RICHARD AMES, builder, remodeler, and restorer, is located in Old Lyme, Connecticut where he has been in business since 1976. He apprenticed with an Old Lyme contractor from whom he learned the business of renovating, restoring and maintaining old houses from the ground up.

He subsequently completed a four-year course in carpentry and continuously educates himself by reading, researching, and on-site work. His penchant for “keeping old houses going” is evidenced in the “Marvin House” next to the Congregational Church in Old Lyme. Originally built in Hudson Valley, New York, the house was taken apart, and moved, in section, to Connecticut.

One of his projects started with rebuilding a barn that had burned down. No mere barn, this reconstruction was a two story post and beam frame replication of Richard’s own home. The barn incorporates two vehicle bays on the ground floor and three additional vehicle bays on a lower level. There is a wine cellar and a walk-in cooler on the lower level and a large redwood and Corian® shower area behind Shoji screens on the ground floor. The second floor has space for an office or living quarters.

Upon completion of the barn, the project grew to include renovations  of an existing guest house and the design and construction of a gazebo on a rock outcropping, overlooking the Connecticut River. This project brought Richard Ames Builders’ work to the attention of nationally known architects. Other projects of the same scope and quality have been featured in national publications.