the past

the house is gone but i thought it might be interesting to share photos of the interior in its previous state. these two photos are of the old kitchen and dining area (thank goodness that bay window has left but i will miss my formica countertops in there because they were so worry free!) and the living space (which should visually explain why we needed more entertaining room).

new photos today from brian still, our builder.

this is the new addition - viewing it with your back to the lake. we are doing everything we can to save that awesome oak.

in the background is our garage - which is getting a new coat of paint when this is all said and done.

another photo from brian still.

that area in the front of the photo is the new great room and extended screened area. the lake is to the right.

the foundation will be laid in the next few days and then framing can begin.

a quick description

our drawings have been finalized! sort of.

we have had several versions, but as you might imagine, we continue to tweak them. the design of the house is just what we want - utilitarian - clean, simple, functional, low-key.

for more specifics, read on... this is a longer post, but i wanted to provide an overview and i will share detailed drawings when i can.

the new first floor includes a pass-through kitchen area with two very large counter islands. there are no shelves or cabinets on the walls which gives it a very minimalist feel and invites easy flow from one side of the house to the other.

one of my favorite aspects of the house design is the 'back kitchen' where the cabinets, storage, bulk storage, w/d, refrigerator, microwave, etc will be housed. all of that and any dirty dishes or excess counter items can be stored in there and hidden from view by guests by closing a giant barn door at its entrance. we love that for entertaining.

the pass-through kitchen area is surrounded on both sides by expansive rooms with high ceilings and trusses - all painted white to continue a clean simple minimalist feel. on one side is the new great room which is the very reason we decided to 'remodel.' on the other side is the dining area and then the master bedroom beyond.

the second floor is a whole new world for us considering it was limited to one tiny bunk room prior to the demo. bedrooms, bathrooms, screened porch, deck - but all compact and simple! you'll note the guest room has mini barn-style doors that overlook the two expansive rooms downstairs to continue the open feel of the house.

in the texas hill country, we are limited on square footage by the septic restrictions of the lcra (lower colorado river authority). our architect approached that by designing an indoor/outdoor bunk room for the kids (half bunk room/half sleeping porch) upstairs. he also designed a screened extension to our entertaining/great room downstairs. any screened areas do not count toward the square footage of the house in terms of lcra restrictions, but add a lot more room to our living space.

respect the professional

yesterday i spent the whole day considering an option to relocate a door off my dining room that leads to my master bedroom. i got caught up in creating an indirect route from dining to bed room. we considered a host of variations with hallways or vestibules to see if we could somehow create a diversion. at the end of the day, my architect, jay corder of designhouse, called me to discuss the whole thing. the bottom line is that he reminded me of what i want - which is a smooth and SIMPLE flow to this house. no major turns or hallways - all fluid and easy. lesson learned: it is important for us to pose questions and make suggestions about the design based on how we will live in this house, but it is just as important for us to listen to the professional when he reminds us of what we want the overall experience to be and why he designed it the way he did. i am grateful for his reminder.

aesthetic

so... i showed you the exterior of the house as it was BEFORE, and the house as it is CURRENTLY... and now here is my inspiration and hopefully what it will look a lot like AFTER our project is complete.

surprise

this is what the exterior looks like now.

our builder, brian still of beacon construction in austin, ultimately decided to remove everything as opposed to taking down some walls and moving other walls. most of this was due to the new concrete floor we wanted to add, a new 'raised' roof and the fact that our exterior material will change, but another reality was that there were very few internal walls that did not need to be moved and starting with a blank slate actually ended up being less work (and less cost) for all.

first post

this marks the very first post for houseinaustin. i'm starting this blog to track the fun?? i am going to be having as my family and i rebuild our lake house in austin.


we've owned the property for five years and basically outgrew the 1800 sq foot house as our children (now ages 10, 9 and 7) got older and wanted to bring friends, needed their own space, etc.

the photo above is the (former) exterior.