Project Focus: Private Residence in Cambridge, Mass., Makes Great Use of Copper

by David Flaherty | 3 June 2025 4:09 pm

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This renovation and expansion project of a private residence features many copper components. A 28 m² (300 sf) addition at the back of the house has walls clad with custom copper standing seam panels, copper-clad eyebrows, and copper gutters.

Lou Rondeau, owner at Natural Metal Associates LLC, which installed the copper, says, “Every panel is a custom size. The variety of widths gives it a contemporary look. Initially, we talked about installing flatlock tiles on the walls, but decided it would look too busy. I’m happy with the way it turned out.”

Doug Brown and Dee Elms own the property and were the project’s general contractors. Regarding copper building materials, Brown says, “We wanted to keep the traditional Victorian look at the front of the house.”  “We discussed other metals for the addition, but decided on copper because it is distinctive, and it is a living metal,” Brown adds. “Painted composite panels are very popular today but are the same color forever. Copper changes—it patinas [a thin layer that forms on the surface]—so the look of the home evolves with time.”

Natural Metal Associates installed approximately 149 m² (1,600 sf) of standing seam copper panels and the other copper components, while Sheet Metal Supply built custom crates for the panels to accommodate tight jobsite spaces.

“The biggest challenge was getting materials into a tight urban neighborhood; other houses are pretty close,” Rondeau says.

Before the copper was installed, the project included lifting the house to replace its original foundation, which was built with concrete block and field stones in 1925.

A basement and addition, which houses a workout room, were built. The main floor of the addition contains a family room, and the second floor above it has a primary bedroom. The top floor addition is smaller than the main floor addition below it, allowing for a small balcony outside the primary bedroom.

“The addition adds three rooms at the back of the house; it’s basically a set of stacked boxes,” Brown says.

Owners: Doug Brown and Dee Elms

Architect: Richard Bernstein Architect, Gloucester, Mass., rfbernsteinarchitect.com

Project manager: Moughan Contracting Inc., Newton, Mass., fergalmoughan.com

Fabricator: Sheet Metal Supply Ltd., Grayslake, Ill., sheetmetalsupplyltd.com

Installer: Natural Metal Associates LLC, Mont Vernon, N.H., naturalmetalassociates.com

Copper: Revere Copper Products Inc., Rome, N.Y., reverecopper.com

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/projects/project-focus-private-residence-in-cambridge-mass-makes-great-use-of-copper/

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