Recent Posts
Bulthaup Kitchen
We went with Bulthaup to design and manufacture our kitchen and we are thrilled with the results. We wanted a clean, modern kitchen with European design and sleek fittings....
Apollo Space Artifact Gallery
I used the renovation and addition project as an ideal opportunity to build a showcase for my collection of Apollo lunar mission artifacts. It was important to plan for where...
The importance of planning ahead
More than a year ago, we climbed a ladder and walked the second floor of our addition while it was in a very rough format with Mark Tierney, our...
Main Stairs
The main stairs go from the new entrance hall up to the second floor of the original Techbuilt part of the house. At the top of the stairs we...
Recycled Redwood Interior Siding
Our Techbuilt house sported some awesome redwood shingles that were used as siding in the entrance hall and one wall of the living room. When we gutted the house,...
Main Room Floor and Beams
The main room is getting close to completion and it looks great. This room is the entire ground floor of the original Techbuilt house plus half of the second...
Choosing Soapstone Kitchen Countertops
In ten degree late December we journeyed to New Hampshire to choose our soapstone slabs. Mike Myers, an owner of Jewett Farms took us out to look at the...
We Now Have One House
After a year of construction, the barrier between the original Techbuilt house and our new addition has been removed. We chose to live on our house during construction. This...
Exterior Paint
The exterior of the entire house is nearly complete. The new roof of the original house was installed last week and the painters need just two more days to finish...
Old Garage Becomes a Storage Room
The most frequent question we’ve received during the (so far) year-long construction project has been “What are you doing with your old garage?” A variation on this I heard a few...
Japanese Influenced Hardscape
We’ve always loved Japanese rock gardens. When we lived in Tokyo, every day I walked past the Nezu Museum and admire see their rock entrance. Frequently I’d go into the...
Removing the Old Driveway
The old garage was added to the original Techbuilt house in the 1970’s. Because it is not original from the 1950’s we are repurposing the old garage into a...
Partially Smart Home
Our project has allowed us to consider using smart (internet enabled) products in our newly designed home. There are many products on the market that allow your mobile device...
At Home with Tomorrow
At Home with Tomorrow, by Carl Koch, designer of the Techbuilt house with Andy Lewis is a very rare book published by Rinehart and Company in 1958.I was lucky...
Home Gym
We have exercised regularly for many years. While we love being outdoors to run, mountain bike, swim, and surf, the long cold Massachusetts winters mean that for many months...
New Steel Beams to Open Up the Techbuilt House
Our original Techbuilt house was set up when built in 1958 with six rooms. We had four bedrooms upstairs. On the ground floor there were two rooms – we...
Installing Hydronic Radiant Heating
Like most Techbuilt homes, ours was originally built on a concrete slab. Since our renovation required that we break up the slab in order to install new services, we...
Two of our bedrooms disappeared!
For the entire five years that we had been contemplating a renovation and addition project to the very first meeting with our architectural team, we’ve always wanted to have a...
Interior demolition of the original TechBuilt house
Over the past 3 weeks, a specialist team was in our original TechBuilt house removing all the interior elements. The process was much more involved and took much longer...
The New Front Door
The installation of the beautiful mahogany front door was completed yesterday. It was a thrilling development to the house because the new entry is now operational. I felt like it...
Reclaimed Antique Factory Maple Plank Flooring
For my office, I sourced some beautiful reclaimed maple flooring that had once been used in a factory. After researching antique factory floors from several different suppliers, I went...
Moving Weekend Part One
After seven months of work, the new addition is finally complete enough for us to move in. For the next 5 months or so while the team renovates the...
Restoring and Reusing Vintage 1950s Light Fixtures
We’re lucky to have a bunch of original light fixtures from the 1950s still in our home. I’ve always loved these fixtures, so we will be reusing them in...
Garage Doors
It was exciting to have the garage doors installed! We chose very simple, clean, and modern design with no windows.
Spray Foam Insulation
On the outer walls and roof, we went with a spray foam insulation product manufactured by Icynene and installed by Anderson Insulation – the white material in the...
Choosing New and Recycling Old Door Hardware
Choosing New and Recycled Old Door Hardware Our original 1958 TechBuilt home features really cool original door handles in what I believe to be brushed aluminum. They are wonderful...
Our Team from Patriot Custom Homes
Our Team from Patriot Custom Homes I love this photo of our team from Patriot Custom Homes. It's a challenge for both us as homeowners and our builders because...
Exposed Spiral Ductwork
Exposed Spiral Ductwork We’ve decided to leave the ductwork in the upstairs part of the new addition exposed. I’ve always liked the look and from the beginning of our...
Installing the Metal Roof
Installing the Metal Roof We chose to go with a 24 gauge Galvalume metal roof product made by Englert and installed by Bradford Standing Seam. We had looked at...
Making Electrical Decisions
Making Electrical Decisions Over the past week we’ve had to make a bunch of decisions about the placement of electrical outlets, switches, and light fixtures. So many things to...
Building the Entrance Hall
Building the Entrance Hall The new entrance hall will serve to connect the original 1958 Techbuilt home with the addition is a fun, funky, and fascinating design. (The existing front...
Installing Windows in the Snow
Installing Windows in the Snow This week the team is installing energy-efficient windows and doors from Pella into the new addition. Considering the cold and snowy weather and how...
Ready for Winter Weather
Ready for Winter Weather The team at Patriot Custom Homes has made excellent progress over the past three weeks. They worked really hard to get the addition ready for...
Exterior Color Palate
Exterior Color Palate Our builder asked us what color we wanted for the exterior trim on the windows. It seemed like a simple request and he needed an answer...
Three Car Garage with No Posts
Three Car Garage with No Posts As we were watching the framing of the new part of the house, we were thrilled to discover that the enormous three-car garage...
Porta-Potties and our Renovation Budget
Porta-Potties and our Renovation Budget When our renovation and addition plans were nearly completed by our architect Joe Welch, we started a series of meetings with our builder, Dylan...
With Foundation Work, Progress Happens Quickly
With Foundation Work, Progress Happens Quickly After more than a year of planning, we were certainly eager to get going with our renovation and addition project. But we weren’t...
Rock Collecting
Rock Collecting As the excavation work for our addition was beginning (and how dramatic it was) I noticed a bunch of large rocks being dug up. I figured that...
Demolishing the shed
Demolishing the Shed One of the major challenges with TechBuilt homes is they have no basement and no attic. Combined with the small closets customary in the 1950s, there...
Tree Work
Tree Work We regret having to take some trees where the addition to our home will be located. When we consulted with John Marquis of Marquis Tree Service we...
Our Design and Construction Team
Our Design and Construction Team We’re working with an incredible team! The renovation and addition design is led by Joe Welch at C/W Design Group and Dylan James at...
The Techbuilt House
The Techbuilt House Techbuilt was a company founded Carl Koch in the early 1950s. After receiving his architectural training at Harvard, Koch taught architecture at MIT. First introduced in...
Midcentury Modern House Renovation and Addition
Midcentury Modern House Renovation and Addition This site chronicles a major update to our 1958 Techbuilt House located in Lexington, MA. We are completely upgrading all the existing parts...