In 1956, Margaret Jensen’s parents bought a newly built home in the San Mateo Highlands neighborhood, which was developed by Joseph Eichler. “My mother chose the model home because it was fully landscaped,” says Margaret, who was raised in the house and remembers playing in the backyard sandbox with neighboring children and going to the Fourth of July parade at the recreation center. She adds: “It was just a wonderful place to grow up.”

Later, Margaret moved to Maine for college, met her husband, William, and the couple had two daughters, only to eventually move back to California in 1988. Naturally, they sought out an Eichler—and they found one built in the Highlands in 1956, with four bedrooms, just down the street from Margaret’s parents’ house. “We were able to afford it because it had not been well maintained,” says Margaret. “It was kind of a mess.”

The couple fixed up the home themselves over the years, replacing kitchen appliances—“none of them worked,” recalls Margaret—repairing drywall, swapping out a few drafty windows, and putting in solid-core doors. But as time passed, they realized that much of their work amounted to a “mishmash,” she says. “We did everything as a one-off, so there wasn’t any big plan. We realized that the colors we picked for the interior, and the tile we had on the floor looked really dated, and we wanted to refresh it.”

After living there for over three decades, they also knew that the home needed structural updates. The radiant heated floors were failing, and they wanted to convert their gas systems to electric. They reached out to architect John Klopf of Klopf Architecture for help. “John specializes in Eichlers, so he really helped us put together our vision of the house and how we wanted it to go forward,” says Margaret. “Working with people who understand this type of house and this type of design—and appreciate it—was really important to us.”

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Klopf was joined by contractor Henry Calvert, another longtime Eichler expert, who knew how to navigate the quirks that come with renovating them. “He suggested, since we were replacing the roof, that we put our plumbing and some of the electrical through it,” notes Margaret. (The post-and-beam ceilings in Eichlers are often part of the structural framework, so adding wiring and insulation can be difficult, but the Jensens were able to do both.)

They also installed double-pane windows and an air pump heating and cooling system. “One piece of advice would be to make sure that you recognize that it’s not all about aesthetics,” says Margaret. “The infrastructure needs to be maintained.” With their upgrades, the couple now find the house is significantly more comfortable—it’s warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, especially since they never had air-conditioning before.

After: Kitchen and Breakfast Nook

Since the couple enjoy cooking and entertaining, they worked with Klopf to remove a cinder block wall and fireplace that had previously divided the kitchen and living room, and left a section of the kitchen open to connect it with the refreshed living spaces. “After taking down that wall, I can look at the backyard and see that beautiful light coming in,” says Margaret, who can often be found there cooking and baking, and is currently working her way through a few Alison Roman books.

The couple also teamed up with Space Theory to dial in the kitchen cabinets and storage, as well as designer Leah Harmatz of Field Theory Design for the finishes and furniture.

Before: Dining Room

After: Living Room

The kitchen backsplash came together after Margaret and Harmatz visited the Heath Ceramics factory in Sausalito and dug around the seconds shed for tiles in different shades of blue, Margaret’s favorite color. “We created this combination of colors and then we spent quite a bit of time just laying it out on the floor and getting the exact pattern,” says Harmatz. “Almost like a quilt or mosaic.”

Next, Harmatz worked on the furniture mix, refinishing heirloom pieces that Margaret and William have had for years, and pairing them with vintage finds that are “cohesive with the Eichler vision and style,” she says. “We didn’t want it to be really MCM, or retro, or kitschy.”

After: Dining Room

In the dining room, Harmatz powder coated the legs of the Le Corbusier LC6 dining table, which came from Margaret’s parents, and surrounded it with vintage ladder-back chairs from Field Theory’s shop. Harmatz then worked with the couple’s daughter, Emily Waldorf, an art advisor, to incorporate several works, such as a painting commissioned from Marcel Rozek for the dining room, and a now-framed antique textile that Margaret’s father gave her mother when Margaret was born. “There are little pieces of our life all put together,” she says.

But that’s not to say Margaret and William aren’t making way for the new. Before, the dining area was hemmed in by the cinder block wall, and now it’s been relocated across from the entry, with much more space around the table and the refreshed yard serving as a pretty backdrop. This suits the couple so much better, and caters to family get-togethers, as their two daughters and their families live close by (one in the grandparents’ original Eichler.)

“We’re a bigger crowd. It was four of us, and now when we get together, it’s ten,” says Margaret—plus, on occasion, three “grand dogs.” “Compared to some homes, our dining area is a much larger space, but that was the message we wanted to convey: ‘We are glad you’re here.’”

Before: Primary Bathroom

After: Primary Bathroom

After: Primary Bedroom

After: Backyard

More Before & After stories:

How a Couple Made Their 700-Square-Foot L.A. Cottage Feel Grand

For Less Than $200K, a Fixer-Upper in Northern California Becomes a Beacon of Color

They Rebuilt Their Home’s Historic Brick Facade—but the Back Is a Different Story

Project Credits:

Architecture: Klopf Architecture / @klopfarchitecture

Builder: Henry Calvert

Interior Design: Field Theory / @fieldtheory

Landscape Designer: Third Nature Studio

Landscape Contractor: Modernscapes

Cabinetry: Space Theory

Art: Emily Waldorf Art Advisory

Also Appears In

Before & After: She Grew Up in an Eichler, Bought One Down the Street, and Renovated 35 Years Later