is expected on an antique cast iron tub, and even with a scrape or two, it will last forever. It’s also much more budget-friendly than purchasing a $5,000 new cast iron tub from Kohler!

Tile Selection

We had the best time visiting Mercury Mosaics in Northeast Minneapolis to pick out tile for the entryway and fireplace. The tile is all handmade on-site, and we love supporting another woman-owned local business! Dylan, our procurement manager, helped us pick out a gorgeous blue-green tile to add a fun, modern twist to the traditional 1920s mosaic entryway. 

The fireplace is currently painted brick, but the floor still has original tile. We want to bring in some of that color to the fireplace, so we decided on Old Copper (Lydia’s favorite color at Mercury!) from their imperfect warehouse tile inventory because it has a nice variation of warm browns with green and blue tones.

Choosing Windows

We stopped in at the Pella Experience Center in Plymouth to shop for windows and learn about different characteristics with our account rep, Drew, who whisked us around the showroom to see all the different styles and materials of windows to choose from. They blew up photos of Wellesley on large screens to help visualize the size and number of windows needed.

Drew explained that because the home was built in the 1920s, he believed we had corded weight systems in the wall, which would allow us to increase the sizes of some of the windows without affecting the trim. Adding new windows will increase the energy efficiency of the house, while Pella’s Lifestyle series will allow us to choose historically accurate characteristics, like grids. We went with wood-clad windows that will match what is currently in the house. 

The conversation continued with Drew back at the project site, where we checked out the windows around the house. We won’t lose historical details on the front of the house, like the arched front door or the grills on the top sashes of the windows. In the dining room, there were in-swing casement windows that wouldn’t be budget-friendly to replace, so he helped us pick a more affordable awning-style that would keep the same feel.

Upstairs in the OG blue bathroom, we lost natural light from the window on the exterior wall that now leads into the new primary bathroom. Drew helped us measure and pick a new fiberglass header window from the Impervia line that will hold up better to moisture than a wood-clad window.

Thank you to Pella for sponsoring this project and working with us! We love working with a company that is just as excited about our unique, historic remodel as we are.  Stay tuned for window delivery and installation!

Stay Updated!

Follow along with the process as we transform this historic Minneapolis home and give it new life! Next on the docket: insulation, drywall installation, and finishing the garage. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram for updates.