Houzz Tour: Energy-Efficient Urban Retreat in the Woods

Photos by Whit Preston

House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their son
Location: Hills west of downtown Austin
Size: 3,500 square feet (325 square meters); four bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms
Designers: Cuppett Kilpatrick Architecture + Interior Design (architecture and interior design)
Builder: Arrowhead Construction

The multistory home is tucked into trees that include cedar, elm and live oak. One of the challenges in building at the site was to preserve the forested landscape, architect Tim Cuppett says. The goal: “Lose no trees. The house is woven into the site,” he says. All but one of the trees were preserved.

The home’s entry is up the stairs that lead to a glass “bridge,” which contains floor-to-ceiling windows in the dining room, seen at the right of this photo. A breezeway can be seen to the right of the stairs at ground level. “The open breezeway allows cool air from the valley to pass up and through the porch,” Cuppett says. The builders constructed the home with wood siding that will weather naturally, along with blond Texas brick, a palette that will allow the house to quietly recede into the woodlands as it ages, Cuppett says.

Find an architect near you

The exterior siding is Kebony, a Forest Stewardship Council-certified, sustainably sourced wood typically used for house cladding. The home’s main living area, seen through the windows here, is on the upper level.

Cuppett incorporated energy-efficient features into the home’s design. “Insulated wood windows and rigid foam insulation envelop the structure,” he says. “High-efficiency air conditioning and on-demand water heaters supply services.”

This photo of the back of the house shows the open breezeway that divides the home vertically and horizontally through the center. “This opening allows breeze and rainwater to travel ‘through’ the house,” Cuppett says. The layout includes seating areas on the upper level and pool terrace below.

The living area’s design and furnishings are modern yet comfortable, with opportunities to highlight the owners’ art. Buff firebrick surrounds the fireplace. The bricks were cut in narrow rectangles and laid in a straight stack pattern. “We had the mason cut the bricks to a size which achieves our aesthetic goal,” Cuppett says.

In this view of the living room, you can see the firebrick on the floor, part of the fireplace’s flush hearth, built level with the floor. Cuppett painted the ceiling and beams the same color as the porch ceilings outside, a dark gray neutral called Porpoise from Sherwin-Williams.

The flooring and cabinetry are white oak. The stairway to the downstairs is on the other side of the cabinetry on the left. The fireplace acts as a kind of island between the living room and kitchen, which can be accessed from either side of the fireplace. “The fireplace sits within a framed box which includes kitchen storage on the back side,” Cuppett says.

The dining room is located on a kind of bridge that connects the upper-level living areas, with floor-to-ceiling glass on both sides of the space. The stairs lead to the lower level, and the white oak cabinetry in the kitchen and fireplace can be seen beyond that. The white door is the home’s front entry.

Here’s another look at the dining room, with a view through the windows to the stairway outside that leads to the roof deck.

More handsome custom white oak cabinetry separates the living room from the stairway on the other side that leads to the lower level. Multi-slide glass doors open from the main living area to an outdoor deck.

Here’s the deck off the living area, with its treetop views. “The deck faces east, toward downtown, shielded from the hot western sun. The site is a gentle eastern slope,” Cuppett says.

Here’s the stairway to the rooftop deck, which is located behind the dining room “bridge.”

The primary bedroom has forest views through multiple windows and a glass door that leads to a deck.

The primary bath has a shower enclosed with translucent glass, next to a freestanding tub from Victoria + Albert that was custom-colored to match the surrounding tile. A mirror behind the bathing area makes the space appear larger and brighter. It’s a “simple layout along the glass wall so the bathroom is flooded with natural light,” Cuppett says.

The custom floating vanity is white oak, as is the floor, and it has a quartz countertop, integrated sinks and plenty of storage. The lower part of the windows have a sandblasted film, and roller shades provide additional privacy.

The child’s room has an en suite bath and woodsy views through large windows. A built-in counter runs under the windows for the option of a workspace.

Here’s the view from the rooftop deck toward downtown Austin. Cuppett designed the home to take advantage of the woodsy landscape and distant views. He used a standing-seam metal roof with deep eaves and oriented the house for efficient heating and cooling. “Building orientation and gracious roof overhangs provide passive cooling shade,” he says. “In the landscape we used native plants to minimize irrigation after establishment.”

The homeowners plan to install solar panels on the section of roof that slopes low to the south. The team designed the roof to slope down where it faces downtown and slope higher facing north, where there are tree canopy views.

A fire pit and a comfy chair make for a relaxing spot to take in some sun, trees and city views.

More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home