This quarter-acre has been many things — limestone uplift, scrubland, ranchland, a small 1963 ranch house, and now this one. The Lueders stone at the entry is older than any human language ever spoken on top of it; the live oak in the courtyard is older than the State of Texas; the previous house here was older than either of us. What follows is what we know of the place — for our own reference, and the next family's.
All water on this land flows southeast — across the back slope, into the small creek behind the house, into Barton Creek, into Lady Bird Lake, into the Colorado, and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. The cistern holds the rain briefly and returns it to the irrigation lines and the toilets. The greywater system routes shower and laundry water out to the rain garden.
This page is meant to be passed down. If you are the next family to live in this house, hello. The live oak will be older when you arrive, but probably not by much. The limestone will look the same. The cistern asks for almost nothing, and gives back the irrigation budget every spring. The house was built to be in good shape well into the 22nd century, if you'll let it be. Treat the oak gently.
Bradley Tree Care surveyed the lot before clearing. The 24-inch live oak at the south corner was tagged, root zone marked at 24 ft, and a no-disturb perimeter laid out in survey tape. Cardinal & Co. designed the courtyard outline around it.
2×6 rough-sawn cedar boards formed the visible concrete plinth at the entry and pool surround. The texture is permanent — what you see is what came out of the forms. Hydronic loops were placed in the slab before the pour.
The reference set. Every interior wall photographed from both sides before insulation and drywall — tagged with stud locations, plumbing runs, electrical chases, structural points, and the cedar blocking placed for future art and sconces. Years from now, when you want to hang a heavy mirror in the primary bath, this is where you look first.
The vertical oak siding was installed with a 5/8" rainscreen gap, hand-fastened from a Frio Lumber Co. delivery. The chimney mass shou sugi ban panels were charred by hand by the carpenters on a Friday afternoon — the photos here are from that day.
Result: 0.71 ACH₅₀ — strong for a Texas climate where building so tightly is rare. The dehumidifier was specified specifically because the home is built this airtight.
The walkthrough was logged in 52 stops across both floors and the pavilion. Every system was demonstrated, every Lutron scene set, every shut-off valve toured. The closing gift was a basket from a Mason farm stand and a hand-drawn map of the property by Wickham Studio.
A variable refrigerant flow heat pump with six indoor heads — one per zone — that can simultaneously cool the south side of the house and warm the guest suite. It is sized larger than a typical 4,800-sf home would need, because Austin summers are unforgiving and the home's tight envelope demands precise modulation rather than oversized capacity. Cole Mechanical commissions and services it.