OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, Steve Snider has owned four houses in Massachusetts. Three of them were older and had been renovated, but not, says Snider, “in the proper way.” Cosmetic changes had been made, but without regard for the homes’ origins or new energy standards. “It was disappointing,” says Snider. “I always thought that if I were to renovate a house, I would do it thoughtfully — not a partial job.”

The opportunity arose when a 1914 Arts and Crafts-style house next door to Snider’s residence in Newton came on the market. “Structurally, it was in great shape,” says Snider, who bought the home in 2010. “But it needed a lot of work to ensure that it would be around for another 100 years.”