South Shore Showcase

At some point in our lives, we all lament the one that got away. John Cusumano, president of John Cusumano Construction, a third generation general contracting company, spoke with emotion while describing this beautiful renovation his company completed in Hewlett. “This house has everything a person can imagine,” said Cusumano.

And what’s not to love? This house really has everything– it would be tough to squeeze in any additional creature comforts. Starting with a narrow lot home built in the 1930s, Cusumano hired an architect to draw plans that smartly added around the existing home instead of knocking down major sections during the renovation. The plans also called for an expansion of the house and new foundations were poured to accommodate this construction. “There’s actually a lot of the original house left, including all the bearing walls inside. We wanted to work around the original structure,” said Cusumano. “The turrets are a good example.” Indeed, this important architectural element, which can be seen from the street, ties the entire design together.

A new covered porch with detailed Western red cedar posts and railings bridges the covered entryway on the left with the turret on the right. A cultured river rock stone chimney with clay pots accentuates the front exposure of this home.

Starting with a new home around 2,500 square feet, Cusumano said the new house has increased to roughly 5,700 square feet. In the new design, the first floor contains a living room, kitchen, dining room, family room, library, and even a piano room. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms and a master suite. That suite, incidentally, runs the length of one side of the house and incorporates space in both upper turrets: one for a sitting area and one for a luxury bathroom with soaking tub. The lower level completes the home with a wine cellar and game room.