Every month, we take a closer look at a home featured in the Horner Wall Calendar, sharing the story behind the project and the people who helped bring it together. This month’s home dates back to 1892. Over the years, it had been updated more than once, but this renovation took a different approach. The historic shell remained, while the interior was fully rebuilt for modern living. The challenge was finding the right balance. Hold onto the character, but make the home work for today.

Projects like this don’t come together by accident. They take the right builder, the right team, and a plan that stays on track from start to finish. Builder Mike Harrington of Harrington Building Company & Consultants led the project. He’s decisive, detail-oriented, and keeps things moving. He communicates clearly and always seems to have an answer when something comes up, which makes a big difference on a project like this.

From the start, Mike worked closely with Horner’s team to build a complete millwork package for the home. Not just selecting products, but making sure everything worked together, arrived on time, and stayed within budget. Horner provided the exterior doors, interior doors, kitchen cabinetry, mouldings throughout, and a Cooper Preassembled Staircase. With multiple departments involved, coordination mattered. Sales rep Steve Pichette kept a close eye on the full scope, while kitchen designer Mike Sollecito worked directly with the homeowner to bring the kitchen to life.

This is what keeps a project like this on track. Everyone knows their role, communication is constant, and materials show up when they’re supposed to. Not too early, not too late.

Masonite Fiberglass Exterior Door with a Classic Wood Look
The front door sets the tone for the entire home, and this one feels right the moment you see it. At first glance you might think it’s a traditional wood door. Even up close, it’s hard to tell otherwise. But this is actually a Masonite fiberglass door with a textured fir grain, finished in our Fortress Prefinishing shop in Somerset. It has the look of a stained wood door, but without the maintenance that comes with it. In a home like this, that balance matters. It fits the architecture while requiring far less maintenance over time.

Custom Fiberglass Dutch Door, Built for Everyday Living
Just around the corner, a side entry leads directly into the kitchen. One of the more unique details of the home is a custom Dutch door, built from a Masonite fiberglass door and custom modified in our exterior door shop in Somerset. The door was split and assembled into a complete unit, shipped ready to install.

Dutch doors have been around since early American homes, originally used to let in light and air while keeping farm animals out. Here, it serves a similar purpose, just in a more modern way. The homeowner can open the top half for fresh air while keeping the bottom closed, perfect for keeping her two adorable dogs safely inside. It’s a small detail, but one that changes how the space functions day to day.

Starmark Custom Kitchen Designed Around the Home
Step through that Dutch door and you’re immediately in the heart of the home. The kitchen, designed by Horner kitchen designer Mike Sollecito, is centered around a large island that anchors the entire space. It works just as well for everyday meals as it does for hosting. Plenty of room to spread out, whether it’s a weekend baking project or a full spread for guests. One of the more thoughtful details is built right into the island. A custom feeding and watering station for the homeowner’s dogs, seamlessly integrated so it feels like part of the design rather than an afterthought.

The Starmark cabinetry is finished in a classic white that keeps the space bright and timeless. Mike worked closely with the homeowner to make sure every detail reflected how she envisioned using the space day to day, while also keeping the project aligned with the builder’s budget and timeline. That balance is not always easy to achieve.

A Cooper Preassembled Stair Welcomes You at the Entry
As soon as you walk through the front door, the scissor stair at the entry draws your eye. The design feels right at home here. A classic box newel, painted balusters, and white oak treads and handrail. It looks like it could have been original to the house, even though it’s brand new. Built in our Cooper Stairworks shop in Somerset, the preassembled stair was delivered fully built and ready for installation as soon as the home was weather tight, carefully wrapped in protective layers of plastic and cardboard to keep it safe throughout the construction process. This approach eliminates one of the most common bottlenecks on a jobsite. Instead of building the stair piece by piece on site, it arrives complete, protected, and ready to go. Crews can move from floor to floor safely, while the finished components stay wrapped and protected until final finish.

Mouldings Designed to Work Together
With over 30 years at Horner Millwork, sales rep Steve Pichette knows how to build a moulding package that works. For this project, he worked closely with Mike Harrington to develop a combination of stock and custom mouldings that fit both the style of the home and the budget. The goal was consistency. Profiles that feel appropriate to the architecture, but still clean and updated.

Solid Core Masonite Interior Doors Throughout the Home
Throughout the home, solid core Masonite Winslow 3-panel doors were selected for their clean, classic proportions. These doors offer a traditional look, but with the performance you expect in a modern home. Each door unit was machined and assembled in our interior door shop in Somerset, ensuring a precise fit and smooth operation.

A Complete Millwork Package by Horner

A renovation like this is about how everything comes together. The builder, the homeowner, and the many teams behind the scenes all play a role. From the first conversation through final delivery, this project shows what’s possible when everyone is aligned. A complete millwork package, coordinated across teams, with careful attention to timing and detail. Thank you to Mike Harrington and his team for the opportunity to be part of this project, and to the homeowner for trusting us with her vision and allowing us to photograph and share it.