Budget Breakdown: An Austin Couple Give a Century-Old Craftsman a Passive House Upgrade for $836K

Marrying efficient construction with warm, contemporary touches, this full-house remodel shows how delightful resilient design can be.

Adrienne and Trey Farmer are getting used to a certain look of surprise when visitors walk in their front door. The couple’s 1914 Craftsman bungalow is perched on a side street above a busy Austin freeway, so guests expect something dim and noisy. What they get is totally different: a light-filled, serene, contemporary interior with dramatic views of downtown. It’s like biting into what you think is an old-fashioned doughnut and discovering lemon cream—except that this surprise is also really, really healthy.