Originally designed in 1950 by prominent Austin architect Howard R. Barr, FAIA, this mid-century modern gem is located in the heart of Austin’s Highland Park neighborhood. When Clayton Korte clients bought it from Barr’s son in 2016, they hired the firm to design a complete renovation and addition. Photography by Molly Culver, Jake Holt, Chloe Gilstrap.

.

Clayton Korte took care to respect Barr’s original design by maintaining the brick, wood siding, and punched opening proportions at the front façade. The addition maintains the home’s original 10-foot-tall ceilings along with the thin roof profile, which accommodated a new HVAC system and a mechanical roof enclosure.

The addition enlarged what was originally a 2,176-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house to 3,696 square feet. The new plan includes a kitchen, living room, family room, generous primary bedroom, bathroom, and closet addition, and expands the secondary bedrooms to create ensuite guest restrooms. Meticulous trim work includes floor to ceiling white oak shiplap wrapping main interior spaces.

New floor-to-ceiling steel windows at the rear of the home frame Lake Austin, the greater Hill Country neighborhood, and include an unrivaled view of Austin’s iconic Pennybacker Bridge. The new footprint respects the critical root zones of the large heritage oak tree through a new cantilevered foundation.

Project Team:
Architecture: Clayton Korte
Interior Design: Clayton Korte
Art Curation: Clayton Korte
General Contractor: Burnish & Plumb
Landscape Design: David Ramert

Photography:
Molly Culver
Jake Holt
Chloe Gilstrap