Heart-wrenching trade-offs, sweat equity, and creative problem-solving: Homeowners Evan and Whitney Williamson knew from the start that renovating their 1864 Dutch Colonial would require all three. After all, this wasn’t just any old house. Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, the home had been in Evan’s family for seven generations, and at one time, three separate family units lived under its roof. Having grown up in the house with his mother, he knew every inch of the rambling three-story structure his ancestors had built and added onto over the years.
Most especially, Evan knew its flaws, from the sagging floorboards in second-floor bedrooms to the subpar bathroom heating to the crazy maze of seven staircases that led from one tacked-on section of the house to another.
So when the high school special-ed teacher and his wife, Whitney, a marketing professional, took possession of the house in 2020, they turned to local architect Matt Hurff and general contractor Matt Whitbeck to embark on a major overhaul. “Our number one goal was a documented as part of its 43rd television season.
