Several years ago, the rear facade of this single-story Victorian home was completely obscured by a pillbox-style commercial addition. Walter put it back to rights by adding a 1,000-square-foot second story that swallowed the ugly addition whole.

He then enveloped the entire house with Victorian details that had vanished over the years, such as turned balusters, fish-scale shingles, and gingerbread gable brackets. The trick to adding a second floor is to do so without making it look like what Walter calls "a gift from the sky" - as though a stylistically-alien second floor has landed on an existing home.

New dormers blend perfectly with the home's main gable. Facing the shady backyard is a balcony-topped porch. Although the second story is new, it is carefully scaled and detailed to look as if it always belonged to the historic home.