On the market: A Craftsman Colonial brought back to life in Bridgeton

Jeff Fogg had just retired after 35 years in engineering when he found a neglected Craftsman-style house in Bridgeton, N.J. His experience in design, field service, and management wasn’t over yet.

The house "was deteriorating and in need of help,” he said. “I like bringing old, tired things back to life.”

The three-bedroom home, designed by Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre, was built in 1914. Fogg, who researched the house’s history when he bought it in 2004, said the architect was known for clean exterior lines and pleasing proportions. In addition to those elements, Fogg said, he appreciated the Doric columns and the home’s deep front porch.

“All this along with its pebble-dash stucco exterior and deep-lot setting between two Victorians,” he said. “It just stood out.”

His work to restore the house was focused on adding contemporary features and infrastructure while respecting Eyre’s design.

“The objective of the work done on this house was to bring back its lost, understated elegance,” he said.

Fogg’s work has resulted in a meticulously renovated home, which has become an annual fixture on the Historic Bridgeton Holiday House Tour.

“This house has for 14 years been my one true love,” he said.

Today the house boasts modern touches such as a new kitchen with Thermador range, Sub-Zero refrigerator, and custom maple cabinets, and a master suite with handmade tile, Grohe fixtures and a Toto toilet. The en suite bathroom design concept came to Fogg from having lived in Scandinavian countries for 18 years.

One of Fogg’s favorite parts of the home is the master suite, which also features a private, windowed sitting room. “The sitting room is another favorite place to experience the day’s dawning,” he said.

Fogg also spends time on the property’s front porch and on the private dock to Jeddy’s Pond behind the property. The house boasts a rainwater collection system that takes the place of usual gutters.

“The rain coming off the roof is like being under a waterfall,” he said.

Fogg described his 14 years in the home as a journey that has now come to its natural conclusion.

“Throughout my engineering career I moved often — and in doing so, frequently lived either within or close to a city center,” Fogg said. “And that’s where I am now headed: Center City Philly.”

The house is listed by Donna Saulino at Weichert for $479,900.