Jamie and Michael Tubre’s home on Bayou St. John does not look like a shotgun house, but when they purchased it in 2012, that’s exactly what it was. The three-bay sidehall shotgun, built in 1906, had been neglected for years and was in need of a major overhaul. Rather than simply renovate it, the Tubres chose to add a full second floor the home, which includes a master suite, two children’s bedrooms and bathroom, as well as a bonus office — along with the original roof decking and cantilevered joists.

Every corner of the home contains reclaimed materials, many of which are original to the house. On the first floor, there are no interior walls from the front room of the house, making way for 12- foot wooden columns reclaimed from another renovation project by Michael’s contracting com­pany, TKTMJ Incorporated. A row of windows, which had long ago enclosed the side hall, were retained and below them are now the original mantels from throughout the house. Original lap siding was reused throughout to create accent walls, and stained glass windows from the PRC’s Salvage Store and The Green Project joined one found in the home itself to add to the historic ambiance of the space. Even the TV room in the rear of the house, which was a new addition, features brick-between-post styled walls, con­structed from reclaimed vintage/historic bricks, cut in half to allow for spray foam insulation.

The couple loves to open the salvaged French doors in the master bedroom overlooking Bayou St. John, especially during Jazz Fest and Bayou Boogaloo when they can truly enjoy the oldest thing about their home — the view.

 

Join us for the Shotgun House Tour on April 22 and 23 to see this home and other fine examples of New Orleans’ iconic shotgun houses.

SHOTGUN HOUSE TOUR 2017

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Photos by Sara Essex Bradley