Kelly Tarditi wanted the charm of an older home and the ease of a modern one. What she got was both.

Tarditi and her cardiologist husband, Daniel, built a brand-new, sunny yellow "Victorian" with a 19th-century feel–complete with turret and wrap-around porch.

Inside the Redman Avenue home, there are all the amenities of a 21st-century home Tarditi sought: open floor plan with generous kitchen overlooking a spacious family room, finished basement for the four young children, second-floor laundry room and mud room.

There is also a master bedroom closet so large it qualifies as a separate room.

"We wanted something with charm, and we still wanted the character of an older house," said Tarditi, daughter-in-law of John Tarditi  Jr., the former mayor. "But we wanted all the modern conveniences of a new house. We wanted the best of all worlds.

"That's what we wanted–the whole shebang."

Unlike many older homes, the rooms here are big and bright, rather than closed-off and dark.

Tarditi noted there was some initial brouhaha because the previous century-old home was a tear-down in a borough that prizes history, but that was all before she and her husband purchased the property. Neighbors have welcomed the family.

"Everybody loves the house," she said.

Builder Pat Ward of P.J. Ward and Sons, who teamed with architect Thomas Wagner, said the key to constructing a top-flight finished product is the trim work–like the moldings and the Tarditis' detailed coffered ceiling in the dining and front rooms.

Plus, the kitchen is crucial.

"If it's not a tastefully done kitchen, it will ruin the house," said Ward.

Here, the 48-inch cabinets are custom-made, and on the simple side.

"They are, but this is what works," said Ward, noting that plain-style cabinets were what homes featured many decades ago. There is also a farmhouse sink, marble countertops and a center island top made of distressed, reclaimed chestnut.

It took the better part of a year to build the five-bedroom, three full-bath, two half-bath house at a cost of just over $1 million. The home, not including the finished basement, is about 3,400 square feet. The third floor features the little-girl "princess suite" Tarditi sought for her only daughter.

Not everything Tarditi desired was possible. Roof lines made a cathedral ceiling in the master bathroom unobtainable.

Tarditi said they were originally attracted to the site by its location, close to the Elizabeth Haddon School, as well as friends and family.

Passersby might not initially recognize whether the home is brand-new or renovated.

"We wanted people to think it's been here forever, but we wanted all the modern conveniences," said Tarditi.

"It's supposed to look old," said Ward. "It's supposed to fit in the lines of the neighborhood."

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