For Judith Timchula and her son Max, their home in rural New Hampshire is much more than a house. Built from three historic Cape-style structures dating back to the 1750s, the home combines centuries-old architecture with the comforts of modern living.
The approximately 3,500-square-foot home was brought together in the late 1980s, with much of its electrical and lighting infrastructure carefully concealed within its historic beams and plaster walls. Wood paneling, plasterwork, and other original details give the home its distinctive character, but they also make renovations particularly challenging.
When the home's aging LiteTouch lighting system began to fail, Judith and Max faced a difficult question: How could they modernize the lighting without compromising the historic aspects of the home?
The LiteTouch system had been part of the home since Max's parents purchased the property. Over time, however, switches became unreliable, lights stopped responding properly, and the family's transition to LED bulbs created additional flickering and performance issues.
For Judith, the impact was very personal. She was living in a home where she couldn't always rely on the lights to work when she needed them.
For Max, there was another concern. Because the wiring was hidden inside the historic construction, he believed fixing the system might require opening walls and disturbing the plaster and woodwork that made the house so special.
“It would be a real shame to have to rip open” those historic features just to run new wires, Max explains.
That's when Max discovered iQUARTERS and their LiteTouch retrofit services.
What began as a search for a way to fix a failing lighting system ultimately became an opportunity to bring modern lighting control into the home while preserving the character and history that made it special.
The project began with conversations over Zoom, where the iQUARTERS team reviewed the existing system and explained what a retrofit could look like.
Still, Judith and Max had some concerns. They weren't local to iQUARTERS, and they had previously experienced contractors becoming overwhelmed by the home's unusual construction.
When the iQUARTERS team finally arrived onsite, their reaction was very different.
Rather than seeing the existing wiring as a problem, the team found a way to work with it. The existing low-voltage wiring provided more conductors than the new system required, allowing the upgrade to move forward without opening up the home's historic walls.
For the family, this was a huge relief.
“They were totally undaunted by the challenge,” Max recalls.
The new Lutron system brought reliability and flexibility back to the home while also giving Judith and Max the opportunity to update the look of the controls.
The new keypads were one of Judith's favorite parts of the project. Their backlighting makes them easy to find, and the family was able to select finishes that complemented the home's historic materials.
A Sienna finish worked with the wood paneling, while a taupe finish blended beautifully with the plaster.
“They add a really nice contemporary feeling to every room without being jarring,” Judith says.
The new system also introduced features that have made everyday life easier.
Judith particularly enjoys being able to control all the home's lights together, turn off all of the lights in the house with one button, and adjust the kitchen lighting for different activities.
One of her favorite features is the nighttime pathway lighting.
From her bedroom, Judith can activate a series of softly dimmed lights that guide her through the house to the kitchen. Once she reaches her destination, she can turn the pathway lights off again from the same control.
No searching for switches. No bright overhead lights. No nightlights plugged into every room.
The home also has a Welcome button that illuminates selected lights when the family arrives, making the house feel warm and inviting the moment they walk through the door.
The new system also gives the family remote access through the app, allowing them to control their lighting while away from home and make certain adjustments remotely.
For Max, this flexibility is an important difference from the old system. If a scene needs to be changed, a light is too bright, or a particular button isn't working the way they expected, the system can be adjusted rather than simply accepted as-is.
That ongoing flexibility has given the family confidence that their lighting system can continue to adapt to their needs.
For Judith and Max, this project was about much more than replacing outdated technology.
It was about making their home reliable and comfortable again while protecting the historic details they value.
The finished system provides modern lighting control, updated keypads, customized scenes, nighttime pathway lighting, and remote access, all while working within the home's existing infrastructure.
Most importantly, Judith can once again rely on the lights in her home.
And for a house with hundreds of years of history behind it, that's a modern upgrade that still feels right at home.
“We couldn't recommend them more highly,” Max says of the iQUARTERS team.
Watch the interview on YouTube here!