Scout Island Residence

Project Details

Project Description

Builder's Choice and Custom Home Awards Finalist

The Scout Island Residence is a 4500 square foot new home in an established hillside neighborhood in Austin, Texas. In a subdivision replete with traditional homes, the sleek low lines and careful details of this home bring an assertive yet sensitive injection of modernity.

This home is oriented to take maximum advantage of the unexpected escarpment and astonishing views offered at the rear of the property. The design splits the house into two bars, (public and private), around an internal courtyard of emerald zoysia, and connects them with a glass passageway. The courtyard is the center of this home and creates a tranquil refuge for the family.

In contrast, the master bedroom, living and family rooms are brought to the end of each respective bar, cantilevered into the canopy of the trees, to directly engage the surprising view. A rainwater collection cistern sits nearby nestled beneath the master bedroom, holding gathered water for landscaping, laundry, and other needs. The house’s street presence is subtle yet confident, as a pair of ipe screens mediate between the brick façade and garden plantings. Tall grasses, followed by papyrus and cattail in the water garden along the front of the glass passageway allow glimpses through to the courtyard but provide privacy from the street.