COLONIAL HOME GAME
This is a story about one house, built many different times.
The Center Entrance Colonial Revival is the most common house form in Massachusetts. These “Tract Colonial” homes often date back to the 1940s, and may have been renovated or altered, but there’s a “basic” form that is ubiquitous.
The Colonial Revival doesn’t have much to recommend itself esthetically. Additionally there are often problems with the proportions; the ceilings are sometimes a bit low, and since the builders were trying to maximize the number of lots on a street, the rooms are often a few feet narrower than one might wish. Since these houses are usually oriented squarely towards the street they may not take best advantage of the sun.
All these very valid complaints don’t alter the fact that this is an amazing house. There’s often a sense of neighborhood from the cul-de-sacs and abutting back yards. Between the closets, pull-down attic stairs, basement and garage there’s a fair amount of storage.
Most importantly, these houses are wonderfully adaptable about how they’re lived in, and small renovations can have a big impact on the space.
Basic un-renovated Center Entrance "Tract" COlonial House
Ground Floor
Ground Floor
Ground Floor
The front door opens towards the street, the driveway is to the right as you face the house. Standing in the front foyer you can look to your right to see the dining room. The kitchen is to the rear, with the kitchen sink under the back window. Still standing in the foyer, look to the left to see the living room which runs from the front to the back of the house, with an enclosed unheated porch beyond. The living room has windows only front and back, but has a glass door to the porch on the left of the fireplace and the window on the right.
The stairs to the second floor rise up straight out of the foyer. The stairs to the basement follow the stair line from the rear, and there's a half-bathroom/laundry at the back of the first floor.
Second Floor
Ground Floor
Ground Floor
Upstairs there's a master bedroom over the front of the living room, and a very small master bath above the foyer.
The three other bedrooms are small; one is over the back of the living room, the other two are over the kitchen and the dining room. Entered from the hall at the top of the stairs there's a bathroom directly above the first floor bathroom. Frequently the basement has been finished.
A Couple & Their Daughter
A Couple, Their 2 Sons, Plus Frequent Foreign Exchange Students & House Guests.
A Couple & Their Daughter
A Couple With 3 Children
A Couple, Their 2 Sons, Plus Frequent Foreign Exchange Students & House Guests.
A Couple & Their Daughter
A Couple, Their 2 Sons, Plus Frequent Foreign Exchange Students & House Guests.
A Couple, Their 2 Sons, Plus Frequent Foreign Exchange Students & House Guests.
A Couple, Their 2 Sons, Plus Frequent Foreign Exchange Students & House Guests.
A Couple, The Husband’s Mother, 2 Daughters & A Niece, A Workshop, & A Rental.
A Single Mother Starting A Business, Her Baby & Nanny, & Employees Of The Business.
A Couple, Their 2 Sons, Plus Frequent Foreign Exchange Students & House Guests.
A Single Mother Starting A Business, Her Baby & Nanny, & Employees Of The Business.
A Single Mother Starting A Business, Her Baby & Nanny, & Employees Of The Business.
A Single Mother Starting A Business, Her Baby & Nanny, & Employees Of The Business.
A Single Father Who Is A Community Organizer & His 3 Children.
A Single Mother Starting A Business, Her Baby & Nanny, & Employees Of The Business.
A Single Mother Starting A Business, Her Baby & Nanny, & Employees Of The Business.
A Couple, Their 2 Children, & A Large Extended Family For Frequent Meals.
A Couple, Their 2 Children, & A Large Extended Family For Frequent Meals.
A Couple, Their 2 Children, & A Large Extended Family For Frequent Meals.