Property & Project Overview

Built in 1925, “Chimney Corner” is a historic Georgian Revival waterfront home nestled on a cove of the same name off Long Island Sound. The house is distinguished by its two large flanking chimneys, a defining architectural feature.

The homeowners wanted to entirely modernize the interiors of the existing home, built with 2-foot-thick fieldstone walls, granite quoins and banding, and a modillioned cornice beneath a hipped slate roof, while seamlessly integrating several new additions to match the original structure, making them appear as if they had always been part of the home.

The Construction Process 

Our task was to completely rebuild the interior of the house while preserving the existing shell.

In order to make the lower level useable, we lowered the basement floor by up to eight feet and constructed new concrete foundation walls to improve both stability and functionality. This process involved extensive rock removal under the existing structure, which was assisted by creating a temporary opening in the existing 2-foot-thick foundation walls, allowing mini-excavators, hoe-rams, and other construction equipment to access the space.

A 48” diamond blade offset concrete saw was used to cut the existing bedrock in 2-foot-deep increments along the face of the perimeter stone foundation. Next, 1-1/2” diameter holes were drilled in a grid pattern, spaced 2 feet on center across the entire basement. Hydraulic splitters were then inserted into each hole to break apart the bedrock. This process was repeated for each 2-foot depth level until the required excavation depth was reached, resulting in cuts ranging from 5 to 8 feet to achieve the final floor being lowered by 4 to 7 feet.  All the rock had to be removed from the space by small machines utilizing the temporary road cut through the access hole in the foundation.

While much of the existing façade was preserved and restored, window openings had to be recut and some sections needed to be entirely removed due to structural issues.  The work at each such situation and where additions were integrated into the existing stone work all had to be lovingly matched to exactly match the old stone work. 

We then poured new concrete foundation walls within the perimeter of the basement. Since the pour was against the existing exposed bedrock and upper stone foundation, we used special one-sided formwork. Ties were drilled into the bedrock and stone, with external bracing to secure the forms in place during the pours.

The existing stone foundation, composed mostly of rubble and highly porous, required improved drainage. To address this, drainage layers were installed against the walls before pouring the new concrete. These layers directed water into a newly integrated underdrain system beneath the basement slab, which then funneled into a sump pump, ultimately discharging into the rain garden.

 

Replacing the internal wood structural framing on the first, second, and third floors with steel was a staged process. Temporary shoring was necessary to support the existing floors while adjacent sections were removed and replaced. Given the constraints, all steel components had to be maneuvered through door and window openings or specially created openings in the existing stone perimeter walls—each of which had to be meticulously patched with mortar and stone to blend seamlessly with the original construction.

Expanding the kitchen wing required the removal of exterior stone walls on two adjacent sides of the house, across all three stories, while simultaneously supporting the existing slate roof. This was no small feat, and we were certainly relieved when the final piece of the new structure was securely in place

The Final Outcome & Key Construction Features 

The scope of work, spanning XXX,  involved the complete removal of the interior, including all existing structural framing, in a staged process. While shoring the perimeter walls, the basement was also lowered from 4 feet to 7 feet to create new living spaces at the lower level.

The existing basement sat entirely on bedrock, which had to be carefully removed using a combination of drilling, hoe-ramming, and saw-cutting. Within the confines of the existing structure, new foundation walls and slabs were then built. To install the new structural steel needed to support each floor, materials were maneuvered through doors and windows whenever possible. When necessary, openings were made in the stone perimeter walls, which were later restored to match the original construction.

The work also involved removing the exterior stone structure on two faces of the house to extend the kitchen and breakfast area on the first floor, creating additional space in the lower level for a gym, sauna, and pool changing area with direct access to the new terraces and pool.

The existing site was completely leveled, which included removing the old pool, multiple levels of stone retaining walls, and reconstructing the area. The new pool is now centered on the house at the edge of the property, featuring a disappearing edge that blends seamlessly into Long Island Sound. 

Beneath one of the terraces, a 1,000-square-foot underground pool equipment and storage vault with 15-foot high ceilings was constructed, discreetly accessed via a door near the gym.

The final addition to the house was the construction of a one-story library wing connected to the east end. This circular library features matching fieldstone and a standing seam metal roof, complemented by a glass monitor that provides indirect sunlight to the space.

The 11 bedrooms on the second and third floors were rebuilt largely in their original configurations, with the addition of a nautical bunkroom for the grandchildren and an updated master suite.

 A tiered home theater was added to the basement, along with a pool and game rooms, a kids’ playroom, and a fitness area.

The existing three-car garage was re-roofed, while the two-car garage was lifted from its slab and supported on temporary piers to allow for the construction of a new foundation and slab underneath.

An interesting sidenote: During reconstruction, the removal of paint from the front portico uncovered hand-carved depictions of these chimneys, along with the initials ‘C C,’ a subtle yet elegant tribute to the home’s name. 

Summary of Construction Features

This extensive renovation project transformed a historic Georgian Revival waterfront home in Greenwich, CT, into a modern masterpiece while preserving its classic charm. 

From a foundational overhaul to the addition of new spaces throughout the home, the ultimate goal of creating a completely restored residence that maintained its original aesthetic was successfully achieved.

Key Features:

• Existing Georgian Revival waterfront mansion
• 2’ thick multi-colored fieldstone structure with pink granite quoins and banding
• Modillioned cornice
• Slate roof
• Front portico supported by four unfluted Ionic columns 
• Tischler windows – double hung 12 lite over 12 lite with shutters  
• Tischler Lift and Slide doors provide access to the exterior living spaces at the rear and west side of the house

• “New floating” elliptical stair in an elliptical opening from the first floor to the third floor.  
• The ceiling of the Entry Hall has an elliptical LED laylight mirroring the elliptical stair opening.
• Entry Hall is the center of the house from front to back, with new larger openings providing a direct view of the pool and Long Island Sound from the front door.
• The second floor of the Entry Hall has a curved wall containing two eglomise glass windows separating the stairs from a small Master Study.
• The new Library addition is connected to the Living Room by a hyphen that contains a formal powder room and bar.  The Library is a round room within a square structure, paneled with Anigre millwork and a plaster dome topped with an oculus monitor. The four resulting corners at the periphery are bookshelf niches with triangular skylights
• Exterior cooking by an exterior grill and pizza oven under a pent roof
• All 11 bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms
• Lower Level includes a Game Room, Theater, Playroom, Changing Room and Pool Bathroom, Gym, Laundry, Mechanical, Electrical, and AV rooms.
• Large skylights over the Breakfast Area and the Lower Level Pool Changing area allow plenty of natural sunlight

• The Kitchen wing has a louvered cupola with a diamond-patterned leaded copper roof, topped with a finial
• Large sports court and play area with a basketball court and municipal-grade children’s playset on Astro-turf, surrounded by stone walls to match the house
• Constructed a large rain garden in the rear yard that collected all the run-off from the rear of the house.  A drainage collection system that collected all run-off from the front of the house was buried under the front courtyard.

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