Cantilevered Second Floor: Treetops House Austin Texas by Specht Architects Modern Home Photo

Cantilevered Second Floor

A 1950s Texas limestone ranch is transformed into a gorgeous modern Austin home. It’s great to see home owners and architects who love authentic architecture so much that they are willing to undertake expensive and difficult remodel projects in order to preserve the spirit of a dated historical home.  The project changes from, “Can we build a great home on this lot?” to “How do we transform what’s here into something special?”  The latter is a much more difficult quest.

And these guys nailed it.

In this case it was a rambling 1955 built one-story limestone ranch in Austin, Texas. While most builders and modern architects would encourage the owner to just tear it down and start from scratch, they took the long hard road to remodel. And the results are pretty spectacular in my opinion.

Instead of expanding the foundation footprint of the structure, Specht Architects created cantilevered space when they added the second floor. This in-turn added some drama to the elevation of the home as well as some large overhangs to protect from the sun. The overhangs are clad in charred cypress to prevent glare and to make all the more kick-ass.

And they checked all the other boxes for luxury modern living.  Check out the few photos here and many many more on the Specht Architects website.

Dwell Magazine has a good write up on the Treetop house.

The Contemporist also has post on the Treetop house.

Living room with Shou-sugi-ban wall: Treetops House Austin Texas by Specht Architects Modern Home Photo

Living room with Shou-sugi-ban wall

 

Kitchen: Treetops House Austin Texas by Specht Architects Modern Home Photo

Kitchen

 

View lots more photos and additional information about the Treetops house on the Specht Architects website.