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Before & After: In Merida, a Remodeled Concrete Bungalow Honors TraditionView 21 Photos

Before & After: In Merida, a Remodeled Concrete Bungalow Honors Tradition

FMT Estudio refashions a 1928 home with custom wooden windows, modern ironwork, and a serene courtyard pool.
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When Catherine Schneider bought her vacation home in Reparto Dolores Patrón, a neighborhood close to central Merida in the Yucatan, Mexico, she did her research. It turns out, that hers was one of about a hundred houses built in 1928, as part of a public works initiative by the governor at the time. These concrete houses were small, about 4x8 meters, but each had their own courtyard and every two shared a wind vane to supply water. Each week, the local board conducted a lottery, and ownership of a single house was granted to the winner. 

Before: Front Exterior 

Catherine Schneider's house in Merida, Mexico was built in 1928 as part of a public works initiative to provide housing for the working class.

Catherine Schneider's house in Merida, Mexico was built in 1928 as part of a public works initiative to provide housing for the working class.

Nearly a century on, many of those original houses have been altered or added on to, whether to make room for garages or more living space, with some subject to complete teardown, in order to erect larger builds that crowd the lot line. Catherine's house had undergone such additions over the years, making for a disjointed interior and crumbling backyard. But she had no interest in tearing it down and starting from scratch, since the neighborhood's wide streets and charming original character were what had attracted her in the first place. 

"I love this neighborhood, I've been told it's called the neighborhood of the grandparents," says Catherine, who lives primarily in Philadelphia. "We wanted to really honor the history." 

After: Front Exterior 

FMT Estudio lowered the front fence height to promote connection with neighbors and maintain "eyes on the street." "We didn't want it closed off and feeling like a fortress," says Catherine, noting that the custom iron and concrete design is "a more traditional fence design, but then the architects did a fun repeating pattern in the iron work."

FMT Estudio lowered the front fence height to promote connection with neighbors and maintain "eyes on the street." "We didn't want it closed off and feeling like a fortress," says Catherine, noting that the custom iron and concrete design is "a more traditional fence design, but then the architects did a fun repeating pattern in the iron work."

Catherine was relocating from the Centro, where she had admired a mixed-use building finished by local firm FMT Estudio, so she reached out to collaborate with architects Zaida Briceño Ramos and Orlando Valente Franco Carrillo on her Dolores remodel. "I grew up in a nearby area, so I have a lot of love for it," says Carrillo. "It was exciting to work with someone that understood the value of what is there, and our job was to dig it up and return it to its original essence." 

Before: Front Facade 

The front porch was removed in order to streamline the facade, but the home's essential volume was kept. "We were very happy and excited that the owner was really respectful of the context," says Briceño Ramos. 

The front porch was removed in order to streamline the facade, but the home's essential volume was kept. "We were very happy and excited that the owner was really respectful of the context," says Briceño Ramos. 

After: Front Facade 

The architects made sure to step back the upper-level addition so as not to overwhelm the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. Plus, "If we build on top of it, and try to make it a new and larger box, it will falsify the identity," says Carrillo. The iron window screens mimic the pattern of the custom wood window design.

The architects made sure to step back the upper-level addition so as not to overwhelm the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. Plus, "If we build on top of it, and try to make it a new and larger box, it will falsify the identity," says Carrillo. The iron window screens mimic the pattern of the custom wood window design.

Catherine's brief to the firm was to streamline and expand the floor plan, so the four small rooms at the heart of the house became two larger ones: a living room, and a combined kitchen and dining room, all with airier proportions. The architects then lined the rear facade with a screened-in porch, and added stair access up to a second-level addition that has two guest suites for visiting family and room for a rooftop deck. 

With the addition, "we took care of trying to keep the scale" of the building, says Carrillo, in order to ensure the remodel respected the neighborhood context. Other changes, like the iron and masonry fence at the sidewalk, are also considerate of neighbors. It was designed to facilitate impromptu chats across the front yard, something that's being lost with some new construction. 

"Merida has been changing and evolving," says Carrillo. "We have a lot of colonial heritage, and that's what we're known for mostly, but that's only downtown. We've been experiencing a lot of change in the urban landscape. Lots of townhouses and tower apartments. Those things are reconfiguring the landscape and the old values. Knowing the person that you live across the street from is being lost." 

Before: Entry Hall 

The firm removed walls and widened doorways to create a more open floor plan.

The firm removed walls and widened doorways to create a more open floor plan.

After: Entry Hall 

Catherine's Italian chandelier hangs in the front hall. The floors are marble from Mexico. "We wanted [the floors] to feel a little more natural," says Briceño Ramos. "To have the idea that it can get old in a good way."

Catherine's Italian chandelier hangs in the front hall. The floors are marble from Mexico. "We wanted [the floors] to feel a little more natural," says Briceño Ramos. "To have the idea that it can get old in a good way."

If the front is dedicated to neighborhood connection, the rear is all about alone time. There, FMT Estudio rehabilitated the rear courtyard, adding a pool and a standalone primary suite. In the mornings, Catherine likes to steal up to the roof deck on the main home to drink coffee and watch the parrots zoom overhead. 

After: Dining Room 

FMT Estudio designed the dining table to accommodate visiting friends and family. 

FMT Estudio designed the dining table to accommodate visiting friends and family. 

After: Kitchen

The kitchen and dining room connect to the living room via two open doorways.

The kitchen and dining room connect to the living room via two open doorways.

The green color on the kitchen cabinets echoes the exterior color.

The green color on the kitchen cabinets echoes the exterior color.

Through the kitchen window there's a glimpse of an original exterior wall made of limestone, as well as the stairs up to the second-floor addition.

Through the kitchen window there's a glimpse of an original exterior wall made of limestone, as well as the stairs up to the second-floor addition.

After: Living Room 

In the living room, an integrated desk with a vintage light and cabinet designed by FMT Estudio.

In the living room, an integrated desk with a vintage light and cabinet designed by FMT Estudio.

The wood windows have a custom muntin pattern that reflects traditional designs from the 1920s, but incorporates reeded glass in the upper portion rather than stained-glass. "That was a reinterpretation that we made," says Carrillo. "The volume was very simple, so the openings were a means of expression in the house."

The wood windows have a custom muntin pattern that reflects traditional designs from the 1920s, but incorporates reeded glass in the upper portion rather than stained-glass. "That was a reinterpretation that we made," says Carrillo. "The volume was very simple, so the openings were a means of expression in the house."

"I wanted a serene home, a place where I could come and recharge," says Catherine, who recently retired from the textile industry. "I worked in textiles, so I have a love of craft and architecture, and Mexico is an exciting place right now for craft and traditional techniques being used in modern ways." 

The home's material palette reflects that. It was kept minimal from inside to out, being primarily iron, concrete, wood, and marble, with an emphasis on local materials and traditional methods applied in new ways. On the exterior, "we worked with iron because iron is really important in the area," says Briceño Ramos, pointing to the fence and custom metal window screens. "Since most of the houses look the same, we experimented with different shapes with the iron." 

After: Screened Porch 

Four doors with the custom metalwork connect the kitchen and dining room to the screened porch, which is a popular place to relax and lie in a hammock to escape the sun or rain.

Four doors with the custom metalwork connect the kitchen and dining room to the screened porch, which is a popular place to relax and lie in a hammock to escape the sun or rain.

Inside, plaster walls meet door thresholds that are covered in concrete, then given a slight hammered texture for differentiation. The wood windows, made from a local hardwood that is more durable to the humidity and insects, have a custom muntin pattern that reflects traditional designs from the 1920s. 

"There are lots of things that took time [to make]," says Carrillo. "There are hands behind them that make the house stand out. It's something that you need to live inside to appreciate, but there's a lot of care."

Before: Backyard

The team removed the additional structures in the yard to make way for a pool and standalone primary suite.

The team removed the additional structures in the yard to make way for a pool and standalone primary suite.

After: Rear Exterior

Since the screened porch was an addition to the original volume, the architects had it finished in channeled concrete to mark its difference.

Since the screened porch was an addition to the original volume, the architects had it finished in channeled concrete to mark its difference.

A roof deck is an ideal spot to have morning coffee and watch the parrots fly overhead.

A roof deck is an ideal spot to have morning coffee and watch the parrots fly overhead.

After: Bedroom Suite

The same finishes were used in the upstairs guest suite for consistency throughout.

The same finishes were used in the upstairs guest suite for consistency throughout.

Before: Backyard

Before: This building was cleared away to make room for the pool.

Before: This building was cleared away to make room for the pool.

After: Pool

Minimal landscaping surrounds a new pool, with privacy walls painted the same green found throughout.

Minimal landscaping surrounds a new pool, with privacy walls painted the same green found throughout.

After: Primary Suite

The primary suite has a custom bed designed by FMT Estudio, and the same channeled concrete exterior to mark it as an addition to the original property. This approach, note the architects, enables you to "see the different layers of history."  

The primary suite has a custom bed designed by FMT Estudio, and the same channeled concrete exterior to mark it as an addition to the original property. This approach, note the architects, enables you to "see the different layers of history."  

Floor plan of Dolores by FMT Estudio

Floor plan of Dolores by FMT Estudio

Project Credits:

Architecture: FMT Estudio (@fmt.estudio)

Builder: Proyecciones Civiles

Structural Engineer: Luis Alfonso Díaz Cabañas

Civil Engineer: Luis Alfonso Díaz Cabañas

Lighting Design: FMT Estudio

Interior Design: FMT Estudio

Cabinetry: FMT Estudio and Proyessiones Civiles

More Before & Afters:

Melissa Dalton
Dwell Contributor
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

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