How this husband and wife plan to turn a century-old Jersey house into their dream home
3-minute read
Editor's Note: This is a continuing series on one family's journey to renovate their Ramsey, New Jersey home. We will bring you a story on the latest project as it progresses. This is the first story in the series, where we introduce you to the Carbone family.
When Gregg Carbone and his wife, Alicia, first moved into their rental on Ferguson Place in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2019, they were curious about the home next door. They liked how spacious the property was — spanning almost half an acre — and its location, which is close to Route 17, local schools and other amenities.
"My wife and I joked around. We were like, 'We should buy that house one of these days'," he said. "It was completely vacant. We didn't see a soul there for like three years."
But as Carbone said, be careful what you wish for:
The couple eventually bought the home at 50 Ferguson Place — a 1910 colonial-style home — in May 2024 from the family of its previous owners.
Now, six years later, they are in the middle of a full-scale renovation to transform it into their dream home.
Carbone — a real estate agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty in Ridgewood — said he had no idea what he was getting himself into when he took on the project. He said there are likely many other homebuyers who end up in the same position, even if it's on a smaller scale.
"I really want to appreciate the mammoth undertaking this was, even if I didn't know how big of an undertaking it was," he said. "I don't even know how to explain the amount of stuff that goes into a project like this. Everyone will always say how it's going to be a lot of work or it's going to take a lot of time or it's going to take a lot of money. But you don't know it until you're in it."
We will be following the Carbones through the rest of the renovation, documenting some of the big decisions they have to make throughout the process. So if you find yourself in a similar situation, or are thinking about taking on a project of your own, stay tuned for an inside look into the progress. You're sure to learn something.
Here is what the Carbones have renovated so far and the projects they plan to take on:
A Ramsey home's renovation journey
Before doing anything, the Carbones hired an architect to help them draft the plans for the project. This involved bringing their vision for the space to life, while also ensuring the structural integrity of the home.
"We had to do that and then submit those plans to the town to get the permits to start the work," he said. "Permits cost like $1,500, depending on what the project is. I knew they'd be expensive and I knew they'd slow things down, but I didn't know how much."
While they were able to get the demolition permit right away, Carbone said they didn't officially start the bulk of the project until the fall of 2024 as they had to wait on the rest of the permits.
Soon after the home was gutted down to its studs — with the exception of the home's original staircases — and fortified to ensure it was structurally sound to support their vision. This process included installing support beams to replace any load-bearing walls for an open-concept layout. Experts also came in to install new utility systems.
Carbone said they also added a small second-story addition to the back portion of the home and removed one of the four bedrooms — which both helped create a larger primary bedroom on the second floor. They also added a dormer to the attic, which Carbone said they're planning to make into a flexible guest space.
Other completed steps include removing the old siding, adding river rock to the bottom of the home's exterior border, installing a new roof, putting in new windows, adding a portico to the front door and extending the length of the front steps.
The next steps in the Ramsey home renovation
While the plans for this project are constantly changing, Carbone said the next steps will be installing the interior insulation, putting up the home's drywall and adding a door to access the home's porch, which was previously inaccessible. After this, he said they will move on to things like fixtures and flooring.
"It's a lot of getting into the details. There's so many details that you don't want to overlook because they're important," he said. "I didn't know a fraction of what was involved from a scope standpoint, or a detail standpoint, or any standpoint. I couldn't have been less prepared."
Check back regularly at NorthJersey.com to stay up to date with the whole project as it's completed, where Carbone will walk us through his thought process as he makes major decisions along the way.
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.