Building Our "Dream" House

After doing extensive research to rebuild my family house in Greenwich, I decided to use that knowledge to help other future homebuilders. I wrote the book that I wished I’d had before embarking on the journey that would complete my “dream” home. That book was “From Sand Castles to Dream Houses,” publisher in 2000.

My husband and I purchased a very dated house on North Street which we saw as having great potential. The two and a half acres were filled with beautiful old foliage and the road to the house was just long enough to make it safe for my children and to create great privacy.  Located a mile from the Merritt Parkway made it very convenient for my husband Bob to drive to work easily.

I spent weeks traveling to lumber yards, quarries and hardware stores to get up to speed on all aspects of construction. When I began the process i didn't know the difference between a double hung window and a casement windows. But I was learning this all very quickly.

My husband and I wanted to create a very peaceful and comfortable house for our two small children to grow up in and for us to be able to entertain family and friends. We didn't want a cookie cutter Colonial that was very popular in Greenwich - but a house that was quite unique.

We opted to keep the huge atrium in the center of the house that floods the house with lots of light. To add a country feel, we beamed the skylight, as well as its four corners. Wide plank reclaimed wood flooring was added throughout the common areas to add a sense of permanency and warmth.

We found terracotta brick tiles from the roofs of old churches which were scrubbed clean and used for the flooring of the kitchen. The current floor had to be dropped several inches to accept these thick tiles – but the end result was gorgeous. We found little paw prints on a few of the tiles, where a cat ran across the roof, before the tile was fully set.

While trying to learn about  all aspects of construction – I researched every aspect  and made sure that all wiring would work for future technology, the layout would provide privacy for everyone in the family as well as enough space for lots of togetherness.

We worked with local architect Steven Mueller to make the house as beautiful, efficient and comfortable as possible. The design included blowing out the back wall of the house and installing a glass wall bringing the beauty of the outside immediately visible as one enters the house.

Having grown up in a house with one and a half bathrooms, I wanted to make sure that everyone in the house had their own – so each of the 5 bedrooms in the house has an ensuite bathroom, with three additional half bathrooms for guests.

Convenience for the family was of upmost importance so that small accessibilities were added – such as an extra small refrigerator in the master suite for cold water at any time and a small additional refrigerator in the kitchen, just for the children – so the large refrigerator could stand closed more often. Lots of closet and cabinet space was essential and beautiful views from every room.

To take advantage of the beautiful outdoor space, we ripped out the pool that existed and added a Wagner pool and spa, with a pebbletec bottom that makes the pool resemble a pebbled pond. The massive decking allows for lots of relaxing and enjoying the beautiful landscape.

I learned so much building this house and with further research, I went on to write 6 additional books on home construction.

I'm pleased that my research resulted in the opportunity to build my "dream" house and I hope it will be a dream for a future family. With my son in college and my daughter living in Brooklyn, we are hoping to downsize. The house is now on the market - for further information contact Coldwell Banker brokers - Nina Robinson and Susan Connal - 203-273-8384.