Back to its Roots
Joe and Grace Scuttaro restore the essence of their log cabin home
WRITTEN BY CAROL BOTT JARGER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MARKSBURY
W
CURB APPEAL Changes to the old exterior (above)
give the Scuttaro home a more authentic and rustic
log cabin look.
28 WAYNE MAGAZINE BACK TO SCHOOL 2015
hen Grace and Joe Scuttaro of Wayne purchased
their Packanack Lake log cabin home built in
1938, they wanted to modernize appliances and
fixtures, yet embrace the home’s rustic roots.
With careful planning, they married form and
function through renovations that reflect the
home’s original style with a luxurious flare.
The couple and their dog, Sebastian (Grace owns Shampooch Dog
Grooming Studio in Nutley), live happily in this cozy five-room house.
A graduate of Wayne Valley High School, Grace wanted to live in the
Packanack Lake community. “We like character houses,” she says. “We
had been in the market for a log cabin for a long time.” Here, she and
her husband removed all carpets that hid hardwood floors. A drop
ceiling on the porch and plywood and stucco ceiling tiles in the kitchen
were taken down to reveal authentic wooden ceilings with beams.
OLD PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SCUTTARO FAMILY
GRACE AND JOE SCUTTARO
WITH SEBASTIAN