Every year some of the best of the best new homes are opened up for the public to appreciate, and every year I try and pick a few favorites to add to my "must see" list. It's a bit of an overwhelming challenge when there are so many good homes to pick from. I haven't been through any of these homes yet, but based on the fantastic photos by Leonard Furmansky below are my top picks for the 2016 AIA Austin Homes Tour in no particular order.
Read MoreLast week I gave a little teaser of my latest listing. The "Butterfly House" designed by A. D. Stenger is sincerely one of my favorite homes in Austin. and here's why. First off, I'm going to assume you are already familiar with Arthur Dallas Stenger. He was a bit of a radical and a visionary and he built a lot of beautiful homes in Austin in the 50's and 60's. This particular one stands out however thanks to its unique roof line. I've heard the inspiration came from a similar roof on the old Austin airport which was designed by another notable firm Fehr and Granger.
Read MoreAustin has more than it's fair share of amazing architecture both modern and mid century modern. Of those however there are a small handful that I consider to be truly unique and architecturally significant. The "Butterfly house" above designed and built by local legend A. D. Stenger is one of those, and it's for sale.
Read MoreMy latest listing on 2708 Pither Ln is pretty much a no brainer. You get all of the good parts of the condo life like a community pool, dog park and yard maintenance without any of the downsides like shared walls and noisy neighbors. It's a freestanding house with a garage at a entry price that is as close as you can get to affordable in Austin these days. Besides the aforementioned pool and dog park, there's a lot to love about the little Edgewick community that it's located in. East Riverside is definitely on the upswing and with all the new projects planned for the area it's only a matter of time before it catches up with it's neighbors in 78704 and East Austin.
Read MoreIt's crazy to think the last update was all the way back in February. Since then a lot has changed. It's still not much to look at from the street, between the dumpster, the fence and all the scaffolding. We're just waiting for the rain to pass so we can do our last coat of stucco. It's a white stucco with integral color, when finished it almost looks just like white concrete. With that and some metal screens that we have planned over the windows it should be looking lots better soon. You can see now that thanks to it being set below grade it doesn't look too imposing, despite being two stories. I parked my classic Range Rover there to help you with scale. :)
Read MoreReady for another home tour? Sure you are. This one is for all of you fans of everything mid century. This weekend Preservation Austin is exploring the post war boom and the neighborhoods of Crestview, Brentwood and Allandale. The huge demand for affordable housing in the late 40's was a big part of the success of modernist architects of the time.
Read MoreThis week marks the beginning of SXSW 2016, also know to locals as "everybody please get the fuck out of my town". About this time every year I start to see a bunch of top 10 lists pop up about where to eat and drink in Austin. Most of them are pretty solid, and they definitely cover the basics but the reality is they barely scratch the surface of what Austin has to offer. This year I wanted to take a different approach and talk about some of my favorite places to eat and drink in east Austin that you will probably never find on a top 10 list, but absolutely deserve to be.
Read MoreIt can be a bit exhausting keeping up with all the home tours in Austin, but the Modern Home Tour this weekend is one that you don't want to miss. Unfortunately I won't be there this year because of a wedding in Mexico, but luckily I've already been through almost half of the homes. I'm actually really excited about this year's tour because a lot of my architect friends have homes featured. It's always great when you see good people, doing great projects get the attention they deserve.
Read MoreI just looked back at my post from a month ago when our house had just gotten framed up, and I'm surprised at how much progress we've made. It's that awkward time where almost every day something new happens, but it doesn't feel like we are making any real progress. The reality is things are moving right along. All the rough plumbing is done, as is all the rough HVAC. Three of our sliding glass doors have been installed and the big pocket sliding door should go in next week. The roof is done, and the walls have been sheathed and waterproofed. When I list it all out like that it seems like a lot has happened. Most exciting though is the fact that the house and the spaces inside are starting to take shape. Let me give you a little tour.
Read MoreThe fact that east Austin is quickly changing is not news to anyone. People want to live here, lots of people. And for good reason too. I myself wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We have amazing restaurants and bars, amazing parks and public spaces, and adorable walkable neighborhoods. Unfortunately that demand for housing is slowly changing the face of east Austin. It's inevitable, and I get that, but it does my heart good to see remodels like 1313 Comal that stay true to the funky east Austin vibe while at the same time creating a beautiful eclectic modern space.
Read MoreThis week the lovely Andrea Calo shot professional photos of my latest listing. This house is pretty special, and it takes someone of her caliber to really do it justice. With that caveat I did want to share a couple shots I took while she was working her magic. The house has so much personality, both in the architectural elements and in the interior design I could go around shooting vignettes in there all day long.
Read MoreIt's that time of the year again, time for Tribeza's Interiors Tour. They've rounded up 7 great interior designers and are giving you a chance to see some of their latest work next Saturday the 23rd. The thing that strikes me the most about this years line up is the use of bold design across the board. Bold wallpaper has been on the comeback for awhile now, and this years interiors have no shortage of it. If you are the type that loves bold colors and pattern, you are sure to find some inspiration here.
Read MoreThe crazy thing about building a house is that some things happen really really slow, and others seem to happen really fast. We designed and schemed for over a year, waited for permits and bank approval for months, and in a matter of weeks our house has gone from a bare foundation to framing in the shape of our dreams. We can actually wander around the space and imagine what the rooms will feel like and what it will be like to live in this home we helped design. Mind. Blown.
Read MoreIf you read my last newsletter then you probably already know that I recently made a big announcement. After years of looking around at real estate firms in Austin, I finally found one I wanted to be a part of. As of Dec 1st I officially joined the team at Skout. So what made me want to join them? You did actually. For me real estate is all about being able to meet my clients needs best. With that in mind I wanted to be part of a company that truly understands the importance of design and has the experience and resources to be able to best help my clients buy and sell well designed spaces.
Read MoreGrowing up in Utah I did my fair share of climbing. Despite my love of the outdoors however, probably some of my favorite climbing has been bouldering in gyms. For those of you who don't know, bouldering is a form of climbing where you ditch all the ropes and harnesses and stick to short routes with pads underneath them in case you fall. As soon as I caught wind of a bouldering gym in East Austin, I was super stoked.
Read MoreThis weekend I'm spending a 4 day weekend in Chicago, and the windy city has got me thinking about the roots of modernism in America. I've been a fan of modern architecture ever since the day I discovered it. Over the years I have found that architecture, like any of the arts, is more meaningful and powerful when you know some of the context surrounding it. While you can trace modernism back to Bauhaus in Europe, where it really gets interesting to me is when the war forced all of that talent to flee Europe, much of it landing in the United States.
Read MoreIf there is one thing you can count on when it comes to building a house its that it is always going to take longer and cost more than you planned. When we demo'd our property over 2 months ago we expected to start construction quickly. Unfortunately I hadn't anticipated the construction loan process would take as long as it did.
Read MoreI love homes tours as much as the next guy, maybe even more. As a realtor I literally walk through hundreds of modern and MCM homes in Austin every year, and every time I do I'm looking and learning. The 10 homes picked for this years AIA Austin Home tour are the cream of the crop and I'm excited to dig into them and see what there is to be found. Here are the top 3 picks (in no particular order) that I'll be visiting this year, and why they caught my eye.
Read MoreWhether you are new to a city, or you've lived there your whole life, there is a deep satisfaction that comes with finding the right person to cut your hair. It's a hunt that can be at times daunting especially for guys like me who don't go around asking other dudes where they got their hair cut. Maybe that's why my hair has gotten so long over the last couple of years. Either that, or I'm just lazy.
Read MoreSomeone asked me the other day what I do for fun, and the first thing that came to mind was "eat". I love food. I follow news of restaurant openings and chef changes like most people follow Hollywood celebrities. With that in mind recently opened Burn Pizza + Bar has been on my radar for a while, and to be honest, I wasn't super excited for yet another Italian restaurant. Italian seems to be the hot new thing in Austin, and several new ones are slated for east Austin alone. On top of that, while I love pizza, I tend to be more of an East Side Pies kind of guy. Lucky for me Burn has more than a few pleasant surprises up their sleeve. Hint; it's way more than just pizza and a bar.
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