BUILDING & RENOVATION
done with minimum impact on their life.”
Drawing upon their extensive experience with renovating historic homes, Site Specific
was able to get creative with how they installed the new fixtures upstairs without making
an opening in the ceiling or disturbing the stairway below. They fed new plumbing and
electrical to the second floor through vertical ‘chases’ concealed within closets on the
first floor, then worked with Taylor and her team at KTID to locate electrical in the
cabinetry rather than tackling those tricky exterior terracotta walls. They also trusted in
their industry relationships.
“We have trusted plumbing and heating contractors that we work with exclusively for
homes like this. We lean on them for their expertise and they rely on us to provide great
opportunities to facilitate neat, clean work,” says Behlke.
The quality of the materials used was equally as important when fashioning the new
bathroom. And so, they asked their tile setter to incorporate a newer product that they
knew would be ideal for this bathroom renovation. Then they doubled down on the
commitment to quality with additional training.
“We sent myself and three other employees to a systems training course so we could
be educated in how these products are appropriately waterproofed, how all of their
systems integrate together and so on,” Behlke says. “Becoming educated in these systems
allows us to manage it better and to self-perform better. We’re passionate about this; we
want to do it right and we want the best systems, so if that means getting additional
training, we’ll do it.”
The result? Every young working parents’ dream bathroom, complete with an
elegant his and hers floating vanity, modern vessel sinks, flawless cabinetry by Jutras
Woodworking, a gorgeous curbless shower and a free-standing tub.
In the attached master bedroom, Site Specific crafted a large walk-in closet as well as
the surrounding panel mouldings. To match the existing detail of the wall, they extracted
an original piece, copied it, brought it to their Providence location and adjusted the
62 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY’S NEST |
2020
settings on their machinery to recreate it. Site Specific boasts
an affinity for millwork, able to recreate most mouldings —
crown, casing, baseboard, basecap, picture rail, you name it
— all inhouse. Many millwork details made and installed by
Site Specific trickle down to the first floor and can be admired
throughout, from the panel mouldings to the wainscoting to the trim.
“We made a calculated decision when it came to the crown moulding. We planned
to replace some of it — it’s all plaster — but we didn’t make anything look too pristine
because it would have jumped out against something that looks older,” Behlke explains.
“We wanted to preserve that historic feel.”
But still, some areas were in need of updating.
“The playroom was another huge challenge. It has a really unusual window system.
All of the glass was yellowed, discolored, blown seals — it was an early form of insulated
glass and it had completely blown,” Behlke says. “We looked into the feasibility of
replacing all of the windows in total, but the construction of this room, having at some
point been more of a porch or a three-season room, didn’t allow us to replace any of the
windows without tearing the entire thing off the house.”
And so — after making sure the project was 100 percent lead safe — they collaborated
with one of their glass contractors to remove all the glass, brought in a local metal
contractor to do repairs on the existing steel and then had all brand-new glass
installed. It made for a beautiful, light and airy space for the kids, and parents, to enjoy.
“Another strength is our relationships with local designers and other industry
experts. We’re able to make a quick phone call to make these jobs seamless and
accomplish everything that everybody wants, which is always a goal,” says Behlke.
In the end, the homeowners certainly got everything they wanted; a historically
rich home with all the trimmings needed for comfortable, modern day living for
years to come. ◆