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Image of custom kitchen remodel with navy cabinetry and large island in Old Town Longmont, CO

A Whole Home Remodel That Respects the Past While Supporting Modern Life

In Old Town Longmont, 3rd Avenue defines the identity, with a row of big, early-century homes that serve up much of the neighborhood's character.

So, when Tamar and Blake Hendricks decided it was time to renovate their century-old home on this street, they weren't looking to modernize for the sake of it. They wanted the house to keep being its authentic self and to finally fit the rhythms of their daily lives.

That's what we helped them do.

Location:

  • Old Town Longmont, CO

Project Type:

  • Whole Home Historic Remodel

Scope:

  • Kitchen, primary bathroom, butler pantry, dining room, bathrooms throughout, custom millwork

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Honoring a Century-Old Home Without Erasing It

Tamar and Blake have called Longmont home for more than 20 years. They own a pottery shop in downtown Longmont, and they brought that same eye to this project: collected, art-forward, a little eclectic, and very personal.

The house had seen a lot of occupants come and go. Built as a big early-Longmont residence, it had even served as a dentist's office at one point. Past decisions (including the removal of the original top floor) shaped what the home looks like today. Instead of trying to undo any of that, we worked with it.

Their goals were clear from day one:

  • Keep the home's historic character intact
  • Make daily life, especially in the kitchen, actually work
  • Build spaces that feel collected, lived-in, and timeless
  • Update bathrooms and infrastructure without losing the century-old feel
Photo of exposed beams and kitchen renovation framing in Old Town Longmont, CO by Petra Custom Builders
Photo of kitchen renovation in progress with exposed framing in Old Town Longmont, CO by Petra Custom Builders

A Kitchen Transformation Carved Out of a 12-Inch Brick Wall

The kitchen was the heart of this project and easily the most ambitious piece of structural work in the house.

The original kitchen and dining room were connected only by a single pocket door. The wall between them used to be an exterior wall, built from roughly 12 inches of solid brick. The two rooms barely talked to each other. Tamar and Blake wanted that to change... without the renovation sucking all the air out of the room.

We agreed that widening the opening as far as the structure would safely allow was the way to go. Then came the harder part: making a brand-new opening feel like it had always been there.

We milled custom trim to match the home's original bead molding. This is a profile you can't buy anymore, so creating these from scratch was a must. The widened opening got wrapped in that same detail, so carefully that the transition reads as original.

If you didn't already know the wall used to be there, you wouldn't be able to today.

Designing Around the Rituals That Make a Home Feel Like Home

Some of our favorite moments on this project came from listening. We learned about what they wanted out of the remodel, but also used information on how they want to use their home to offer design ideas to make it happen.

Two low windows flanking the range had been Tamar's morning coffee perch for years. Rather than reframe them or move them, the design wrapped cabinet-integrated window seats around them, adding storage and protecting a ritual that mattered.

Same view. Same coffee. A lot more function around it.

A few other moves carried the same idea through:

  • A butler pantry refined within its existing footprint by swapping a door for a casement opening
  • Cabinetry taken to the ceiling, so storage didn't have to fight for space
  • A library ladder that runs from the pantry, through the kitchen, into a custom dining room hutch

The kitchen now performs like a modern space and feels like it grew organically there.

Image of custom kitchen remodel with black cabinetry and large island in Old Town Longmont, CO by Petra Custom Builders
Image of luxury bathroom remodel with marble shower and black vanity in Old Town Longmont, CO

Bathrooms That Feel a Century Old and Perform Like New

The bathrooms got the same treatment. We wanted them to feel like they could have existed a hundred years ago stylistically, while delivering everything you'd expect from a modern build.

The primary bath was the tightest puzzle. Tamar and Blake wanted a steam shower, but the footprint was small, and the historic feel of the room couldn't be sacrificed to a piece of mechanical equipment.

So we hid the steam unit inside the built-in shower bench. Out of sight, fully integrated, and right at home in the space.

Tile, layout, and proportions stayed restrained on purpose. Nothing trendy. Nothing of-the-moment. Just classic shapes and timeless materials that let the bathroom feel like a real continuation of the home, not a contemporary renovation just dropped into it.

The Details That Carry the Story

This is the kind of project where the small stuff is the whole story.

A short list of moves that shaped the finished home:

  • Custom-milled trim profiles matching the original bead molding
  • A library ladder running the pantry, kitchen, and dining hutch
  • Window-seat cabinetry built around the morning-coffee spot
  • A steam shower with its mechanics hidden in the bench
  • A timeless palette of navy, brass, and classic geometric tile
  • Modern systems tucked behind period-appropriate finishes

 

Working With the Home, Not Against It

Working on a home this old means accepting some humility from the start. Every wall has a story. Every joint has a reason. Decisions made decades ago (or a full century) shape what's even possible today.

We leaned into those realities instead of fighting them. Where original elements could stay, they stayed. Where we had to make structural moves, we made them with the patience of a restoration, not the speed of a remodel. The historic finishes carry the eye. The modern systems carry the function. Both stay in their lane.

That balance takes time. It takes close coordination between design and construction at every step. And it takes a real respect for the home, which, honestly, is the part of this work we enjoy most.

Image of custom kitchen remodel with black cabinetry and quartz counters in Old Town Longmont, CO by Petra Custom Builders

Thinking About a Historic Home Renovation in Longmont or Boulder County?

If you own a home with real history and you want a renovation that respects it instead of erasing it, The Pack at PCB would love to be in the conversation early. We work alongside homeowners across Longmont, Boulder, Niwot, and the surrounding Front Range, with in-house architectural design, interior architectural design, and construction all under one roof. 

If you're imagining a careful kitchen refresh, a full whole-home remodel, or something in between, we'd be glad to start with a conversation. No pressure, no pitches. Just a real conversation to get to know you and your ideas.

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Thinking About Building a Custom Home in Louisville or Boulder County?

If you’re exploring luxury custom home builders in Boulder County or researching new construction home options, starting with a conversation about how you want your family to live is always the best place to begin. Because when the process starts with people instead of plans, the home that follows tends to be something pretty special!

Reach out to PCB today to schedule a consultation and begin your personalized home design process.

Contact Us

(720) 291-7918 | 5303 Spine Rd #203, Boulder, CO 80301

 

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