Barton Hills House
Location: Austin, TX
Completion: 2019
Size: 2200 SF (1550 SF remodel + 670 SF addition)
Consultants: Steinman Luevano Structures LLP
Contractor: Walker Construction
Photographer: Leonid Furmansky
One of the things the homeowners loved about their property was its backyard with sprawling live oak trees. The best spot in the existing house was right outside the living room door, on the patio, which became a huge influence on the redesign. The house was in good shape, though it had dated interiors, closed off spaces, and little natural light. The clients wished to open the main living space with a view to the backyard for hosting. They also wanted to use the existing primary bedroom suite as a guest room and add a new primary bedroom suite that felt appropriate in scale to the older home, yet spacious and private.
The clients’ love of midcentury modern design felt like a natural direction to lean. The design intent was to make more efficient use of existing space and add only square footage with big payoff—the existing trees restricted the available area to consider for an addition and we didn't want to encroach on the backyard too much. The most impactful changes to the original house include widening the front entry hallway to feel more spacious and bring in natural light from a large pivot door, removing a central interior wall between the kitchen and living room, and removing the exterior wall next to the fireplace, where the new dining room is added. These changes bring in light and views to the main spaces, sandwiched in the middle of the house.
Everyone fell in love with the original limestone fireplace after a cleaning, and the once-exterior fireplace now marks where the addition meets the original structure and sits adjacent to the best view in the house. The new dining space extends up and wraps around the fireplace. Located on the original back patio space, glazing along both exterior walls of the dining room opens the view to the backyard live oaks from the living room, kitchen, and entry. The door to the new bedroom suite is tucked out of sight in an alcove behind the fireplace, giving the homeowners a little extra privacy from the rest of the house. Their bedroom features wardrobe-style closet cabinetry, a large walk-in shower, and a sliding door that opens up to the patio with a view of the trees.
