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Traditional Homes by 18th Design

Preservation planning, restoration, sensitive additions and remodeling,
as well as, new homes of antique styles

Leigh Douglas Johnson has worked in antique restoration and preservation projects, mainly in New England since 1975, as well as in New Mexico, California, and Minnesota. He has also designed a number of 'reproduction' type homes, in which the historic house types and styles have been either faithfully reproduced or used as a reference or outline, for homes with more up-to-date interior concepts. A few New England favorites are shown below.

He was partner in 18th Century Woodworking for many years, and in following that tradition, has continued as 18th Century Design, which is part of Fine Home Design. The restoration projects involved all aspects of historic construction from timber frame reconstruction to hand molded and carved interior detailing. The architectural work includes restoration and reproduction of homes of all major periods, from the humble log cabin to the Southern Georgian mansion. He continues a strong interest in all manner of projects involving early American architecture.

Colonial Architecture

Cape Cod Style Home in Woodstock, Vermont

This Vermont 'Cape Cod Style' Farmhouse was designed along strict historic lines and built from mostly antique materials including two antique houses and an antique barn frame, lighting and hardware, doors, flooring, and wall paneling. Combined in a seamless manner with up to date technologies where they don't show. A home for the purist -- this 1988 home could fool a historian.

An accurate reproduction of a late 17th Century stairway — hand crafted excellence. This fine work was part of the restoration of an early coastal Massachusetts home.

New England Style Home in Boxford, MA

This accurate reproduction, New England center chimney type 'colonial' home, of the Georgian Period was built in the historic district of Boxford, a very early town near the coast of Massachusetts . It is of timber frame in the traditional manner and includes an 'open-plan' family room/kitchen area.

Excellent, traditional timber framing for accurate antique style homes or for open plan designs. This picture shows a detail of traditional timber joinery employed to construct a large English style barn in 1983.

A Very Early Vermont Home in East Rupert, Vermont

This very early Vermont home was constructed with hewn square logs, producing 8" thick hardwood walls with dovetailed corner joints. The house was reconstructed in Rupert in 1935. In 1997 we raised it up, built a new DRY basement under it, restored the rotted floor structure, and added the 19th Century style addition you see here. The addition doubles the living area and quadruples the livability. An image of the very large 19th Century style kitchen is also shown. It functions as a family room too, with a sofa and chairs.