Everyone has their own vision of their ideal home. For one of our clients, his dream home was full of potential. You know, the kind of potential you find when your heart swells at the sight of a dilapidated 1920s house, with no roof, and is a far call from structurally sound. And it was love at first sight. 

But much like the star-crossed love of Romeo & Juliet, this home came with a lot of baggage. Just replace Montagues and Capulets with design goals and historic home designations.   

This is the story of dedication and cooperation between our client’s vision and the city’s historic branch to build a home that could honor the past, while allowing for growth, change and, of course, exceptional design.

Our client purchased this older home with the intention to demolish it and rebuild, given its condition. In the twist of the century, the city designated the home as historic after he purchased it, which meant that we could not raze the structure or build as planned. But a historical designation never stopped us.  

Through extensive (and we mean extensive!) negotiations with the historic department and the city, we found a way to make everyone happy. It wasn’t easy and plans had to be redrawn again and again, but we will always burn the midnight oil for our clients. 

The result is a gorgeous new and modern home design with the original façade intact. It is now set to be a 4-bedroom, 4.5 bath home with an open plan kitchen and family room, plus a garage for the owner’s collection of classic cars and motorcycles.

No one ever said great design is easy, especially when working within historic code constraints, but we designed a home for this family of four to grow in and leave a legacy, honoring both the past and the future.

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