preservation with personality

by Jessa Cast
photographs by Daniel Nadelbach

stewarding a historic home for the future

The first thing one notices upon entering this newly remodeled, historic Santa Fe home is that it doesn’t look newly remodeled. Fresh and bright, yes. Clean and well maintained, certainly. But the ambiance is that of a painstakingly preserved, century-old home with unspoiled details, from bricks to vigas. That most of those details are indeed brand new is a well-executed trick carried out by the professionals who were hired to do exactly that.

The couple that bought it had been searching for a truly Santa Fean home, but homes were selling as quickly as they were listed. They experienced a case of Murphy’s Law when, while traveling overseas, they got the call about this home. Not willing to risk losing it, they bought it, sight unseen. When they arrived a week later, it was apparent “we’d taken a leap of faith, not knowing what we were going to see.” They could grasp its potential and were willing to make the necessary updates but would soon learn just how much work it needed.

Time is celebrated here, as are the signs of wear it leaves in its path– a faded slab of wood flooring, a door that’s beautifully out of square.

First, they brought in Douglas Maahs, owner of DMC/D Maahs Construction, his Senior Project Manager, David Paul, interior designer Catherine Gammon of Catherine’s Custom Interiors, and Melissa and Scott Coleman of La Puerta Originals, Inc, a trio of companies with experience collaborating together. Their charge was to remodel the home while preserving its roots. “The [homeowners] were adamant about keeping it historically correct,” says Paul.

As with many historic homes in New Mexico, this one was built room by room over many decades. The original two rooms are thought to have originated in the 1870s. The late 1920s brought a kitchen and bathroom addition, and it grew in the following decades. While on the historic register, this Territorial style home, with adobe walls, a flat roof and brick coping, certainly wasn’t in the best condition. “There were floor joists not connected to anything, just sitting in the dirt,” says Paul. The more they looked, the more they discovered. “In a building this age, hidden conditions are just everywhere. You don’t know what you’re going to run into when you open it up,” says Maahs. The remodel would be extensive. “No surface in that structure was untouched.” Floors were rebuilt, spaces reallocated, the electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and roof were completely replaced, and new ceilings installed. Additionally, expanding a couple of walls required obtaining approval from the Historic District Review Board, which took several iterations. Truly, this was a labor of love, as it would have been simpler and less expensive to just build a new home from scratch.

“We want it to feel like this place has just aged beautifully.”
— Douglas Maahs, Owner of DMC/D Maahs Construction

The team did a beautiful job of making the new version of the home look, well…..not new. Now a two-bedroom, 2,755-square-foot home with a separate casita and roomy double garage, everything has an aged feeling to it. “That’s what we hope for,” says Gammon, “to acknowledge the architecture and the history.” The mix of materials, natural light, and the layout produce a space that feels inviting, invigorated, but palpably mellow and comfortable.

As repeat visitors to Morocco, the homeowners hoped to spice their home with a blend of both Santa Fe and Marrakesh influence. So, Gammon doled out patterns, textures, and colors for a distinctive and multi-ethnic flavor. Handmade rugs and vignettes of bright pillows pop against American Clay walls, Tabarka tile, and wood and brick floors. Every room bears larger-than-life artwork, including an intensely gazing Geronimo in the dining room and a very tongue-in-cheek painting of a hitchhiking cow in the guest room.

“One of my goals when I work is to leave all the imperfections that we can from the old, so that we are acknowledging its provenance.”
— Catherine Gammon, Owner of Catherine’s Custom Interiors

Most of the doors, all of the cabinetry, and even some of the furnishings are made of timeworn wood, from La Puerta Originals. “We take reclaimed wood and antique material and make new product out of it, something truly authentic and timeless,” says Melissa Coleman. For the courtyard, or terracita, La Puerta crafted a wood and metal, double-layer gate that echoes those seen in Marrakesh and looks like it could have been shipped here one hundred years ago. These venerable elements, adjacent to classically rounded adobe walls, really cement that aged effect. Time is celebrated here, as are the signs of wear it leaves in its path—a faded slab of wood flooring, a door that’s beautifully out of square. “One of my goals when I work is to leave all the imperfections that we can from the old, so that we are acknowledging its provenance,” says Gammon, who refers to the variety of rooms here as “levels of history”.

Their charge was to remodel the home while preserving its roots.

Suffice it to say, the goal has been achieved—a historic home, reinvigorated and modernized though it is, is preserved. “Our motto as a remodeler has always been ‘make it look like it never happened’,” says Maahs. “We want it to feel like this place has just aged beautifully.”

The entire team is happy with the outcome, not least of all, the homeowners. Now they’re elated at making that leap of faith, buying the property without the benefit of seeing it in person first. It’s exactly what they wanted. Plus, on any given morning, coffee in hand, they can step outside and admire the not-solittle lagniappe that came with the property……the oldest apricot tree in Santa Fe, massive enough to fit a table and chairs underneath, standing witness to it all.

resources
Remodeler/Contractor
DMC/D Maahs Construction
dmaahsconstruction.com

Interior Designer
Catherine’s Custom Interiors

Appliances
Builders Source Appliance Gallery

Audio/Visual System, Smart Home System
Santa Fe Home Tech

Cabinetry, Gates, Doors, Range Hood
La Puerta Originals
lapuertaoriginals.com

Countertops
Counter Intelligence

Custom Painting
Pamela Platt Studio

Fixtures, Sinks, Tub
Santa Fe by Design

Landscaping
Green Forward
DryStone Joe
The French Gardener

Lighting
Firefly Lighting

Metal Work
Santa Fe Metal Visions

Tile Flooring & Backsplash
Statements in Tile/Lighting/Kitchens/Flooring

Wall Finishes
American Clay
americanclay.com
Kathy Brennan/Applicator

Wood Flooring
McAdams & Sons