“It was an eleven.” That’s how much work, on a scale of one to ten, Jessy Moss says was needed to bring her 1960s modern home in Indian Wells, California, back from the brink. Indeed, when she and her husband, Steve Jocz, purchased the house two years ago, it was being advertised as a teardown. “It looked like grandma’s house, except maybe grandma can’t keep it up anymore and it’s starting to get overgrown,” Steve says.

Click here to read the full Fairway Drive House home tour

But Steve and Jessy, former musicians who now work in real estate and interior design, were able to see the good bones lurking behind the plantation shutters, French windows, and 1970s grotto. Alongside architect Marc Pange and a crew of contractors, they got to work undoing a series of dated remodels and reversing the ravages of time.

Today, the 2,025-square-foot, glass-and-stucco home is a vision of its former self—open, airy, and drenched in daylight.

“It would have been devastating if this place had been lost,” says Jessy, who recently learned that the home might hold some historical significance. During the 18-month restoration, the couple turned up compelling evidence that the home is an unrecognized work by iconic Palm Springs–area architect William F. Cody.

Scroll through our Before & After photos to see how a midcentury teardown was turned back into a heavenly indoor/outdoor oasis.

Before: Driveway

After: Driveway

Before: Entryway

After: Entryway

Before: Fireplace / Living Room

After: Fireplace / Living Room

Shop the Look

Before: Kitchen / Dining Area

After: Kitchen / Dining Area

Before: Master Bathroom

After: Master Bathroom

Before: Pool Area

After: Pool Area

Before: Side Yard / Exterior

After: Side Yard / Exterior

Before: Courtyard / Exterior

After: Courtyard / Exterior

Read the full home tour: Ex Alt-Rockers Revive a Midcentury Gem Near Palm Springs—and Find it May Be a Lost Masterpiece

Before & After: A Run-Down Midcentury in Southern California Goes From Eyesore to Head Turner