N.J. home makeover is a regular feature on NJ.com. To submit your renovation for consideration, email home@starledger.com with your full name, email address, phone number and town/city. Attach "before" and "after" photos of what you renovated.
JP and Jaime Albano's dream house in Colts Neck had strong curb appeal and, inside, all its 1967 charm remained intact.
"Practically everything was original, including the powder-blue master bathroom," Jamie said.
The ranch-style house had been well-maintained, it had a pleasing layout, and its basement was unfinished. It was all just what they wanted.
"It was a blank slate," said JP, who in the months before they purchased the house had checked online real estate listings daily for a place exactly like it.
"Primarily, I was looking for homes that were in need of a refresh inside. I didn't want something where someone had just redone the kitchen and the bathroom, and it wasn't our taste," he said.
Eight months after their March 2016 closing, they moved into a house updated with a dramatic vaulted ceiling and skylights. Their enlarged and modified kitchen has a wood-burning pizza oven.
"We wanted a kitchen that would facilitate entertaining, cooking and eating -- all things we love to do," Jaime said.
Among updates to the home's surfaces and systems, one of the two original bathrooms was expanded. A new powder room was added, its pink-marble-topped vanity complemented by fan-shaped pink hexagonal tiles on the floor.
The inspiration for the makeover of the 1,870-square-foot house was an internet image of a ranch house interior with a vaulted ceiling. It topped an updated open-floor-plan ranch with a similar configuration to their own.
To execute the layout the couple envisioned, three walls had to come down, making one large, open space out of what had previously been four rooms. One of the walls was a load-bearing, structural wall that had originally supported the entire ceiling.
"Ceiling collar ties, or exposed beams, are now holding up the vaulted ceiling," said Neil Parsons, whose company, Design Build Pros, redesigned the home's interior. "The beams are the structural thing that holds the whole roof system together," Parsons said. The 2-by-8-foot plywood beams were constructed, finished in a dark stain, and installed 4 feet apart.
The new vaulted ceiling covers a rectangular space including the enlarged kitchen, what had formerly been a family room with a fireplace, a living room and a formal dining room. All construction was done from inside the house without altering the exterior.
Installing the pizza oven was the most challenging part of the project for the contractor and the homeowners.
For one thing, the oven weighs more than a ton, requiring a design that would support its 2,200 pounds. "This is the first pizza oven we've done in an indoor space," Parsons said.
For JP and Jaime, there were also costly surprises. "After awhile I just became numb to everything," said JP, who would only say that the project cost them between $75,000 and $100,000. "There was originally a fireplace in that spot, and we thought we could just put the pizza oven in the footprint of the fireplace," he said. "It wasn't that simple."
Before the installation, the chimney had to be partially demolished and rebuilt to support the oven's weight and functions. The original plan was to surround the oven with a vinyl material. "The vinyl would not have looked good," JP said. "So, I got a stone veneer." For the face of the oven, they chose blue-green Fireclay brand tiles, handmade from recycled materials.
The tile complements the kitchen's pale marble counter tops, which are among luxury appointments, including hickory wood floors, an American-made stainless steel BlueStar range and a Sub-Zero refrigerator.
With their two children, ages 4 and 17 months, Jaime was uncomfortable with a bathroom where the tub was obscured by a wall. So the tub was moved to be in view of the doorway as part of the bathroom renovation.
It was especially important to get things right because JP, who is in information technology sales, works from home in the still-unfinished basement, and Jaime is an at-home mother. The basement and their laundry room will be addressed in future updates, they said.
Meanwhile, as they plan for the second holiday season in their renovated home, they are pleased to have a space where they can comfortably and fashionably host family and friends.
What they renovated
They removed walls in main living area, added a vaulted ceiling with skylights. They enlarged the kitchen and replaced their fireplace with a pizza oven, added powder room, replaced windows, expanded the main bathroom, installed new wood flooring and tile. They also converted double garage doors into a single, and replaced hollow-core doors with wooden doors and new door knobs.
Who did the work
Design Build Pros of Red Bank planned the redesign, Dream Home Remodeling, did construction, Aphrodite Marble of Forked River constructed counters
How long it took
From July 15 to Nov. 25 2016
How much it cost
Between $75,000 and $100,000
Where they splurged
"We decided early on that we didn't want to have regret with our selections, so we sort of splurged on a lot of the project where it made sense," Jaime Albano said. "The tile from Fireclay and Cement Tile Shop (powder room floor) were a splurge, but every time we walk across them or see a bright pop of color, it brings us a lot of joy."
How they saved
The pink Norwegian marble used in the half bathroom was a remnant.
What they did themselves
They shopped for and selected their own tile, paint, flooring, appliances and accessories.
What they'd have done differently
"Make the pizza oven slightly bigger," says JP. "Make over the back entryway and laundry room while the rest of the work was being done," says Jaime.
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.