The renovation of this 1894 Evanston residence for a family with three young children, adhered to the Client's environmental criteria and the house's historical context. The project was carefully planned to enable the 2-level house to be a comfortable home, both spatially and thermally, without needing to expand outside its envelope.

The house is fully weatherized, with insulation added to the exterior walls, basement floor, attic, and particular care given to rim joists and top plates - often missed areas that make a great impact on energy savings. Long-term environmental issues have been considered in the decision to refurbish all windows, install a geothermal (ground-source) heat pump for cooling and heating, tankless water heater, metal roof, improve the north porch as a 3-season buffer zone, and replace the existing leaky layered roof with a long-lasting, light-colored metal roof. All light fixtures are energy efficient, including LED downlight cans, with the type and number of bulbs being minimized for ease of maintenance.

In an effort to reduce the use of virgin materials, many on-site elements are being reused. Vintage details were preserved including original woodwork, hardwood floors and windows. These include bathroom fixtures, dismantled chimney bricks for landscaping use, and refurbished and relocated hardwood doors. All woodwork was restored, including the 7" hardwood door and window frames, original wainscoting, trim, and crown moldings. Other uses of reclaimed materials include roof slate that was re-honed to be used as kitchen flooring, and the roofing timber from their dismantled garage reused to face the kitchen cabinets.