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The Trails : The client's love of rustic western lifestyle and rustic, natural materials are the primary forces that shaped this design. The clients wanted a home that felt that it belonged in Texas. The husband wanted a home like a lodge. The wife wanted a home that was not grandiose or too large in scale. The homesite is located in an equestrian community at Horseshoe Bay, Texas. The lot contains many mature oaks and slopes to the northwest. A creek borders the back yard. The site features shaped the design in a profound way. The home was designed to fit amongst 20 or so trees. Only a few were taken down. A front courtyard was created to capture the southern sun and southeasterly breeze. A dogtrot was introduced to funnel breezes to the back porches overlooking the creek. The design is composed of two elements – the main house and the guest house – connected by a breezeway. The main house contains the Great Room, Kitchen, Master Suite as well as a den. The Great Room has windows on three sides, creating the feel of an outdoor pavilion-type space. The Guest House contains two bedrooms, a sleeping porch and Guest Living with a small kitchen. Reclaimed barnwood was used extensively throughout the interior of the home. Limestone was used inside and out. Hardie Plank board and batten was selected for use as exterior siding. A metal roof with galvalume finish was used. Concrete floors were honed and stained. Porches were stamped.

The Trails

High Ridge Ranch : A dramatic northern view and the desire of the owners to build a guest retreat shaped the design of this home. The challenge was to frame the northern view while at the same time opening the home to the breezes and natural light from the south. The plan is organized into three components to provide privacy and comfort for the many guests that visit High Ridge Ranch. The Main House includes the owner’s suite and is the primary gathering place. The bunk house, containing two bedrooms and a living area, is connected to the Main House by a Dog Trot. The Bird’s Nest, an efficiency apartment, is located above the Garage. The three components are accessed from a south-oriented courtyard that captures southern breezes and sunlight. The Dog Trot connects the south yard with the north and is the primary outdoor room. Reclaimed barn siding and timbers are used in the interior of the Main House. The Great Room and Kitchen are oriented on a North-South axis to frame the view of distant northern hills and to capture the southern sun. Several Green Design features are incorporated into the project, including non-ventilated, insulated attics and on-demand water heating.

High Ridge Ranch

High Ridge Ranch Party Barn : Six years ago we designed a ranch house for the clients, to be used as a second home / retreat. The family is expanding, and they spend lots of time at the ranch, so they needed more space to accommodate the crowd. They also wanted to create a space specifically designed for recreation. They wanted the interior to have an industrial aesthetic in contrast to the main house, which has a very ranch-rustic material palette. The clients acquired an antique truck and wanted to incorporate this into the design in some fashion. The barn is built on a 26 acre site west of Wimberley, TX. The barn was incorporated into an existing compound that is comprised of a main house, guest house and detached garage. All elements cluster around a circular drive. The site is generally flat, with a few trees. Scenic views to the south, west and north. We wanted capturing the look of a classic barn, but at a scale that wouldn’t overpower the existing house. We envisioned the side wings of the barn to look as if at one time they were completely enclosed, then were opened up to create the current design. The Barn contains three primary spaces. The south half is designed as tractor storage and as a workshop. The north half contains the entertainment areas – ping- pong, pool and media room. The antique truck is the centerpiece of this area. A bunkroom sits above the tractor barn and opens onto the silo porch. From this porch, great southeastern views are captured. Paint grip corrugated metal siding is primary exterior siding material. Hardie Plank board and batten is also used in a few areas. Limestone was selected to match the existing structures. The roof is standing seam metal with a galvalume finish.

High Ridge Ranch Party Barn

Six years ago we designed a ranch house for the clients, to be used as ...

Updated: Oct 03, 2012 10:23am PST

Rancho Escarpado : A panoramic Hill Country view and a southern exposure are the primary forces that shaped this design. Perched on a small hillside plateau, the three components - Main House, Master Retreat, and Guest House - are gently rotated to frame differing views of the Blanco River Valley. The Main House is one open space comprises of the Kitchen, Living and Dining. The Master Retreat is positioned away from the Main House by a covered porch, but is still connected through the Master Bath. The Guest House is separated from the Main House by the Dog Trot - a breezeway that functions as the primary outdoor living area. Deep overhangs block the harsh summer sun. Expansive southern windows provide passive solar heating in the winter months. Strategically placed operable openings allow for natural ventilation throughout the year. A wide variety of natural materials are utilized, including drystacked boulders, smeared flagstone, reclaimed barnwood and long leaf pine, and stucco.

Rancho Escarpado

Loneman Creek Retreat : The client's desired a small house with somewhat simple, clean lines. The space of highest importance was the breezeway. Their main objective was that the building would not isolate them from the dramatic site features. The property is east of Wimberley, Texas. It is a somewhat long and narrow lot with a heavy tree cover. The south end of the lot fronts on Lone Man Creek and a very dramatic cliff face that rises 200 feet above the building site in a sweeping curve. The site feels unlike any spot in the Texas Hill Country – people have described it as “Jurassic”. The primary design goal was to strongly connect interior spaces with the cliff. The southern wall of the Great Room curves in response to the cliff face. The glass doors and transom windows provide a sweeping panorama of the cliff and the sky above the cliff. The roof was designed to provide shading for the southern glass in the Summer, and to allow penetration of sunlight into the Great Room during Winter months. Natural ventilation was addressed by placing operable windows on North and South walls of the Great Room, as well as by designing the prime outdoor living area as a breezeway. The floor plan is comprised of three elements. The Great Room houses living, dining and kitchen functions in a single space. Provisions have been made for a fold-down bed. A full bath is also included. The Bedroom wing contains two bedrooms with one bath. The bath contains a stacked washer/dryer. The Breezeway connects the two enclosed area. This is the primary outdoor living area, designed to be ventilated by prevailing southerly breezes. The exterior walls are comprised of limestone and Hardie Plank. The roof is standing seam metal with a Galvalume finish. Interior finishes include pine ceilings and trim.

Loneman Creek Retreat

The client's desired a small house with somewhat simple, clean lines. ...

Updated: Oct 03, 2012 6:22am PST

Faith Ranch Art Barn : The clients wanted an art studio and guest house that would be separate from their main house. They were interested in incorporating rustic and reclaimed materials to create an aged feel to the building, in contrast with the more contemporary existing home. The ranch is west of Wimberley, Texas. The clients purchased the property along with an existing residence several years ago. The Art Studio sits to the south of the main house, fronting a shared circular drive. The site gently slopes northward, with views of the ranch toward the west. Our goal was to create a structure with the feel of an old ranch building - somewhat like a barn. The design was configured to look as if an old building was converted to a current use. The primary element is a gabled Great Room, with a low- sloping roof wrapping the east, south and west sides. The north wall of the Great Room contains large windows to capture northern light. The Great Room houses the art studio and a lounge area, with a fireplace and murphy bed. The eastern wing contains a bath, a kitchen and a storage room. Native limestone, reclaimed barn boards, fir planking with elastomeric chinking, stained concrete floors.

Faith Ranch Art Barn

The clients wanted an art studio and guest house that would be separat ...

Updated: Oct 03, 2012 7:20am PST

Panther Crossing Retreat : The client’s primary goal was to create a home that was focused toward outdoor living – including a pool, spa and outdoor kitchen. They were also enamored by simple agrarian structures with some sense of history, as well as an interest in a contemporary aesthetic. The home is built on a 16 acre property in Wimberley, TX. The building site is on a knoll covered with numerous oak trees, oriented to the east and southeast. The design began with the pool court oriented to the southeast. The house was configured to wrap around the pool on three sides. The house consists of three elements – Great Room building, Master wing and guest/office wing. The Great Room centers on the pool, with large sliding doors opening to the pool court. Hardie Plank board and batten was used extensively on the exterior and interior. Sand stone was selected to provide a deeper tone for the base of the home and at the fireplace. The floors are polished concrete. Exposed pine and fir elements were finished with a pigmented stain.

Panther Crossing Retreat

Fredericksburg Stone House : In a perfect blend of old and new, this house offers a glimpse into the past and an open feel of the early range. The original home was once a two-story stone house built around 1880, and we designed an addition to quench the desire for open living space and preserve the home’s historical charm. We retained the cozy atmosphere of the old study, parlor, and formal dining room, and we added a large Master Bedroom and bath and a kitchen that opens into a spacious Great Room with covered porches just outside. In the center of the Great Room stands a wine cave built of cypress and stone. The wine cave served as a water storage tank in the original home, but it now serves as the focal point of the house - and the perfect place to store wines from the Hill Country’s finest vineyards.

Fredericksburg Stone House