Ryan McCarthy Portfolio

Portfolio

Photo by Yzerg

13 Princeton Street East Boston, MA 02128

Purchased in 2016, I gut renovated this 1880’s house over the course of 2 years. I designed and contracted the project myself. From managing the sub contractors, to selecting the shower tile, I meticulously looked over every detail that went into this renovation.

I brought the house up to 21st century design, all while maintaining the character and charm of the house. I exposed and refinished original floors, brought in a load bearing bream salvaged from a barn in New Brunswick, Canada, opened-up the floor plan, in addition to all other plumbing, electrical, and appliance upgrades.

Originally purchased for $370,000 in 2016, I sold the house in 2019 for $800,000 with only 1 showing, and before it hit the public market.

First Floor Living Space

The original living room was separated from the kitchen. It had likely 1920’s maple wood covering the original wide plank flooring.

By opening up the living room to the kitchen, I was able to create an additional space for dining. I salvaged missing floorboards from a renovation across the street.

Kitchen The original kitchen was small and dated. It had limited counter and cabinet space, with a washing machine taking up additional space. Vinal flooring covered the original hardwood.

By removing one of the two chimneys and moving the washing machine to a newly created laundry room, I was able to create additional cabinet and counter space.

Replacing the crank window with a double hung window provided more light. A kitchen island was also added for additional seating and prep space.

Honed black granite provided durability and and functionality to the kitchen.

Laundry Room The downstairs half bath serves as both a guest bathroom, but also a designated laundry room. With a limited budget, I used an antique side table to create a bathroom sink.

Original Coat Closet What once was a large unheated coat and storage closet was turned into this first-floor half bathroom and laundry room. New plumbing and heating was added, which increased the square footage of the house.

22 Lyndeboro Street Charlestown, MA 02129 Purchased in 2019, I gut renovated this 1880’s house over the course of 2 years. I designed and contracted the project myself. Managing this project through the COVID19 pandemic added additional challenges with supply chain shortages and construction delays.

I exposed and refinished original floors, replaced the dated vinal siding with clapboard, and landscaped the backyard. With only 1,000 sq feet of living space over 3 floors, meant use of space had to be carefully thought out. I currently still reside in the house and continue to work on projects.

Photo by Yzerg

Photo by Yzerg

Original Kitchen The original kitchen was dark and dated. It had very limited counter space, a low ceiling, and a non-load bearing wall separating it from the living room.

New Kitchen By rearranging the kitchen layout, more light and additional counter space was added. The removal of the wall created more space and made for a true open concept layout.

Original Kitchen The original kitchen sink was far from the stove and refrigerator, making for a very choppy kitchen layout.

New Kitchen The new kitchen layout allowed for additional seating and cabinet space. The basement door was recreated and hidden with vertical wood paneling.

Backyard The original yard was overgrown with weeds.

I added a variety of flowers and shrubs including; hydrangeas, lilies, ferns, hellebores, peonies, and wisteria, to make sure the garden was flowering all year long. Landscape lighting was also added throughout the back yard.

Planters I create seasonal planters for the front of the house.

Portfolio

Ryan McCarthy