Creating a Forever Home Instead of Moving
Starting With the Backyard—and Thinking Bigger
When Kathryn Cox and her family bought their home in Keller in 2015, they saw potential. Over the years, they completed smaller updates – flooring, a powder bath refresh, wallpaper, paint – enough to make certain rooms feel more like their style, but nothing structural or transformative.
The larger renovation started with the backyard.
The family spends a great deal of time outside, and the pool had been one of the reasons they purchased the home in the first place. Yet the space wasn’t functioning the way they wanted. In Texas, spending long days outdoors requires shade, airflow, and protection from the heat, so the first conversations centered around building a more livable patio.
As those conversations evolved, so did the scope of the project.
Their daughter was settled in school. Close friends lived nearby. The neighborhood felt deeply rooted in their lives, and once they accepted they would likely stay for years to come, the mindset shifted. Instead of making small improvements, they began asking a bigger question: what would it look like to create the home they truly wanted?
Reimagining the Entire Space
That decision opened the door to a far more extensive renovation.
The plan expanded to include opening up the main living spaces, redesigning the kitchen, renovating their daughter’s upstairs bathroom, and creating a stronger connection between the indoors and outdoors. The existing layout no longer matched how they lived or entertained.
To bring the vision together, they partnered with a design firm and then bid out the construction work, collecting multiple quotes before selecting Eric and Fin Home Contracting. Budget mattered, but so did personality fit and trust. Since the design team had worked with Eric previously and spoke highly of the collaboration, it gave Kathryn additional confidence heading into their first major remodel.
Opening the Home Up Completely
The transformation touched nearly every part of the main floor.
Load-bearing columns were removed and replaced with steel beams to create a more open layout. The fireplace came out, gaining valuable square footage. What had previously been a wall of windows became a wide opening connecting the interior directly to a covered patio, fundamentally changing how the home interacted with the backyard.
Inside the kitchen, major elements were relocated. The stove moved. Plumbing shifted. The refrigerator was repositioned. Even the pantry was relocated to make space for a wet bar. The laundry room and upstairs bathroom were renovated at the same time, and entirely new flooring tied the whole project together.
For Kathryn, the result feels completely different from the house they originally purchased.
A Remodel That Stayed on Track
Eric estimated three months for construction. The project finished one week early. While the broader design process naturally required additional planning time, the demolition and renovation phase stayed remarkably close to schedule.
The family chose to move out during construction, a decision Kathryn strongly recommends for projects of this scale. With no functioning kitchen and much of the house covered and under construction, having temporary space elsewhere helped reduce stress and allowed the work to move efficiently.
Communication also stood out throughout the process. Calls happened weekly, texts were exchanged daily, and updates remained consistent. Minor issues surfaced, as they do in nearly every remodel, but Kathryn remembers them being minimal and handled quickly.
Building a Home Worth Staying In
Today, the house reflects how the family actually lives. It feels open, connected, and designed for entertaining both inside and out.
The renovation also sparked referrals. Neighbors who heard about the experience moved forward with projects of their own, including one home being remodeled at the same time. Looking ahead, Kathryn already knows who she plans to call when it’s time to renovate the primary bathroom.
For families weighing whether to move or reinvest in the home they already love, Kathryn’s experience offers a compelling alternative: sometimes the better option is building the forever home you already have.
