For over 20 years, we have been helping homeowners renovate and restore their historic homes. Sometimes the renovations are to make more room for a growing family, accommodate modern lifestyles with larger closets, or a need to restore a home after years of deferred maintenance. Whatever the reason for the project, our goal is to balance the new with the old by making thoughtful updates that fit with the home and, of course, the homeowner’s lifestyle.
Common Historic Home Projects:
- Creating a primary suite
- Adding a powder bathroom
- Updating the layout in the kitchen
- Opening up the living space
- Making space for an office and guests
- Restoring existing trim and moldings
- Restoring / updating windows
- Refreshing the curb appeal
- Formalizing the laundry room
- And more!
Recent Projects – Historic Homes
Bungalow Refresh
This historic home project included refreshing the exterior, renovating all three bathrooms, reconfiguring the laundry room, replacing a small rear addition, and adding a pergola in the backyard. Each space thoughtfully preserves and restores many of the home’s original features.
Red Butte Craftsman
At this historic home, we remodeled the main level in a manner that maintained the original charm while also improving the flow and refreshing the finishes throughout. This included work in the kitchen, office, living room, dining room, family room, mudroom, pantry, and bathroom.
Bungalow House Renovation
Located in the Yalecrest neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah this 1925 bungalow featured immense character but lacked an open concept that the homeowners desired. The team worked to create a plan that not only opened up the floorplan but also is authentic to the home.
Sugar House Cottage
A charming remodel of a home in Sugar House. The project included opening the kitchen to the dining room, consolidating two bedrooms into a dedicated primary suite, updating the basement family room, and improving access to the front porch with two new french doors.
Client Review – Historic Homes
“I can’t recommend RDG highly enough for their expertise in the architectual side of home renovation! We just finished a major remodel of our home that took about 2 years overall for the planning and actual execution, and we couldn’t have done it without Annie and her team at RDG. Not only did they provide valuable “nuts and bolts” architectual services, but Annie’s input and guidance on overall design choices for our 1912 craftsman bungalow were outstanding. It was such a comfort knowing that RDG was only a call away for assistance. They also provided guidance and recommendations on other suppliers as they have years of experience with various local contractors. Thank you RDG!”
– Andrea S.
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Frequently Asked Questions – Historic Homes
A renovation will focus on updating the space with new finishes, while a restoration will focus on restoring what is there. Many of our clients choose to do a combination of the two. For example, they might renovate the kitchen with new cabinetry but restore the original wood windows.
We work on a variety of home styles for remodels and restorations. Most often, these older homes are Bungalows, Cottages, Tudors, and Victorians, but our team has the experience to help with any style.
It depends. Some houses are in better condition than others and restoring materials might reduce costs. At other homes, the labor that goes into restoring something might be more than replacing it. When you meet with one of our architects for an architectural consultation, they will be able to give you a better idea based on the condition of your home.
Deciding whether to renovate or restore a home depends on a variety of factors, including whether your home is in a historic district, the condition of the home, and your preferences. Your architect will be able to help you determine the best course of action for you and your home.
Most likely. If you are hoping to fix up a historic home for resale, we highly recommend consulting with a realtor and bringing this up with your architect early on in the process. This way both parties are aligned on where to allocate the most resources.
The majority of our work on historic homes has been in the Avenues and Yalecrest neighborhoods of Salt Lake City, but we do have a handful of projects throughout other neighborhoods in the valley and have architects licensed in 6 states. Including Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming.
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