A few years ago, I got a call through a familiar connection. A woman friend of mine reached out and told me her ex-husband was planning a project on his home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The divorce was amicable, and they were still on good terms. She said, “He’s thinking about converting his detached two-car garage into a casita. I told him he should talk to you.” That introduction led to one of the more common—but costly—remodeling situations we see in the Albuquerque area. A

(image is AI rendered. Not the actual photos but the story is true) A few months ago, I walked into one of the most beautiful older bathrooms I had seen in Albuquerque. The home had classic Southwest character that you simply do not see very often anymore. In the center of the room sat an old clawfoot tub resting on worn Saltillo tile floors. The walls around the tub were covered halfway up with colorful handcrafted Mexican tile that had probably been there for decades. Behin