Country Cape

Dover, MA

When work began, this house comprised a postwar Cape Cod with incongruous contemporary additions. These were replaced with wings to either side of the original, creating a rambling cape house that feels in sync with the seventeen-acre property. The home now looks like it has eighteenth-century origins and was appropriately added to over generations.

A new clapboard wing houses a master suite with a luxurious bathroom, whose private courtyard features a hot tub. The board-and-batten wing, meanwhile, contains a family room and gathering spaces, as well as a three-car garage with second-floor guest quarters that appears to have once been a freestanding centuries-old stable.

Among the further enhancements are new chimneys and dormers on the original building, plus a barrel-vaulted dining room, a cozy library, and a hidden staircase, all of which add charm and authenticity. These improvements ultimately tripled the size of the house—and, to all appearances, its age too.