Preserve the Past. Update for Today.
Brickmoon Design’s residential architecture practice helps homeowners all over from Houston Heights, Tarrytown, Austin historic districts, and surrounding communities preserve original character while updating for modern living. Historic renovation isn’t about freezing a home in time — it’s about honoring what came before while making it function well today.
The firm knows the guidelines, knows what historic district boards approve, and designs renovations that work the first time because it’s been through the process on dozens of projects across Texas.
The Historic Renovation Process
Historic districts have design review boards, preservation guidelines, and approval processes that govern what can and can’t be changed — and what it has to look like when it is. Brickmoon is here to save you time and frustration completing your historic home renovation.
Understand the Home's History
We research what was built, what’s original, and what’s been changed. That history guides every design decision that follows.
Review Preservation Guidelines
Design for Compliance
Historic requirements are built into the first drawing, not checked at the end. This eliminates rejections and moves the project through approval cleanly.
Coordinate Modern Systems
Outdated electrical, plumbing, and HVAC are updated with minimal visible change, routed around original details and concealed where possible.
Preserve Historic Details
Original trim, floors, built-ins, and plaster are saved where possible and recreated where they can’t be. Replacing authentic details with contemporary substitutes isn’t renovation. It’s erasure.
Submit for Approval
We manage submissions, coordinate with review boards, and represent the project through approval. Clients don’t deal with city boards. The firm handles it.
Historic Renovation Services
Historic Kitchen and Bathroom Design
Kitchens and bathrooms must perform like modern spaces while looking like they belong in the home’s original era.
Historic Exterior Restoration
Rooflines, siding, windows, doors, and porches — the elements the historic review board evaluates first.Â
Historic Interior Restoration
Original hardwood floors, plaster walls, crown molding, built-in shelving, and wood paneling carry the character of a historic home.
Structural Updates Within Historic Guidelines
Historic homes settle, shift, and develop structural issues that need to be addressed without altering the home’s appearance or character.
System Upgrades — Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC
Outdated systems are brought to current code while minimizing visible impact on the home’s historic fabric. Routing, concealment, and phasing are all designed to protect original details.
Historic Building Conservation Planning
For homeowners uncertain where to begin, Brickmoon creates a conservation plan that prioritizes what’s most urgent, most significant, and what can be phased over time.Â
Why Choose Brickmoon Design for Historic Renovations
Learn more about the firm and the experience behind every Brickmoon project in Texas.
- Historic District Knowledge — Brickmoon knows the guidelines for Houston Heights, Tarrytown, Austin historic districts, and surrounding preservation areas. The firm knows what review boards will approve and what they won’t — because it’s designed for those boards on dozens of projects.
- Designed for Compliance From the Start — Historic district requirements are built into the design process, not checked at the end. This eliminates rejections, eliminates redesigns, and moves projects through the approval process without delays that could have been avoided.
- Preservation Expertise — Some original details are irreplaceable. Brickmoon knows which ones to save, how to save them, and when restoration is the right approach versus period-appropriate recreation. That judgment isn’t something most contractors or general residential architects have.
- Modern Systems, Historic Appearance — Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC upgrades are coordinated to protect original details and minimize visible change. The home performs to modern standards. It doesn’t look like it was retrofitted to get there.
- Integrated Interior Design — Brickmoon’s interior design team coordinates finishes, fixtures, and material selections alongside the architectural work — so the renovation is cohesive from structure to final room, not just structurally compliant.
- Specialist Network — Some historic renovation work requires specialists — plaster restorers, millwork recreators, flooring conservators. Brickmoon coordinates this work within the larger project and ensures every specialist’s output meets district guidelines and design intent.
What Our Clients Say
Brickmoon Design’s client reviews reflect a consistent experience — precise design work, clear navigation of complex approval processes, and renovations that honor the original character of a home while making it genuinely livable today.
Historic Renovation Portfolio
Brickmoon Design’s project portfolio includes completed historic renovation work across Houston Heights, Tarrytown, and Austin historic districts. Each project reflects the firm’s discipline in working within preservation requirements to deliver a result that honors the original home while functioning well for the people living in it today.
Contact Brickmoon Design
Schedule an initial consultation with Brickmoon Design to discuss a custom home, remodel, addition, or lake house project.
Houston Headquarters
7155 Old Katy Rd, Suite N190
Houston, Texas 77024
105 Malone Drive
Wimberley TX 78676
FAQs About Historic Renovations
Does every renovation in a historic district require board approval?
How long does historic district approval take?
Can original details be removed?
What if the home was already altered before the renovation?
Can modern systems be added to a historic home?
Can a kitchen be made fully functional?
Can original windows be replaced?
What's the difference between restoration and renovation?
What permits are required?
Can Brickmoon assist with post-disaster restoration?
Related Resources
The Brickmoon Design blog covers historic district guidelines across Texas, preservation planning, how to navigate the approval process, and what to expect when renovating a home in a protected historic area. Explore the home remodeling category for in-depth articles on historic renovation and whole-home restoration projects.
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