A modern Bouldin Creek

home finds that budgetfriendly materials

plywood paneling,
laminate countertops
and cement floorscan
offer a rich aesthetic

A
LOT
TO
LOVE
BY JANE KELLOGG MURRAY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYANN FORD

90 Austin Home Fall 2016

AIA
HOMES
TOUR
2016

Austin Home Fall 2016

91

As a designer,
nothing is really
that unbuildable,
Webber told the
clients. Its just
kind of gonna be
funky.

For most adults, moving back in with ones

parents would signal a serious reversal of
fortune. But for Eric and Becky Shaheen, it
was a giftalbeit an unplanned onethat
allowed them the budget and time to build
their dream home and put down roots in the
urban neighborhood they love.
Austins real estate market is competitive, even more so when you factor in that
they were looking for a home within biking
distance of downtown. The Shaheens were
losing offer after offer, so they sold their
home near Circle C and moved in temporarily with Erics mom while they looked with
cash in their pockets. They thought it would
only take a month to find a home they loved.
And then one day in September 2012, on a leafy street in Bouldin
Creek, an empty lot quietly went on the market. The Shaheens had
heard it had been deemed unbuildabletwo enormous heritage oak
trees flanked the property on either side, creating a narrow opportunity
for new construction. The price was unbeatable though, so at their
request, architect David Webber came over to evaluate the lot. He
said the magic words they were hoping for: As a designer, nothing is
really that unbuildable. Its just kind of gonna be funky. Thus began
a nearly two-year journey of building their growing family a home.
Despite a tight budget, the Shaheens were able to quickly convince
Webber and interior designer Mark Cravotta to get on board with
the project; both are longtime clients of Erics Apple tech support
business, MacPlus.
They have this sort of charmed quality, Webber says about the
couple. That was the easy part. The challenge was designing a functional,
architecturally stunning home on a lot where an expansive critical root
system prevented them from turning toward any standard floor plans.
The Shaheens feared they would be shoehorned into a funky-shaped
house with no functionality, but within weeks of starting the design process, Webber came back to the couple with his plan: the home would be

92 Austin Home Fall 2016

split into two main sections, connected by a walkway between the two
aforementioned oaks. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows would allow the
narrow hall to feel wider, while also allowing the kitchen in the back section of the house to feel connected to the living room in the front section.
Its a very functional hall, Becky says, explaining Webber specifically designed it wide enough to fit a table for the rare times they
entertain. There is no wasted space. That was a big deal for uswe
came from a home that had a formal dining room that never got used,
because were not formal people.
Both Webber and Cravotta agree that the budget, which extended below
the lower range of where they usually work, was a creative challenge.
However, Cravotta counters, being friends of ours, we wanted to
design something that fit the budget yet didnt look compromised.
The solution was cost-effective materials: concrete floors, HardiePlank siding, laminate countertops and plywood wall treatments.
On paper it runs the risk of sounding like a construction site, but
a tour of the house showcases just how rich those affordable materials can feel when given the right creative spin. The HardiePlank was
applied vertically in an irregular pattern to make it more interesting.
We sometimes loosely refer to this house as the Barcode House,
Webber offers. Laminate kitchen counters are only a fraction of the
cost of more luxurious materials like Caesarstone, but Webber put
his designer spin on it by installing it with a 4-inch apron to make it
appear like an expensive countertop.
Little things like that make a huge difference, he says.

The vertical
application of the
HardiePlank on the
exterior (opposite)
has helped earn the
home a nickname: the
Barcode House. On
the interior, concrete
floors and plywood
walls give the home a
unique aesthetic.

Austin Home Fall 2016

93

The Divine Dozen

A nook in the living

room gives the
Shaheens a place for a
private moment.

Whether its the 1,080-square-foot remodel in North Loop or the

3,798-square-foot new home in Tarrytown, the 12 projects on this
years AIA Austin Homes Tour showcase great design
3

10

1
11
7

94 Austin Home Fall 2016

1. Tom Hurt
Architecture

2. Furman + Keil
Architects

3. Rauser Design

One of the original

stone cottages in a
lakeside pocket of
Tarrytown, this 1930
home has been renovated and added to
while still maintaining
its character. Steel and
glass boxes break
out of the cottage
to help connect it to
the outdoors, while a
sunken garage allows
for a rooftop deck with
views of Lake Austin.

Taking the form of

a contemporary
farmhouse, this
1,450-square-foot
home in Govalle is
an energy-efficient
and low-maintenance
dwelling that doesnt
sacrifice style. The
exposed framing
allows for a durable
structure, and interior
and exterior materials were picked for
their low-maintenance qualities.

7. Nick Deaver
Architect

8. Rick and Cindy

Black Architects

9. Faye and Walker

Architecture

A 1,100-square-foot
tower addition rises
up above a 1950s
ranch house in
Barton Hills to a spot
that offers a panoramic view of the
greenbelt. The slender tower addition
provides a series of
living, work and play
spaces that the original 2,450-squarefoot, three-bedroom
house lacked.

LEONID FURMANSKY (12)

The interiors were

about creating
comfort without
detracting from
the architecture,
Cravotta says.

Its not unusual to see wood paneling in Austin, but its certainly
unusual that a luxury homebuilder would look to plywood for wall
treatments. Becky and Eric werent convinced at first either, but finally
acquiesced when they learned of the potential high-grade plywood has
compared to the construction-quality plywood they had been envisioning.
The contractor actually got a more finished plywood than we even
thought was necessary, Webber says.
The paneling is now the Shaheens favorite feature of the home. The
natural wood grain adds a delicate design element to otherwise bare walls,
in addition to a wonderful acoustic effect in the homes main living areas.
It also feels like it could take a beating, Webber points out, which is
a nice bonus for the couple and their two young kids, 2-year-old Emily
and 5-year-old Drew.
Cravotta mixed high-end furnishings with a few affordable finds, but
all serve a purpose. Because he knew the couple wanted to place speakers in the living room, for example, he chose C.S. Post & Co. chairs that
allow sound to penetrate through them. A vintage kilim rug brought
warmth to the modern space and its concrete floors.
The interiors were about creating comfort without detracting from
the architecture, Cravotta says.
By the time the home was ready for move-in, the family had lived with
Erics mom for 10 months, in a short-term apartment for four months, and
finally in Beckys parents home during the last few months of construction. Webber jokes that it was the couples charming quality that won over
their parents for such a long period of time. Theyre just so dang nice.

The home on the cover of this issue, this

project seamlessly
blends a 900-squarefoot cottage from
1936 in Travis Heights
with a 900-squarefoot addition clad in
reused galvanized
metal. The addition
consists of a carport,
a wide entry gallery,
a glass dining terrace,
a private bath and a
screened porch.

At just 1,080 square

feet, this two-bedroom home in North
Loop is the smallest
on the tourand
maybe the funkiest
as well. The personal residence of the
Blacks, the house has
evolved over time as
the couple has added
to their family, bought
furniture and generally became more
like adults.

Compiled by Gene Menez

Nicknamed the
Elephant House
because the appearance of its corrugated
fiber cement panels
resembles that of an
elephants hide, this
3,320-square-foot
home in Montopolis
has a simple form.
The deck between the
house and the garage
acts as an open-air
plaza, where breezes
are ever-present.

12

4. Lake|Flato
Architects

5. Tornbjerg
Design

6. Mell Lawrence
Architects

10. Webber +
Studio, Architects

11. McKinney York

Architects

12. Baldridge
Architects

A must-see stop on
the tour, this
2,836-square-foot
home celebrates the
outdoors and is the
epitome of lakeside
living. The house
is broken up into a
compound of buildings
arranged in an L shape,
and along one side of
the main house, the
architects installed a
75-foot linear lap pool
for triathlon training.

The vertical siding pattern of the

exterior has earned
this 2,100-squarefoot home, on what
was thought to be
an unbuildable lot in
Bouldin, the nickname of the Barcode
House. On the
interior, plywood walls
give warmth to the
home and contrast
with its stained concrete floors.

A 1951 ranch-style
home in Highland Park
West was donated
and moved to Bertram
so that a family of
three could build a
2,700-square-foot,
four-bedroom house
that has LEED Platinum Certification and
features a landscape
that is designated by
the National Wildlife
Federation as an Urban Wildlife Habitat.

Built on a ridge
overlooking Lake
Austin and the Pennybacker Bridge, this
3,425-square-foot,
three-bedroom in
Highland Park West
is tucked neatly under
the limbs of beautiful
live oaks. On the inside,
the design provides
enough wall space for
the homeowners to
display 35 paintings
and numerous books.

Decor and furnishings

have been kept to a
minimum in this new
3,798-square-foot
home in Tarrytown,
allowing the architecture to shine. Most of
the walls double as
sliding doors, which
open and connect to
the outdoor spaces,
including a large
screened porch just
outside the master
bedroom.

Also known as the

Branch House, this
three-bedroom home
in Barton Hills features
multiple spaces that
offer dramatic vistas
of the Barton Creek
greenbelt below. A
first-floor sliding door
gives the homeowners
access to a pool with
generous outdoor
space while a secondfloor den features an
exterior deck.
Austin Home Fall 2016

95