Every design project has at least one pivotal decision-making moment that impacts the remainder of the plan—and the outcome of the build. For architect Eric Hughes, a cofounder of architecture firm HR Design Dept., one such moment came during the renovation of the 1938 bungalow he lived in with his wife, Emily, and five-year-old son, Clark.

“I wanted a standing seam roof,” Eric says. “That was a big splurge for me. It was one of those decisions that’s hard to make in the moment. Do you choose the asphalt roof for nine thousand dollars or the standing seam roof for thirty six thousand? You’re trying to keep to a budget, but then there’s a point where you realize that for X amount more, you can make it something you’re really proud of.” Adds Emily, a pre-K teacher, “Good thing Clark and I like rice and beans!”

Jokes aside, the couple were on the same page about the renovation, which they started after nearly a decade of living in the single-story, 1,000-square-foot house in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas. The couple had moved in before becoming parents, when a two-bed, one-bath setup worked for their lifestyle. They liked the house’s charm—it hadn’t undergone any shape-altering renovations and still had the original screened-in porches—and surrounding lively community. Located on Houston’s 610 Loop, a highway that forms a ring around the inner section of the city, it gave the Hugheses easy access to restaurants, music venues, and art galleries. “At the time, we didn’t have a lot of money,” Eric recalls, “but one thing we wanted to do was vault the ceiling in the living room and add a skylight.”

Living with the original plan worked for a while, but once Clark came along, Eric and Emily decided it was time for more space. “We all shared a bathroom for the first five years of Clark’s life,” Emily says. “When we talked about renovating we asked, ‘How can this design help us love each other more?’ Part of that was creating spaces that give us time to retreat and come back together to have meaningful moments.”

With an initial budget of around $300,000, Eric designed the house with input from his firm partner, Heather Rowell. “Obviously, that was an area where we saved money,” he says. Luckily, the lot was large, and there was enough space on the east side of the house to expand. “We could have gone forward, but we wanted to keep the cadence of the street,” Eric says. “The house felt contextual to the neighborhood, and we didn’t want to destroy that.”

$9,300 Foundation	$86,772 Structural	$31,072 Wall Finishes
$7,944 Flooring	$25,790 Roofing	$611 Hardware
$13,209 Electrical	$15,090 Plumbing	$19,750 HVAC Equipment
$6,700 Landscaping and Drainage	$4,661 Kitchen & Bath Fixtures	$3,300 Lighting Fixtures
$6,540 Countertops	$7,890 Appliances	$40,587 Exterior Windows & Doors
$40,373 Millwork	$12,857 Tilework	$4,743 Metalwork
$40,000 General Contractor Fee	$1,500 Demolition	$4,100 Waste/Debris Removal + Final Cleanup
$2,175 Shower Glass and Mirrors	$2,700 Fence	$3,300 Concrete Porch Topping
Grand Total: $390,964

The result was a 900-square-foot addition that nearly doubled the interior space. It holds a primary suite, a second level with a studio, and a playroom with a small climbing wall for Clark. Linked to the existing house by an area Eric calls “the connector,” a short, glassed-in space with an exterior garden on each side, the new addition seamlessly blends with its precedent in both scale and materiality. Choosing to leave the existing structure’s original asbestos siding in place (“As long as it’s not crumbling, it’s fine,” Eric says), the couple used perfectly matched fiber cement shingles for the addition’s exterior. Packaged with the framing and insulation, this was the most expensive part of the remodel, coming in at just under $87,000. Adding in the foundation at $9,000, the structural work, including labor, accounts for nearly a third of the budget.

“Quality control is very important to me,” Eric says, “because it equates to costs. We worked with a contractor that allowed me to manage parts of the project. A lot of people think cost is the result of materials, but cost is the result of expectations.”

The quality premium is evident in the millwork and cabinetry. “Without the millwork, it’s just a lot of drywall,” Eric says, noting that that cost was around $40,000. “The millwork makes the space feel more elevated.” To save, he used Ikea cabinetry and shelving in the loft and living room, but plans to customize them someday. “We tried to build them out in a way that doesn’t feel like they are straight from Ikea. It was all about making responsible decisions to stretch our dollars.”

Another instance of budget-stretching creativity came with tile work in the kitchen and the primary bathroom, a nearly $13,000 spend. In both cases, Eric used affordable white porcelain on the walls, but in the kitchen, he opted for a bright, cyan-blue grout (Emily loves moments of color; her closet is magenta) to match the hardware on the cabinetry. “In the primary bathroom, we used a super-simple tile in the shower,” Emily says, “but oriented it vertically as a way to save money and still have it look interesting.”

Flooring and windows were another hefty expense, but Eric says in both cases they chose a more affordable option. The oak flooring, which lends a contemporary Scandinavian undertone, was salvaged from a house in a more affluent neighborhood. “They had to pull it out, and we got it for a fraction of the cost of what it would have been otherwise,” he says.

By the time the Hugheses moved in, they were nearly $100,000 over their outset budget. Part of that was due to staggering the construction to live in the house as it was undergoing renovation. “The first phase was the bathroom and bedroom area,” he says. “We paid a premium for the initial bathroom renovation to create the hallway to get to the addition.” The project’s scope also expanded as it progressed, including the standing seam metal room, replacing the existing windows and doors, and renovating the kitchen. Despite the extra cost, Eric doesn’t regret the outcome, and loves spending time in the home with his family.

“I always look forward to going up to the office,” he says. Walking up the stairs in the morning and seeing the sky unfold is a special moment. Sometimes, I leave my laptop up there just so that I have to make the trek up! We tried to make this space not only about work—I wanted us to be able to engage with creativity outside of that. We look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve.”

More Budget Breakdown:

Budget Breakdown: After a Contractor Scam, an L.A. Couple Wrap Their Bungalow Remodel for $176K

Budget Breakdown: This $81K Kitchen Upgrade Has the Same Siding as Some Dunkin’ Donuts

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: HR Design Dept. / @hrdesigndept

Builder/General Contractor: Fausto Bustamante, Frich Investments / @frichinvestments2

Structural Engineer: Santee Engineering

Energy Consultant: Toner Home Matters / @tonerhomematters