Houzz TV: An 1880s Texas Fort Influences a New Forever Home
Some new houses struggle to capture the charm and character of dwellings built in an earlier age. Their architecture might mimic classic details, maybe even try to re-create those features exactly, but often these new-old homes seem to fall just short of authentic. This house — which was influenced by old Texas forts, vintage Lone Star State ranch houses, the British Colonial home showcased in the movie Out of Africa and Louisiana homes of yesteryear — doesn’t miss the mark. It is new construction, but it has the romance and the heart of a home that started life before the dawn of the 20th century.
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This house is amazing, i am loving the ranch style that is giving so much charm !
Utterly charming. Hugh Jefferson Randolph absolutely nailed it; this might be my favorite of his designs yet, and that is saying a lot. Kudos!
Cedar Creek is 3 1/2 hours from Austin!
felixgrantham, there is a Cedar Creek down Hwy. 71 before you get to Bastrop.
Love the house!
I also love the wide porch. In my dream house there would be a porch swing and a couple of rockers along with some thing to put my coffee cup on.
This house is so beautiful and serene. I love that they used American Clay.
Every room is inviting- truly at peace with this home. LOVE the kitchen~
Love this home! The exterior really blends in well with the land and the interior is calm and serene.
Nice touch and adds privacy while walking in a nightgown to and fro
After over a year on Houzz this is my all time fav home! So human-scale and thoughtful and inward-directed. My husband lives in Austin and i live in northern Colorado, so nice to see a Texan project that isn't grandiose or overly hip or super self-conscious, just sensitive, personal, unique, and lovely.
Fantastic redo! I enjoy watching the couple from Waco on HGTV. There is some great value in Texas property . I would be curious to know your costs but can certainly appreciate if you don't want to share them. Can you tell us the market value of your property since your reno?
Really,really like the natural brick wall with the fireplace. Totally hate when designers (HGTV), come in and paint the brick white.
The shot of the bathtub is lovely, with the kitty on the sill and the outdoors through the window. This is an amazing house.
This is my favorite House on Houzz. Gorgeous. Perfect aesthetic. Minimal without being modern is what I go for, and never achieve....
This is without a doubt the most perfect home I have yet to see in HOUZZ. I love everything about it. Except, TX. Now don't get mad, I'm a Californian and my horse trainer moved from AZ to TX and I just could not get used to the weather. But I'd put up with it for that house. CA is far from perfect. Now all the property needs is a real cool old looking barn set off in the distance.
I lived in the northern Dallas area a few years ago, and Austin was my favorite city in Texas. As a former real estate agent, I can say the homes inTexas are of better quality and style than any other place. The most fascinating thing about Austin is that it looks a lot like South Africa, and perhaps that is another reason I liked it so much. This home has a very strong country feel.
Appreciate this owner's aesthetic. I live in Austin and it's nice to know you can get American Clay done here. Love the Chicago brick, the walls, floors, windows, landscaping and just the rustic simplicity of it all.
Very well done, but not over-the-top. A pleasure to look through.
Absolutely stunning! Having lived in the Texas hill country and built a house there, I can so appreciate all the thought and detail that went into this design - what an amazing mix of style, texture, history, new and old. The use of the old brick is brilliant! Oh is it so fabulous I want to move right in! Color me green with envy!! Thanks so much for sharing on Houzz.
I wasn't sure I liked the exterior, although I've always been drawn to authentic west Texas architecture like Fort Davis. BUT, when I reached the picture of the guest room, I was sold! Actually, I was swooning a little....
I have been playing around w/ the idea of going to my tiny hometown museum in west Texas (county pop. < 800) to do a little research through old pictures to see the early houses. My county wasn't established until the 1870's, so I have no idea what I would find. I've always wanted a true west Texas house, but where I'm from there doesn't (in my mind) seem to be a definitive house.
But that guest bedroom. Oh, my. It reminds me so much of quite a few houses that our family friends lived in. I just never thought about the aesthetic of it till now.
Thank you so much for the story!!
love it, especially being a texas girl. I want to do some type of roll down shades in our redo in colorado similar to the ones you have in the bedroom and kitchen. were they hand made or bought, and what fabric? i'm thinking of using white denim or canvas. would love to make them myself if i can figure it out. thanks!
From looking at the first photo, I thought this would be too modern for my tastes, but this is gorgeous!
I would love to know the color of the orange-red door. My house is Western Cedar and this is the color I need.
I would love to know where the shades came from in bathroom & bedroom and what kind of fabric. Love this home.
This home also echoes The Alamo in San Antonio and the Gage Hotel in Marathon. Fan.Tas.Tic!
Houzz, I hope video isn't going to replace the still shots for presenting homes. Video is time-consuming and doesn't give me the option of looking at a house at my speed and spot reading the information that I want. Video slows it down and makes me not interested.
The window shades are canvas. We used an awning company to make them.
The door color is Ravishing Red. I think it is Sherwin Williams? The code is 2008-10.
lindasmithbrown, you can see the still images and full story too: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/50079588/list/houzz-tour-how-to-make-a-new-house-look-classic
Beautiful and serene...I loved the monastery image concerning the windows. (I've always said I wanted my home to feel like a medieval monastery!) The light in this home through those windows indeed gives a sense of the mystic. And by the way, I agree on the location of Cedar Park. I have a niece who lives "next door." It's a beautiful setting for this home. Thanks for sharing with us!
The video presentation was a nice change...I enjoyed hearing the owners speak and seeing them.
This house is just beautiful. I love that the builder/owners had so much input and that it's "just as imagined." How satisfying that must be! I hope they enjoy it for years to come.
Perfect in every way! The brick and tile was breathtaking. Very beautiful and inviting.
Stylish , simple and well edited, really lovely. Would love to see the floors more clearly (both interior and exterior), they look so interesting. Would you mind telling me what they are?
open, airy and spacious home... stunning!
This is what I have been hoping to find for the last several years at Houzz! Love the aesthetic, inside and out, the simplicity, especially the materials.
What material is the top of your kitchen island? I have been considering galvanized tin, but haven't had any encouragement. Any advice?
What a beautiful home. Well done. I really enjoyed the video.
What an interesting -- and beautiful! -- house. The exposed brick is wonderful. I love that the owners chose to put the old brick into a new home. Sadly, too many these days paint over brick when they renovate older homes. The brick, in my opinion, is what makes the inside so homey and inviting, as well as the tiles in the kitchen.
The most interesting aspect, in my mind, is the separate guest section. What a great idea and, yes, it does resemble an old ranch layout.
I like the back view better than the front one. While the front entryway, with the river rock wall, patio and nice landscaping is lovely, the bedroom wing with the small windows and brick wall really needs softening. Hopefully, another tree or two (and/or some vines) will do the trick eventually.
Kudos to the homeowners for realizing their dream in this home.
Thanks for the wonderful feedback! To answer a question - the floors are stained concrete.
Hello Hugh and Gina, I commented above, very stylish job! I am an African, living in a real Out of Africa house in Africa. Would you mind telling me more about what you used on the indoor floors and the outdoor verandah floors. Is it smooth cement screed tinted black inside? Rough screed outside? marguerite@mavromac.co.za
I would love to know the method you used on polishing the concrete floors. Kudo's the house is wonderful.
Thank you for the nice comments. The island is soapstone that hasn't been oiled so you can still see the veins. The counter tops are caesar stone. The floor is stained concrete. Granmam, are you considering galvanized tin for the sides of your island? I wouldn't put it on the top. Life centers around a kitchen island. You want it to feel wonderful when you are touching it! Gina
Beautiful home! I love the floors. Can you tell me who did them?
i was immediately struck by the warmth of this house. Lovely too! And I could relate to the idea of it being 20 years in the making in her mind. Kudos to them. May they see the house grow old!
Not my style, but really dig the mix of new and old. As an Austin resident, I'm hoping this will be on an upcoming AIA tour. ; )
The floors were done by Modern Crete in Austin.
Therese: Pick up some colorful pillows for the living area and bedrooms at a discount store like Marshall's or Tuesday Morning, along with inexpensive matching or contrasting knick knacks to place around the condo. Think creatively. A basket in the clearance section could hold magazines or plants. How about colorful photos cut off the myriad of calendars we get every year? Put them in inexpensive frames from a craft store. Make a throw out of fleece material on sale at a fabric store to toss over the sofa or across the bed. Best of all, with fleece there's no sewing required. And, of course, bringing along family photos to place here and there definitely personalizes things.
@Therese Baker...if you post your question in the dilemmas section of Houzz, (preferably with photos to help people visualize what you are dealing with...) you are much more likely to get helpful suggestions than on a specified article such as this one. Usually, at the end of each Houzz newsletter that you receive via e-mail, you will find questions that other Houzz users have posted. These are examples of what I mean. I hope this will prove helpful to you...best of luck!
Beautiful house, absolutely beautiful. I love the choice of American Clay. We are currently researching American Clay for a new home we are building in NE Oregon. I have been on the fence but after seeing the character and warmth it creates, I think it could be worth the time. Any insight of information would be greatly appreciated. Is this Sugarloaf White? And can you confirm the finish or particular American Clay product? Do you think this is something a novice could take on himself?