Erwin House is the story of an extreme home makeover in Austin, Texas, that turned an 830sf cottage into a 2200sf, two-story mid-century abode.

In May of 2005, Christiane and David Erwin began to talk about the possibility of purchasing a new home to accomodate their growing family. The two-bedroom, post-war “crackerbox” (as David called it) was a swank bachelor pad, but it wouldn’t be comfortable for raising a family of five six (plus two dogs and a cat).

The couple assumed they would simply need to purchase a newer, larger home. The catch? They loved the Crestview neighborhood and didn’t want to leave. Home prices in the area had skyrockted in 2005, and they didn’t think they could afford to purchase in their own area!

David was convinced that the hip little flat-roofed 50’s charmer would never withstand an addition. Christiane felt differently. Armed with two pencils and a pad of legal paper, they began to draw. Christiane envisioned a second story sitting atop the first. David sketched out a second story deck.

More than 150 sketches later, they went to the bank and asked for a loan. With paperwork in hand, they began to blog.

The Erwin family moved into a rental down the street while construction took place, and they moved back in as the design details were being finalized. Major construction on Erwin House took place from February 1 through August 1 of 2006.

Christiane and David are still working on minor projects around the house. They have also since started a business dedicated to reviving the door designs of the 1950’s and 1960’s. You can purchase a vintage modern entry system at CrestviewDoors.com.