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DON’T CALL IT NEW CONSTRUCTION
A “non-conforming house” is rebuilt, and reborn
WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF GREG MARTZ IN HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY
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ometimes a house looks like new, but it isn’t. In the
case of the Upper Montclair split level pictured here,
the new owners wanted it to have a lot of the fea-
tures of Craftsman Colonials, “with a porch, simple
lines and honest materials, eschewing Victorian
over-the-top stuff,” says Jonathan Perlstein, owner
of Oasis Architecture. Oasis retained 50 percent of the house’s
existing structural system so it could still be categorized as a
dwelling built before today’s zoning laws became effective.
“There were big zoning changes after the Christopher Court
development was built,” says Perlstein. “They were so flagrant
in abusing the zoning laws.” There are also tax advantages
to avoiding a tear-down, he says, as well as environmental
benefits in reusing the foundation wall instead of hauling it to
a landfill. A large addition to the rear of the home does meet
the required contemporary setbacks.
(Above) “A decision my wife Lorraine and I made when building this home was to consider the environ-
ment and energy efficiency,” says homeowner John Agostinelli. “So we installed a geothermal heating and
cooling system that utilizes the earth’s constant temperature to heat and cool the house. Also, to keep our
home as maintenance free as possible, we decided to install cement board siding, cedar shakes and Azeck trim
throughout the exterior.” The driveway pavers are porous so grass can grow through them, reducing runoff.
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