Lexington - This Old House Bed and Breakfast

The spring of 1988 saw us joining up with homeowners Mary Van and Jim Sinek to build an addition onto their home in Lexington, Massachusetts. The project became known as the “B&B job,” since one major component was adding three extra bedrooms and baths for the Sineks to rent out as bed-and-breakfast accommodations. Another crucial aspect was creating an in-law’s suite for Mary Van’s elderly mother, complete with handicapped-accessible bedroom and bath.

When Jim’s employer relocated the couple to Massachusetts from Rochester, New York, they found that real estate prices in the metropolitan Boston area had “gone through the roof”, even for modest homes. Jim, an engineer, and Mary-Van, a veteran do-it-yourselfer, purchased the house with the goal of making the housing help to pay for itself by renting out one unit (or converting it into a condominium) and generating additional income from the bed-and-breakfast operation.

The house they bought, built in 1909, was a well-kept, wood-frame, side-by-side two-family residence on a generous corner lot. Designer Jock Gifford of Design Associates drew up the addition in a style sympathetic to the existing building; its 2,400 square feet doubled the existing square-footage of one of the house’s units.

Room Rates
Master is $120 per night total charge.
The other room is $110 per night total charge