Story

Our Dallas, TX-based clients sought to build a lakeside vacation home capable of accommodating both family gatherings and corporate retreats. The decision to demo the property’s existing mid century home was difficult but unavoidable given their needs. They opted to rebuild with a larger but low-slung modern home that could blend almost seamlessly into the landscape, using a subdued palette and incorporating mid century elements honoring the original structure. They also wanted to convert a stand-alone garage into an accessory building with additional guest quarters.

A primary challenge for us as builder was to safely construct the new home at the low end of a sizable inland lake, on a property with difficult soil conditions and a high water table. We suspended the main house on fourteen helical piers and carefully calculated the height of its crawl space to keep the home above water while as aesthetically low to the ground as possible.

From there, we built a dwelling to ‘wow’ visiting family members and professional colleagues. Over sized windows and several glass doors - one, a 20-ft bi-folding glass door off the recreation room - line the back of the home, leading to several patios and an enclosed porch with a hammock, permitting stunning lake views and connecting guests with the outdoors.An open floor plan integrates social areas on the main level - kitchen, living and dining rooms along with outdoor living spaces. Sleeping quarters are peaceful sanctuaries, each isolated in its own wing of the home. On the main level, the master suite includes a bedroom, full bath and an office. The guest suite hosts another full bath, and off the bedroom, a beautiful stone porch with a custom outdoor fireplace. Upstairs, boys’ and girls’ bunk rooms are separated by a full bath and offer another lake-facing porch. Some of the home’s additional amenities include an outdoor shower, a built-in dog kennel, and a custom glass door from Mexico. The outbuilding features a bedroom, full bath, living room plus kitchenette, and a regulation bocce ball court.