You love
Old Houses.
Me too.
I’m an Architect with a love for preserving the old and making it better than new.
Let’s design for new life in your old house, or build a new house that feels like an old home.
Interior of Historic Tulsa Bungalow
Old House Renovations
Begin with Understanding.
Restoring or renovating an old house or building a new house (with the character of an old home) is a complicated process. How do I know? I’ve been there - renovating my own 100+ year old Bungalow - I know it’s easy to get caught up in the details, focus on small-scale interventions or the immediate issues, and miss out on a holistic solution.
You deserve to feel confident and calm
while designing your dream home.
The process of planning for and then actually building your dream home (whether it be through renovation, or a new build) can be overwhelming. You can feel confident in your decisions for your current situation and possible future situations. You can make peace with your house and learn the skills you need to manage any challenges that might arise. I can help you get there.
Let me guide you through the process in these three main phases:
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Possibly the most important phase, where I help you figure out all of your wants and needs. We discover together how you currently live in your house and how you want to live in the future. I ask questions like “describe your current typical morning routine, and what do you want your ideal morning routine to be?” rather than “how many bedrooms and bathrooms do you need?” Answering these questions allows us to create a “Program Statement” which will be a guide for what and how we design your spaces and the choices we make. It includes things like “how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need” but it also includes an understanding of why and where those spaces need to be in relation to each other.
During this phase, I will measure, photograph, and draw plans of your existing house, and/or we will obtain an existing site/land survey. And I will research any other real-world circumstances we might need to consider (such as building and zoning codes).
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Otherwise know as “design.” This is where we plan for the conditions we discovered in the first phase. We work through sketches and ideas to come to a solution that you love (sometimes called Schematic Design). Then we further explore that solution and “fill in the details” to be sure it’s exactly what you want and is within your budget (also known as Design Development). And finally, I take that solution and create a full set of “Construction Documents” which are the drawings and specifications we will use to build your project. The “Construction Documents” communicate to a builder/general contractor exactly what we plan to do and are also used to obtain a building permit.
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Some say this is the fun part, but it can also be really stressful. This is where the plans we’ve made become a physical reality. I do my best to minimize your stress by helping you manage the process of working with a general contractor or builder so that everything goes as smoothly as possible. I aim to give you the tools to communicate effectively and help you make sure you love the result at the end. Consider me your support (and sometimes therapist) at this stage.
For my brave DIYers, I can help you decide when it’s best to hire something out or help you learn the skills you need if something just isn’t feasible to hire out (such as historic wood window restoration or plaster repair).
Meet Your Architect.
So you love old houses. Either you own one and need help with maintenance, preservation, and/or renovations, or you can’t find one and want to build a new house that has the character and feel of an old home. I have made it my mission to help old house lovers just like you.
Katelyn Parker, Residential Architect, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Work with Me
People who love
Old Houses are my kind of People.
I want to help you plan for your wants and needs so you can feel confident, calm, and settled living in your home now and in the future.
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Finding products for and information about old houses can be difficult. So I have compiled a few of my favorite resources to help you learn about old houses, find tools and supplies to restore them, and shop for period-appropriate lights, plumbing, hardware, etc.
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I love to meet other old house lovers. If you have an old house you need help with, want to build a new (old) house, or just have questions about older homes, please get in touch!