Porch Parties are Back Starting September 22 at Renovated 1946 Florida Ranch House

One of the most popular HONNA-sponsored events is back! September 22 will be the first Old Northeast porch party since May. Following the summer hiatus, residents will be able to gather at the home of Kerry Converse and Jerome W. Magnifico, III, 311 28th Avenue N, and catch up on the latest news and exchange summer stories.  

Kerry bought the 1946 Florida ranch house as a vacation home and eventual retirement residence. “I liked the size, layout, location, and the fact it had a pool,” Kerry said.  “I thought it had “good bones.”  Kerry did extensive renovations in 2013, including the kitchen, the existing bathroom, and added a half bath. He also refinished the hardwood floors, added moldings and trim, and painted all the rooms. He rented out the house until he retired last year and then relocated with Jerry from their home in New Hampshire. 

“The house and yard were in rough shape when we moved in,” Kerry explained. “The yard was overgrown, and the house was dirty and neglected.  We thoroughly cleaned and repainted the interior, bought new appliances, upgraded some fixtures, and hired a landscaper to remove all the front yard landscaping.”  Starting with a clean landscape palette, the couple had the trees trimmed, replaced the old fencing, rebuilt the decks, laid new sod, planted new shrubs, and installed an irrigation system. The outside was finished this spring when they painted the mid-century-style house a fresh light yellow.  

Replacing the original single pane, steel frame casement windows was a top priority.  They were in bad structural shape and not energy efficient, let alone hurricane resistant. “When we looked into new windows, it was very important to us that they mimic the original steel casement windows as much as possible,” Kerry explained.  Supply chain issues delayed the windows a year, finally getting installed this past April. “We love the new windows.  I think they do a good job of mimicking the original period windows,” Kerry said. They also make the house quieter, stay cleaner, and reduce the AC bill. 

“Between the original 2013 renovations, a new roof in 2020, all of the recent interior and exterior work, and new windows and doors, it feels like we have a brand-new house,” Kerry noted.  “Now we can relax, enjoy it, and share it with our Old Northeast neighbors.”