Built in 1890, this Denver home had history worth saving and a layout that made it hard to live in. A sagging, poorly built rear addition was causing structural damage. The floor plan was stranger still — the bathroom shower sat practically center stage in the living room. And the basement, accessed under the deck, was dark and so low at the entrance you had to duck before you could open the door.

The owner wanted two things from it: a revitalized home he could live in, and a basement that could earn its keep as a rental.

We started by defining what each floor needed to do — what to keep, what to change, in both layout and finishes. On the main level, that meant pulling the bathroom out of the living room and relocating it where it belonged, between the bedrooms, then opening a new kitchen off the living room so the heart of the house finally flowed.

The harder problem was below. The basement had to absorb a complete, independent dwelling — two bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen, and a small living room — plus all the mechanical equipment the building needed, inside a tight, dark, low-clearance space. Every square foot was planned to do double duty, maximizing the livable area while holding construction costs down. The rear was reworked too: the failing addition replaced and a porch and patio designed to make the back of the house function as well as the front.