Imagine this simple home without the wraparound porch and it's obvious that something would be missing. The galvanized steel porch roof and the simple structure are modern nods to the rural Texas context and vernacular.
First, good design doesn't always have to cost more. Using scale, proportion, form, detail and the other tools in the architect's tool box creates wonderful and enduring design.
The square shape is a design response to the fact that the structure is in the middle of a farm, with visibility on all sides, unlike urban homes that face a street and have a private backyard. While the exterior walls may look like wood, they're actually fiber cement panels. Rauser, who also built the house, chose this material because the paint job will last 10 times longer. The 800-square-foot wraparound porch adds shade and a breezeway.