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From Our Clients
Transforming a gem in the rough into a couple's first custom home with intent
❋The Remod Blog
Before and After: Sadie Street Queen Anne
The breif:
Despite decades of deferred maintenance and upgrades, this 120 year old Southtown San Antonio historic home had good bones and beautiful Queen Anne exterior decorative woodwork that promised one of the best expressions of a gingerbreaded front porch in the neighborhood. The overall condition was rough and the interior was chopped up with previous remodels. Our plan of action was to reconfigure and open up the kitchen and living room areas, redesign the bathroom/bedroom/office spaces, and fully rehab the home from foundation and frame on up. Special attention was to be given to preserving the existing wood floors and ceilings and re-using any antique longleaf pine taken from the home. Our key organizing principles for this project were:
❋ Collaborative communicationExtensive remodeling is an exploratory process, often with revisions and deferred decision-making on some selections. We created a shared specifications spreadsheet available online to keep the owners, the design team, and the build/procurement team on the same page and minimize mistakes. Each week we walked through the project with the homeowners to review progress, developments and selection milestones. Input from the owners was carefully noted and incorporated. Any necessary or elective changes that came up were problem-solved, reviewed, priced, and submitted for approval. The clear process kept the project moving smoothly forward, and the design vision intact.
❋ Adaptive rehabWithout doubt, the historic homes that define the character of San Antonio’s central districts are an irreplaceable legacy we must protect and maintain. Keeping the charm and historic detail of the exterior intact while preparing the interior for the needs of modern owners is the best way to keep these neighborhoods vital - and takes experience. New foundation piers and leveling, new HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, all new insulation, upgraded fully weather sealed historic windows, and a new standing seam roof are key upgrades that keep the owners protected and comfortable in any weather.
❋ Historic continuityCarefully preserving the Queen Anne fretwork and gingerbread details, as well as all wood siding that could be used were both requirements for this historic neighborhood project. The distressed and thickly painted porch structure had no structural header and was resting on a decades-old concrete raised porch that had sunken on one side as the house subsided. The entire porch assembly was carefully deconstructed, stripped of paint, repaired, sanded and meticulously reinstalled over a new Timbertek decked front porch. Any interior original wood removed was saved and re-milled for interior and exterior details.
❋Design focusThe project’s architect, Nick Melde, worked extensively with the owners to create a well thought out design concept that opened up the living areas in the rear of the home by removing the ceiling above the relocated kitchen to create a low cathedral ceiling over the entire living area. The entry hallway and front office add some spice with premium wall coverings and original wood board ceiling accents. All kitchen and bath cabinets were designed and built to the customers’ exact needs, including custom drawers and roll-outs, dimmable under cabinet lighting, drawer outlets, and built-in corner shelves.
The full gut
With no insulation, and multiple layers of patched together wiring and plumbing, none more recent than the 1980’s, we knew all of the walls would need to open up to make the updates and plan changes desired. Opening up the ceiling in the future kitchen meant that the living room AC vents were served from ducts in the crawlspace, while the air handler was in a small attic space. A beam, shown below, supports the roof’s ridge, allowing the future kitchen space to open to the living room. A full renovation takes time, but it is often the only way in a home this old to bring all systems up to date and to code while making major changes to the floorplan.
Simple and elegant
More than just a paintjob…
Bold tile choices and rich wood contrasting with crisp white elements continues through the bathrooms with 8” classic terra cotta tile floors and cherry wood cabinets.
The new house was cute, but many coats of paint could not hide the decay of much of the siding and almost all of the dentils above the office window. We were able to save about 60% of the existing siding by patching in new matched siding where needed and re-siding the entire front in the same historic pattern. We chose one of the best of the dentils and made a template from it to pattern rout the few dozen pieces we needed. The entire porch was measured, marked, and disassembled followed by breaking up and hauling off the concrete floor. A new pier and beam wood framed porch floor more consistent with the style of the house was constructed, and then the original columns and gingerbread detail were reinstalled in the exact same configuration.
Finished product
The owners love the comfortable and bright character of the finished home. Creative lighting and custom touches like the zellige star and cross backsplash and the custom steel and reclaimed pine handrail create a warm entourage for the crisp white cabinets. The large cabinet doors adjacent to the refrigerator hide multiple roll out trays in each bay that turn the section into a very functional pantry and bar, giving this kitchen exceptional storage and a smooth workflow centered around the waterfall sink island. New mineral fiber insulation in the walls and spray foam in the ceilings combined with modernized weather stripping in all the rehabbed and rebuilt windows keep this space comfortable when the weather gets uncomfortable.
Sanctuary
From our customers:
"We had the pleasure of working with James Breaux Construction and his team on a full gut renovation of our late-1800s home, and the results are truly exceptional. Our goal was to restore the character of the home while incorporating a thoughtful blend of modern and midcentury design, and they delivered beautifully on that vision.
From the outset, James was highly communicative, transparent, and engaged. Even when inevitable challenges arose - as they do with any project involving a home of this age - he consistently approached them with a problem-solving mindset, working quickly to find solutions and make things right. That level of responsiveness and accountability made a significant difference throughout the process. He has a deep knowledge of historical renovation techniques and design. He also has his own creative skills as a furniture builder and helped us design a beautiful custom hand railing combining modern fabricated metal and repurposed wood from the original home.
Our project manager, Dylan Boyd, was outstanding. He was a near-constant presence on site, bringing a calm, steady demeanor and a sharp eye for detail. His oversight helped ensure that the work stayed aligned with both the design intent and quality expectations. He became a friend and welcome presence by the end of the project.
While no gut renovation of a historic home is without its bumps, what truly set this team apart was their dedication, communication, and follow-through. They honored their commitment to see the project through to completion - something that, unfortunately, not all contractors do. Even after the project was finished, they have returned multiple times to address small fixes and, impressively, have proactively identified items they wanted to improve based on their own high standards.
We are incredibly grateful for their craftsmanship, integrity, and professionalism. We would recommend them to anyone undertaking a complex renovation, especially one that requires balancing historic preservation with modern design."
— Darcy Kues and Camille Spears, Owners