Construction Diary: How a DIY Tucson Couple Restored a 1930s Adobe

Photographer Logan Havens was between gigs when he began to look for a renovation project where he lives in Tucson, Arizona. Within his price range and a three-mile radius of downtown, where he wanted to be, "there were, like, two options," he says. One in particular had a cracked facade and awkward additions, among other issues—no street appeal here. But a parapet hinted that it might be a historic adobe original to the Barrio Kroeger Lane neighborhood, one of Tucson’s oldest.

The location, in fact, is what ultimately convinced Logan and his partner, designer Gustavo Silva, to purchase the home for $142,000 and make it their primary address. Regular bike rides downtown and to a favorite plant nursery in the neighborhood would take them right past the 1930s property, which is situated along the Santa Cruz River. "You can see downtown from the backyard," says Logan. Now it was a matter of restoring the original structure while bringing in a few modern touches—including plywood-fronted cabinetry, a stainless-steel kitchen, and air-conditioning.