Check out The House of 7 Gables!
Full Home Remodel, Home Addition
Architecture: Barron Custom Design
Interior/ Exterior Design: SLIC Design
Builder: Revent Builds
We transformed this 1700 sqft, single-story 70’s ranch-style home into a 3,800 sqft hill country modern masterpiece. The only parts that remained of the original house were the existing slab and the front and one sidewall of the home.
The original home had a two-car garage so we added on a third garage bay and expanded the whole side of the home from front to back. We added on a new private master suite with two walk-in closets and a spacious master bath. The whole second story is newly added with an office, two baths, two bedrooms, and a large second-story media room. On the exterior, we applied a mortar slurry to the original stone to clean up traditional hill country to a more modern aesthetic while keeping original limestone masonry that is so familiar to Austin and especially the Barton Hills Neighborhood.
To take advantage of the backyard greenbelt view, we added on a massive covered patio and outdoor kitchen with a second-story partially covered deck above. All covered patios have stained smooth cedar tongue and groove soffits which adds earthy notes to this green belt beauty. To further capture the view, two sets of 12ft wide by 8ft tall sliding glass door sets were installed at the covered patio and master suite. In keeping with the original 5/12 pitched roof over the original two-car garage, the home now has seven gables that follow its roofline. A black standing seam metal roof accentuates the dynamic roof. Trapezoid and triangular windows dress the second story which also follows the same 5/12 roof pitch.
Moving on to the inside of the home, the framing is completely new as designed by a structural engineer. We attached new framing members to existing walls to raise the ceiling to 10ft and to bring the whole home up to modern building codes. The first level floor plan was completely reimagined. The second floor boasts 15ft high ceilings in the office and front bedroom. We started fresh with completely new MEP systems. The home’s envelope was encapsulated with foam insulation, a new 325 amp electric service, two new efficiency HVAC units, a tankless water heater, all new sewer, water, and gas lines, and a complete low voltage pre-wire for sound, security, and smart home capability. Every single outlet, fixture, and switch was well thought with care and designed with the help of our architect and our MEP pros.
The finish out of the home starts with a complete level five smooth texture on all walls and ceilings. Solid-core flush doors with 1in by 2in trim. All walls, ceilings, doors, and trim were painted white to give a clean background to our walnut floors, and colorful cabinets and tile. There is a strong theme of various blue hues and walnut throughout the home including all the floors and stairs and unique features throughout. We wrapped the fireplace mantle and media room beam in the walnut flooring with mitered edges to provide continuity throughout. The custom front door is solid walnut with four glass panels. The stairwell is sequestered from the rest of the home with an architectural wood slat feature made of solid 2in by 2in walnut slats. The kitchen, first-floor hall bath, and master bath all have walnut cabinetry. The master and first-floor hall baths vanities are fully floating. All cabinetry is custom built and hand-painted. A mix of natural quartzite and manmade quartz countertops are installed throughout the home. All shower curbs, pony walls caps, and benches are stone with mitered edges.
Some unique upgrades in the home include a steam shower and wine room. The steam shower is 10ft tall, completely waterproofed, and tiled on all walls and the ceiling. The glass shower enclosure runs floor to ceiling as well with a tilting transom at the top to let steam out after use. To prevent cold water drops falling straight down from the ceiling, we sloped the ceiling 1/4in per ft toward the rear wall enabling the water to follow the slope and prevent it from dropping straight down. The steam unit is located in the attic and hard-piped with copper to the steam head with digital control on the wall to operate the system. A healthy wine room requires about 40-50% humidity so we first completely insulated the walls and ceiling with watertight close cell foam. The close cell foam also acts as a vapor barrier. We then skinned the walls in 1/2in CDX plywood topped with green board so that our racking system would have solid anchor points throughout. To ensure the wine room stays at the desired temperature, there is a ceiling-mounted refrigeration unit that is connected to a condenser outside the home. There is a digital control in the wall which has a bottle probe that is routed in the wall to a wine bottle filled with water to constantly measure temperature. The system can hold temperatures as low as 50 degrees. The wine room is encased in a commercial storefront glass enclosure rated for extreme weather conditions.
