Adobe walls
Historic adobe carries load differently from framed walls. Openings, anchorage and roof loads have to be reviewed before anything is cut.
Mesilla & Mesilla Park
Remodeling Mesilla's older houses
Adobe and Territorial homes that need modern systems without losing the walls that make them worth keeping.
Historic housing stock
Old walls, modern requirements
Water is the enemy
Parapets, roof-to-wall junctions, canales and stucco cracks are where adobe fails. Waterproofing and roof detailing come before finishes, every time.
Systems that were never there
Drain, waste and vent routing, panel capacity, heating and cooling — often the largest part of an older-home budget, and the least visible.
Character that must survive
Vigas, nichos, thick reveals, saltillo and original trim. We plan around what to keep before we plan what to change.
Where we start
Before anything gets opened up
- 01
Document the existing structure
Photographs, measurements and a look at how the roof, walls and floors are actually performing.
- 02
Fix water before finishes
Roof, parapet, flashing and stucco work first — no finish survives a wall that stays damp.
- 03
Plan openings with engineering
Stamped review for anything structural, including removing or widening a wall.
- 04
Match materials to the original
Stucco, trim and detailing blended to the existing house so the addition does not read as new.
Own an older Mesilla home?
Bring photos and whatever you know about the structure — we'll start there.