Home Transformation on Hingham Harbor

We recently learned of a sensational home renovation on Boston’s South Shore by architect Roger O. Hoit Architect. The firm took an ugly duckling on Hingham Harbor and turned it into an elegant swan. The client literally phoned architect Roger O. Hoit, AIA, to report that they had “just bought the ugliest home in Hingham,” shares the South Shore architect, and that they’d like him to turn it into one of the prestigious neighborhood’s finest.

Nearly everyone referred to the home, which was positioned on a tiny lot with sightlines stretching over Hingham Harbor and out to the hills of World’s End conservation land, as a “tear-down.” But Hoit saw it differently, and was able to save the owners hundreds of thousands of dollars, reports Nancy Hoit, by doing a massive renovation that would keep the foundation and the basic structure yet give the clients what is essentially a new home.

Hoit Architect opened up as many exterior walls as they could to include broad windows that would bring the sweeping water vistas into the home. They also swapped out a massive central chimney that was obstructing the views from almost every vantage for the warmth of a gas fireplace that could be integrated seamlessly into the new living room.

The stair was also repositioned, and wrapped around a two-story entry hall for a far better flow as well as aesthetic, and the kitchen/dining and living embraced its open-concept plan to create a contiguous sun-washed space with plenty of built-ins and updates.

A crow’s nest, accessed by the second floor study, is the project’s crowing glory. The rooftop deck yields panoramic views in every direction and is undoubtedly the jewel in this “Cinderella” story.