In the historic Eagle Rock area, where homes range from the 1920s onward and architectural styles sit side-by-side, this Craftsman renovation shows how thoughtful updates can preserve character while reshaping a home for modern family life. The homeowners, Stan and Alix, had always planned to remodel, but timing became real once they had their son. As they describe it, having a baby created “an emergency push,” and suddenly it was clear the house, while charming, “was not gonna meet our needs anymore.” What followed was a full renovation guided by Bud and Maricruz of BMV Construction, with the goal of keeping the spirit of the original home while making it work for a contemporary working family on an extremely tight budget.
Before the remodel, the home was small, dated, and closed off. It had been “one bedroom one bath… super tiny,” and the rooms were heavily divided in the way older layouts often were. The renovation focused on opening the home and improving flow, creating a brighter and more connected interior. A natural wood front door was intentionally chosen as “a beacon” into the home, and once inside, the space was reworked to feel more continuous. One of the homeowners highlights a major change: “you can see from the front of the house to the back of the house,” whereas previously “everything was sectioned off.” This new openness becomes the backbone of the design, allowing daily life to happen in shared spaces rather than confined rooms.
The kitchen was one of the most practical transformations in the project, designed around real habits instead of aesthetics alone. The old kitchen had “no counter space,” but the renovation created “a lot of counter space,” making cooking easier and more enjoyable. Alix describes how intentional her cabinetry decisions were, choosing storage locations so everything would be “right next to the stove,” and pointing out the benefit of remodeling when you understand how you live: “if you know how you cook you can organize everything the way you want.” This is the kind of design thinking that makes modest homes feel more livable, not through size, but through smarter layout and daily functionality.
Throughout the renovation, BMV Construction helped bridge client preferences with design decisions that honored the age of the home. Bud describes a philosophy that feels simple but is rare to find: “you gotta choose what you like, it’s something that is gonna make you happy,” and he emphasizes designing by stepping into the client’s perspective, creating something he knows will “work perfect for them.” That mindset allowed Stan and Alix to keep the home personal, even when their choices were not typical. They note that some selections “maybe they weren’t accustomed to,” but the team stayed open and supportive: “they didn’t really give us pushback… they said alright, let’s try it.”
The project’s finishing details celebrate the home’s Craftsman roots while keeping everything clean and updated. White tile with black grout creates a nod to older 1920s bathrooms while feeling fresh, described as reminiscent of “your grandma’s bathroom kind of look but a little updated.” Window placement was also treated as a design priority, especially in the primary suite, where the goal was “windows windows windows to capitalize on the view.” In the end, what makes this remodel successful is not just the design upgrade, but the way the home now reflects the owners. As they put it, “this does feel like us,” and the renovation became “a positive collaboration all around.”
