It may be hard to believe that Weather Hill, a sleek brick-and-stucco rancher in the midst of tree-studded hills in Hunt Valley, was once a dinosaur on the housing market.
Before it was renovated last winter, the 16-year-old three-bedroom house languished on the market for over six months with nary a nibble of interest.
Owners Bart and Peggy Chernow, who wanted to sell Weather Hill so they could build their dream home, knew there were problems. From the outside, its solid-brown brick walls and flat black roof were dreary. Inside, the family room, converted by previous owners from the garage, was dark and dingy. And with only three bedrooms, the house was too small for many buyers with families.
A renovation project that would enhance the interior and exterior seemed the only way to sell their home, Mrs. Chernow said.
Dr. Chernow, physician-in-chief at Sinai Hospital, and his wife might have waited until winter's end to embark on a major renovation, but a severe drainage problem, caused by the flat roof, was flooding their basement. Weather Hill's front walkways were covered with ice. The Chernows were desperate.
"There was a sense of crisis among the homeowners," said Norman Seff, president of Adkim Builders Inc., a Pikesville-based design and remodeling company that supervised the overhaul of Weather Hill. For his efforts, Mr. Seff was recently presented with the Project of the Year Award by the Home Builders Association of Maryland's Remodelors Council.
For Mr. Seff, named by Remodeling Magazine as one of the top 50 remodelers in America, the challenge was so irresistible he even started working before the Chernows selected his company. Arriving at his first interview with the potential clients, he found water rushing into the basement. Mr. Seff immediately drove to Hechinger, bought rubber tubing and diverted the drainage. "He had no assurance whatsoever that he was going to get the job, but if anybody is that nice . . ." Mrs. Chernow said.
The remodeler began by replacing the roof, section by section, and adding industrial-sized gutters. A drainage system was installed in the front yard, and the walkway was sloped to drain water away from the house.
Once the emergency repairs were completed, the Adkim team began transforming the interior. Using the existing space previously dedicated to a family room, Mr. Seff added a full bathroom and guest bedroom. To the now-smaller family room, he designed a modified cathedral ceiling to create a sense of space and a full-length, arched custom picture window to provide natural light. Additional illumination was created by adding a continuous bulkhead with concealed uplighting. He eliminated the garage door-sized sliding doors and added standard contemporary windows.
Outside, he revitalized the entry way. Mr. Seff replaced a panel door with a beveled glass double door. Above the door, he added a gabled portico and recessed lighting to spotlight the entry. To break up the overwhelming stretches of brown brick, he set key architectural elements, such as the front door and the picture window, in beige stucco. The monotonous flat roof was transformed into a modified gable roof.
As the renovation progressed, the Chernows added to the existing plans. Landscaping and a bluestone front walkway enhanced the exterior's appearance.
Although the owners will not reveal the exact cost of the renovation, the price was between $50,000 and 75,000, Mr. Seff said.
The project received the award for its quality of construction, sensitivity to existing design and the degree of difficulty, according to Michael Dent, a member of the judging committee.
Regardless of awards and peer recognition, Mr. Seff said the greatest reward was that the project, initially undertaken to help increase resale values, had been transformed into the owners' dream house. Now, there is no need to sell.
"Norman turned Weather Hill into what we would have built if we could have sold it in the first place," Mrs. Chernow said.