This is the fourth in a series following the renovation of 210 N. Payne Street in the Parker Gray neighborhood of Old Town Alexandria. The home, built more than a century ago as a business that was later a rental property, will be fully renovated and expanded while honoring the property’s unique history.
More in this series:
Part 1: 210 N. Payne Street: A Historic Renovation Diary
Part 2: ‘The Before’
Part 3: Strategy, Structure and Soil
Part 4: Onward and Upward
Part 5: Historic Elements, Tiny Living
Part 6: A Look Back
From the Owner: How to Buy and Renovate a Home
The color is different and the windows are new, but from the street outside 210 N. Payne Street, it doesn’t look like much has changed.
But when owner Christine Sennott opens the front door, the change is nothing short of remarkable. (See photos below.)
Earlier this year, Realtor Christine Sennott and her husband purchased one of the Parker Gray neighborhood’s most unique properties: a small, one-story, studio-style home with no bedrooms and one small bathroom. 210 N. Payne Street was built more than a century ago and was originally a cigar shop owned by a man named Edward Green. Over the years, the building was used for various businesses, and it turned into a residence in 1960.
Christine Sennott
The stairs to the second story at 210 N. Payne lead to a two-bedroom, one bath addition with closet and garden space.
The home had already been renovated several times, but Sennott had an entirely different vision for a two-story home with indoor-outdoor seamless living, office space and smart design to maximize living space. The trick: keeping the historic façade intact, and largely hiding the new second story.
After months of work by Kulinski Group Architects and Moore Construction Group this spring and summer, the home was fully gutted and the second story placed, set back from the historic street-facing façade. The second level has two bedrooms, a bathroom and ample storage.
This spring’s discoveyr that the foundation and the soil beneath it weren’t strong enough to support a second story was fixed with helical piles and metal supports. (Sennott joked the foundation is now so strong that it could support a skyscraper.)
In addition to preserving the building’s front façade, Sennott and her husband salvaged wood from the original joints and supports, and will be using it for shelves. After installing a firewall between Sennott’s home and the home to the south, Sennott will reinstall an exposed brick, as that’s what the original building would have had inside.
Sennott remains focused on giving the home a rustic-but-contemporary feel and maximizing every inch of space in the home.
While some homeowners dread major renovations, Sennott and her husband are already looking for their next project. “The team at Moore Construction Group is always coming to me with smart improvements. It’s been a pleasant experience,” Sennott said.
In the coming weeks, more improvements will be visible on the exterior as the color changes to a hunter green with white trim, and the interior gets insulation, exposed brick and finished walls, a new kitchen with under-stairs pantry, recessed lighting and more. By the middle of November, Sennott said her miniature Australian Shepherd will be lying at the foot of her bed on top of a vent (specifically requested for the dog) in her bedroom floor.
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Christine Sennott
The stairs to the second story at 210 N. Payne lead to a two-bedroom, one bath addition with closet and garden space.
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Christine Sennott
The first floor was completely gutted and French doors in the back will bring in light and the outdoors.
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Christine Sennott
The master bedroom on the second floor uses smart storage solutions for HVAC and leaves space for a small rooftop garden.
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A rendering of the planned front of 210 N. Payne St. from Kulinski Group Architects.
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A rendering of the planned front of 210 N. Payne St. from Kulinski Group Architects.
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The back of 210 N. Payne St. in an architectural rendering from Kulinski Group Architects.
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The current front of 210 N. Payne St. in the Parker Grey neighborhood. The home is being renovated this spring.
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The interior of 210 N. Payne St. before renovations started.
