Austin Building Permits – Find Out If You Need One Thanks for visiting our Austin Building Permits Page. When you sell your home, the seller disclosure asks if you did any work without permits, when permits were required. In order to answer this question truthfully, we recommend being proactive about getting permits. Permits are obtained […]
Archives for 2016
Architects and Designers
Austin Design Services We put together this list of Austin design services to help our clients when they need architectural and design help. Some of these designers have helped us over the years. Other names on the list were contributed by our clients and friends. We will add more names if good referrals come to […]
Modern Farmhouse Framing
Modern Farmhouse Framing – Raising the Walls Thanks for joining us on our modern farmhouse framing post. This is a DIY home building project that we have in progress. Jim drew the plans and we all contribute to the design choices. The house is located in the Austin Lake Estates neighborhood in Austin. We enjoy visiting with […]
Stone Styles for Modern Homes
New Stone Styles for Modern Homes in Austin Limestone is what we are made of here in Austin! It is indigenous to our area, and plentiful. Limestone has been used for decades on all types of houses. Today we see traditional limestone updated to compliment the simple lines of contemporary homes. Here’s a look at […]
Mid Century Modern – Exterior Before & After
Mid Century Modern Exterior – Before & After Ok, here it is. We’ll admit. It was hideous. This home was originally a little red brick one-story built in 1958. But some really bad remodels had happened over the years. Now, in 1991, it was an abandoned foreclosure. And, we needed a house for our family […]
Cardinal Lane Condos
Cardinal Lane Condos – South Austin The Cardinal Condos, at 707 Cardinal Lane, is in the heart of the very popular and active south Austin zip code – 78704. Built in 2008 – 2013, this community offers 30 lofts and town home units nestled on 3 acres of land covered with native trees and a […]
The Denizen Condos – South Austin
The Denizen Condos – South Austin The Denizen Condos, at 2800 S. 5th at Cumberland Drive, is in the heart of very popular and active south Austin zip code – 78704. Completed in 2013, this community offers 105 flats, and 14 two-story townhome style condos. Call Matthew Hejl on the Hejl Team at Coldwell Banker […]
7 Things to Know About Lost Creek Neighborhood
7 Things to Know About Lost Creek Neighborhood Lost Creek is the iconic Westlake neighborhood. It is widely recognized and well established. When people refer to the Westlake area they often single out Lost Creek as the representative neighborhood. We have lived in the Westlake area for many years, and would like to share with […]
Modern Farmhouse Board and Batten
Modern Austin Modern Farmhouse Board and Batten Siding Thanks for joining our Modern Farmhouse Board and Batten post! Here is a message from Jim, our DIY designer and builder: “One of the themes of modern architecture has been the elegant use of commonplace, utilitarian materials. In the early 70s my mother, who taught design at UT, built […]
Austin Moving Companies – List for Our Clients
Austin Moving Companies Thank you for visiting our list of Austin Moving Companies. We compiled this as a quick reference for our clients. Of course, we have not used all these companies personally, but have heard positive reviews about them from clients or friends. Here’s a tip for working with a mover: Always give them […]
Board Formed Concrete – Modern Farmhouse
Board Formed Concrete – Modern Farmhouse The foundation on the front and right sides of this house is going to be about 5 to 6′ tall. This is more exposed concrete than we would prefer. The tall concrete walls result from having a side slope on the lot. We do not like small interior level […]
Modern Farmhouse Foundation Pouring
Modern Farmhouse Foundation Pouring Thanks for visiting our Modern farmhouse foundation pouring. Foundation pours are always exciting, but we did not expect a near disaster! All started out great – the day was cool and sunny with a beautiful sunrise. Jim and Matt were on hand at 6:00 am with coffee and breakfast tacos. […]
Copper vs PEX Water Pipes
Copper vs PEX Water Pipes It was time for installation of both the sewer and water lines in the slab. John Podolak, our plumber, laid the sewer lines (4″ PVC pipe) into the foundation before the pour is done. On the water lines we had to make some choices. The big choice was copper vs […]
Building Permits – What’s Required in Travis County
Building Permits in Travis County Getting the straight story on building permits in Travis County is not easy. When we do a project, we want to everything by the book, but where is the book? There is no central place to get a complete list of what permits you need. The checklist on Travis County’s […]
Barton Creek West Neighborhood- Westlake Area – Eanes ISD
Barton Creek West Neighborhood – Westlake Area Barton Creek West has always been one of our favorite neighborhoods to show in the Westlake area. There is something wonderful about turning into the neighborhood and enjoying expanses of hill country all around, and Austin’s big sky overhead. Since the day this neighborhood opened in mid 1980, […]
Senna Hills Neighborhood – Westlake Area – Eanes ISD
Senna Hills Neighborhood – Westlake Area We have shown and listed homes in the Westlake area for many years, and Senna Hills has always been one of our favorites. We never miss an opportunity to show this elegant neighborhood in the Eanes ISD. Neighborhood Located in the highly desirable Westlake area of Austin, Senna Hills […]
Modern Farmhouse – Squaring up the Foundation
Modern Farmhouse – Squaring Up the Foundation Thanks for joining our Modern Farmhouse Squaring up the Foundation post! After the lot is cleared it is time to lay out the foundation. This is a critical time in the construction, and mistakes at this point can become serious problems later. This lot has a side slope, […]
Modern Farmhouse Lot Clearing
Modern Farmhouse Lot Clearing Thanks for joining us on our modern farmhouse lot clearing post! We have always built or remodeled as a side hobby. Jim draws the plans, and does the contracting. He’s a very good designer and builder. So that’s the reason we do it. He gets to play his instrument, if you […]
Austin Market Update – 1st Quarter 2016
Austin Market Update 1st Quarter 2016 Welcome to our Austin market update 1st quarter 2016. We track the real estate market and watch for trends that are taking place. By watching for trends, we can see the market direction beginning to change before it is well known, and share that information with our clients and […]
Austin Homestead Exemption
Austin Homestead Exemption A homestead exemption is a must-have if you own a home in Texas! It’s not difficult to get the exemption. Just mail in the application one time, and the exemption will be yours as long as you own the house. The homestead exemption will lower your tax bill. We hope our Austin […]
Mortgage Loans Austin
Mortgage Loans Austin A mortgage lender is often critical to the process of closing on a home. Our clients often ask us for names of mortgage lenders to help them finance their purchase. Here is a short list of local Austin lenders who have helped us, and our clients, with loans. Thanks for visiting our […]
Westlake Preschools – Eanes ISD
Westlake Preschools – Eanes ISD Butterfly Christian Pre-School 3525 Bee Cave Rd (512) 327-6035 Children’s Center of Austin 8100 Bee Cave Rd. 512-329-6633 Childs Day 2525 Wallingwood Dr (512) 327-3274 Eanes Child Development Center 3301 Pinnacle Rd (512) 732-3232 Elsass Academy-Westlake 4015 Bee Cave Rd (512) 327-0888 Lake Hills Montossori 600 N. Cuernavaca 512-263-9342 Noah’s […]
Quartz Countertops Austin
Quartz Countertops Austin Thanks for visiting our quartz countertops Austin page! Quartz countertops are very much the trend in Austin today. Homes today have moved toward a cleaner, more modern look. Modern style homes are very popular in new homes as well as remodels. The countertop is a very visual feature in the home, and […]
Austin Property Zoning – Find Your Zoning
Austin Property Zoning – Find Out Your Zoning Hello! Thanks for visiting our Austin Property Zoning Page. We put this up for our clients who would like to check their zoning. Zoning affects what you can do on the property you are buying. If you have serious questions, it is important to follow up with […]
Home Inspector Austin Tx
Home Inspector Austin TX Thank you for visiting our home inspector Austin Tx page! We have a list of services for you to interview for your home inspections. Our company policy does not allow us to select an inspector for you, but we can provide a list. You will find general inspectors, pool inspectors, mold inspectors, […]
Our Contractor List – Austin Contractors & Vendors
Austin Contractor Services & Vendors We have put together this list of Austin contractor services and vendors to support our clients in maintaining and updating their homes. Some of these contractors have helped us over the years on our DIY projects. Other names on the list were contributed by our clients and friends. (We don’t […]
Austin by Air: An Aerial Documentary (video)
Welcome to Austin Texas!
Austin Craftsman Style – Design Build
Austin Craftsman Style – Design Build Thanks for visiting our Austin Craftsman Style home on Lake Austin! Here are some finished photos for this house. We felt that a Craftsman style home with a deep porch would be a pleasing design for a house on this lot. The floor plan takes advantage of the view, […]
Craftsman Style Interior
Austin Craftsman Style Interior Thanks for visiting our Austin Craftsman Style Interior post! A craftsman style home with a wide front porch was our choice for the design of this DIY project. This is in the Lake Hills neighborhood of Eanes ISD, near the Lake Hills Community Park. We built a very modern, open interior […]
Concrete Staining Austin
Concrete Staining Austin Thanks for visiting our concrete staining Austin post. Would concrete floors be appropriate for a Craftsman style house? We think so. Craftsman is a bungalow style that is cozy and unpretentious. The style embraces simplicity and the use of natural materials. This is based on a Craftsman style, but adapts to what people […]
Austin Craftsman House Framing
Austin Craftsman House Framing Thanks for visiting our Austin Craftsman house framing page! This is one of a series of posts on the DIY design and construction of a craftsman cottage. The size and floor plan of the house grew out of these conditions: Lot terrain with some up slope in the back; the septic […]
Austin Craftsman Foundation
Austin Craftsman Foundation Thanks for visiting our Austin Craftsman foundation post! We had been looking for a small home to remodel, and had not been able to find a good fit. Mostly, the houses were already redone with choices that we did not like. We decided that the best thing would be to build from […]
Austin Ranch Home Remodel – Before and After
Austin Ranch Home Remodel – Before and After Thank you for visiting our Austin ranch home remodel. Our goal with this traditional ranch home was to bring it closer to the mid century modern style. This home already had some elements of the mid-century modern. There was a single living area open to the kitchen. […]
Austin Polished Concrete Floor
Austin Polished Concrete Floor Thanks for visiting our Austin polished concrete floor post. We have done polished concrete floors in the past, and have been very pleased with the wax finish. It has lasted over 10 years in one of our projects. In this case, we wanted to use concrete floors in a remodeled house. […]
Stained Concrete Austin
Stained Concrete Austin Thanks for visiting our stained concrete Austin post! In this house remodel project, we wanted to let the underlying concrete be the finished floor. It took some true grit to deal with the mud, the dust, and the backbreaking labor of this job. If you’re in the middle of a diy project, reach out […]
Load Bearing Wall Removal Austin
Load Bearing Wall Removal Austin Thanks for visiting our load bearing wall removal Austin post! Removing load bearing walls is a difficult part of any remodel. However, the lack of connection between the living room and back yard made this necessary. As you can see, the living room window looked out to a desolate and isolated outdoor […]
Ranch House Remodel Austin
Ranch House Remodel Austin At some point in the past, a poorly considered addition was built on the back of this home. This addition sat on the outdoor space where the original patio had been. It was called the sun room. Perhaps it should have been called the sun block room, since it blocked light […]
Sunken Living Room Austin
Sunken Living Room Austin When this home was built, floor plans were more open than they had been in the decade before. Instead of walls, changes in floor levels and ceiling heights were used to show the separation between spaces. Sunken living rooms were popular. As you can see, there is a step down […]
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Austin Tx
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Austin Tx Thanks for joining us on our popcorn ceiling removal Austin Tx post! We are just diy’ers, and only occasionally do a remodel project. But, we love to share ideas with our clients as they plan their house remodels. If you need somebody, and not just anybody, to help you […]
Remodeling a Ranch Style Home
Remodeling a Ranch Style Home This house was a well-loved traditional ranch style home. The bones were pretty good. But, there would have to do some surgery done to have a more open plan, with better access to outdoors. And, we wanted simplicity, white colors, hard floors, and a great kitchen. Not too much to […]
Traditional Ranch Redo Austin
Traditional Ranch Redo Austin This traditional ranch home in was done is the more “modern” style of the 1970’s. There was no formal living-dining room on your left or right as your entered the house. This house had a large single living area open to the kitchen. It was a precursor to the open plan […]
Ranch House Remodel Ideas
Ranch House Remodel Ideas This home came up for sale the Northwest Hills area – a part of Austin that we love. At the time, we were not looking for a project, and this home needed more work than made sense. See our First Look post. We ended up buying the house, tearing it down, […]
Modern Ranch House Austin
Modern Ranch House Austin Thank for visiting our modern ranch house Austin page! This property was for sale in a neighborhood we love – Northwest Hills. At the time, we were not looking for a project. But, after some thought, we ended up buying the place and re-building the house. Here are some interior design […]
Ranch Style House Austin
Ranch Style House Austin Thanks for visiting our ranch style house Austin project. We had noticed this house for sale the Northwest Hills area – a part of Austin that we really like. For more photos of the original house see our fist visit post. We fell in love with the corner lot and tall oaks, […]
Ranch House Plans Austin
Ranch House Plans Austin Thanks for visiting our ranch house plans Austin post! This is about a house in the Northwest Hills area – a beautiful part of central Austin. We fell in love with the corner lot and tall oaks, but the unfortunately we could not make use of the house. The house had to […]
Design Build Austin
Design Build Austin – Northwest Hills Project Thanks for joining us on our design build Austin post! This is the beginning of our story of a tear-down and rebuild project in Northwest Hills. An email had come in about a house for sale in the Northwest Hills Austin area – a central Austin neighborhood that we love. […]
Real Estate Negotiation Austin Style – How to Build Trust
Real Estate Negotiation Austin Style – Build Trust Most people (but not all!) know how valuable it is to have a feeling of trust in a negotiation. When trust is high, anxiety is lower on both sides. Communication is easier. And, the buyer and seller tend to offer more than they would in an atmosphere […]
Top High Schools Austin Tx
Top High Schools Austin Tx Three Austin high schools made Newsweek’s current list of the 500 best public high schools in the nation. The top high schools Austin Tx, per Newsweek’s ranking, are listed below. Beside each school is its ranking on Newsweek List of 500 best high schools. We have included school rankings for […]
Austin Condo Questions – Ask Before You Buy
Austin Condo Questions Understand the Basics of Condos There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about condos. People usually think of condos as units in a multiple story building. They have a hard time believing that a home on an acre lot can be a condo. You can’t tell by looking if a property […]
Preparing A Home For Sale – Before & After
Preparing a Home for Sale People are usually very comfortable with the decor in their own home. They have good memories of choosing the paint colors and curtains years ago. Why go for a more neutral look? Wouldn’t this be sort of sterile? And, why not let buyers make their own changes if they want […]
