Ever wonder what a house costs in one of the small towns outside of Austin? Maybe you live in Austin and have gotten priced out because of the ever increasing home prices in town, or maybe you want to move to Austin but can’t quite afford to buy. No matter what the case is you are in luck, because there are several small towns less than an hour from Austin that are equal parts affordable and charming.
Read MoreAustin may be the capital of Texas, but it’s always been a bit of a little brother to its bigger, more sophisticated siblings Dallas and Houston. However as the eye and envy of the nation has turned to the city that likes to keep things weird Austin has decided it is time to grow up. That means a lot of things are changing for the good or the bad, but in my opinion the Hermes store opening on South Congress is a good cultural canary in the coal mine as to where things are going. With businesses and billionaires like Tesla adopting the city as their new home, a new Austin is getting ready to welcome them with open arms. Enter the Four Seasons Private Residences Austin.
Read MoreJohn Watson may be one of Austin’s least famous and most accomplished architects. The mere fact that he studied under Frank Lloyd Wright in the 50’s should have been enough to keep him forefront in the Austin architecture scene, but much like the style of houses he built he decided to do things his own way. I’ve featured some of his works from the late 70’s on my website before and they are some of the most amazing examples of organic architecture I’ve ever seen. Since sharing I’ve had numerous inquiries from folks that knew Mr. Watson but have lost touch with him over the years. I even had an opportunity to speak with him briefly on the phone once. He is a deeply private man, and has somehow managed to do one of the most elusive things in architecture; design lucrative projects in the exact unique style he wants to do, all while staying completely off the radar.
Read MoreThe concept of indoor-outdoor flow is foundational to residential modernism. Iconic architects such as Richard Neutra took advantage of the International style’s minimalism to create spaces that incorporate and emphasize their surroundings and contribute to the health of residents with natural ventilation, natural light, and the ability to enjoy large parts of home life in the fresh outdoor air. But what happens to that vision when, as is currently the case, the relative health of indoor and outdoor spaces is part of daily conversation, and the transition between them is qualified, negotiated, and usually far from seamless?
Read MoreLet’s say, for the sake of argument (and it would be a lively one), that residential-scale modernism first took hold of this country in California. Yes, there’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s midwestern reign, along with certain claims for the region that could be made by Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House in Illinois.
But to really capture the American imagination, modernism had to capitalize on the American dream—a dream that invariably lies to the west. As with many things, Southern California proved the best place to turn aspirational ideas about living and lifestyles (swimming pools, movie stars) into mass-produced realities (swimming pools, wet bars), offering home buyers a reasonable facsimile of stylish, easy living and preserving their au courant bona fides.
Read MorePerhaps one of the most ironic parts about our house is that the focus from the very beginning has been the inner courtyard, and yet somehow it has been the last thing to be finished.
Because of budget reasons the pool and all our landscaping for the back yard didn’t get completed with the house. That doesn’t mean that we weren’t planning ahead though. Our guest house is at the exact level as the main house, which meant until now it has been sitting awkwardly above grade. The pool that we added a year ago was also at the same level, meaning it too stuck above grade making it look like an above ground pool. There were also stub outs for gas and electric to go to the back yard.
Read MoreLet's just start this post off saying that I've wanted a pool since I was a little kid. My wife would probably argue that I am still a kid which is maybe why we have had a pool at every house we've lived while in Austin. You can see a few prime examples below. How much did they cost? Cheap. How long did they last? Not long enough. Did I love them? Abso-fucking-lutely.
Read MoreA house is never really done, and ours is still a long way from being finished, but we finally got to the point that we felt comfortable having photos taken of the space. Huge thanks to Andrea Calo for making a pretty good looking house look even better. Thanks also to Bercy Chen for the amazing house (architect and builder), Sasha our project manager, McCray & Co for the help with interior design, Westshop for help with landscaping, the Ankor boys and Clar for the custom couch, and all the other amazing people that helped out on the project.
Read MoreFor those that follow me on instagram, or are part of my A. D. Stenger facebook group you probably heard about and saw the latest Stenger home to hit the market. For the rest of you I wanted to share a couple quick photos I took of the house when I walked through it a few days ago. It's a real diamond in the rough with lots and lots of potential.
Read MoreAs good as these photos are, they just don't do justice to how good our newest listing at Skout really is. Alterstudio is one of my favorite architects in Austin and the level of detail on this project is next level. First off I'm a complete sucker for any house with a courtyard and the U shape of this layout does a perfect job of splitting the private and public spaces up and connecting the whole house to the outdoors.
Read MoreHopefully by now you have already heard of Starlight Village. It's a new development of 30 affordable mid century modern inspired homes that is being built in Austin. Err, well, not exactly in Austin. The development is really 30 min from down town (if the traffic gods are being kind) in Leander. They've been on my radar for a long time now so I decided to make the trek north to see just how things are coming along. Here's the good news and the bad.
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 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 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 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 MoreThere is just something about modern homes and swimming pools that go so well together. Finding a modern home in Austin for under $400k can be a challenge to say the least, but an architect designed home with a pool for $360,000, that's almost unheard of. But here it is:
Read MoreIf you know Agave, you already know that the neighborhood is a one of a kind. There is nowhere else in Austin where you can find an entire community of well designed modern homes at such a good price point.
I'm super excited to give a sneak peek of my newest listing coming soon in Agave. Among all those great houses there is only one with a pool, and it will be for sale early next week. It's a pretty great pool too. The kind you would want to throw a summertime soiree at or film a commercial. The rest of the house doesn't disappoint either. Designed by Earl Swisher of the Lawrence Group it has a fantastic layout with an open kitchen / living room area that makes it perfect for entertaining and has the added bonus of some breathtaking views.
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