Lake Austin Residence

Austin, Texas - 12,000 square feet Remodel/Addition

Located directly on Lake Austin with an existing boat slew and boat house, this rather indistinctive 6000 square foot house was purchased primarily for its site. The owner considered demolishing the original house due to its lack of architectural interest and starting from scratch but the architect lobbied for an extensive remodel and addition.

The existing 6000 square foot residence lacked architectural character, the existing pool was built without piers and was cracked, there existed septic system problems and finally there were building code issues with the City of Austin that required the services of a permit consultant. The owner wanted to roughly double the square footage of the project, but this decision was realized gradually over the course of design work.

When analyzing the possibilities of adding 6000 square feet to an existing 6000 square foot house, the architect can match the existing architecture, can contrast with the existing architecture and start anew, or he can try to be sympathetic to the existing yet still be creative in a Mannerist approach. The latter is the approach taken by the architect.

A 1,400 square foot detached pool pavilion was added to the lake side to give the owners an outdoor area to enjoy lake and pool activities. A new pool and patio area was added after the former pool was demolished. An extensive remodel and facelift was completed to complement the 6000 square foot contemporary addition. The addition contains a 1200 square foot exercise suite, contemplation and yoga loft, recreation/ audio/ video room and home office. A new entry court and entry gallery was utilized to redirect visitors after the removal of the original entry.