Story:

The name might be an accident, but there’s nothing accidental about this hill country inspiration designed by an architect for their small yet diverse family who thoroughly enjoy time together, but also desire private refuge. The hill country home blended steel + glass, with country kitchen and castle vernacular to produce a chance discovery named WishingRock.

Location:

Boerne, Texas (Designed 2006; Built 2007)

Idea:

land, natural light and syncopated rhthym

Personalized new home!

Stats:

2,376 SF; 3BR, 2-1/2 BA, 300 SF patios, 2-car garage, 1-story

Client’s Style:

modern agrarian

Services:

The Sketch, The Details, The Docs, The Advisor, The Agent

Lifestyle Features:

• convertible guest room, family den, student’s room
• home office with meditative view
• one-cook command kitchen to provide entertainment oversight, but deflect kitchen loiters
• Texas Great Room for gathering around the symbolic fire pit
• multi-use hobby space simultanousely accomodates crafts/games/reading/laundry/computer room
• modern dog run-style entry hall/mudroom to greet visitors and store frequently-used articles
• wide-open entertainment spaces, intimate sleeping spaces, secluded bathing spaces

Environment Solutions:

• SIPs panels for super-insulated building envelope to improve comfort and conserve energy
• Two-stage HVAC unit designed to dehumidify first and cool when needed for controlled comfort and energy conservation
• decomposed granite driveway that follows natural trails to allow water infiltration and minimize site disturbance
• designed with family evolution in mind. Den converts to guest room and future student’s room
• home alignment and casement windows to capture seasonal breezes
• extended 3′ overhangs to reduce solar gain
• detached garage to separate living from utility spaces and maintain indoor air quality
• long-lasting fiber cement and natural stone siding for easy maintenance and long life
• sustainable tile floors throughout to reduce allergens, be easy to clean and last indefinitely
• Oriented low-slope, low-glare roof for future solar retrofit
• Septic and gray water irrigation
• natural fire pit for outdoor entertainment
• sited home in level area between trees to minimize site disturbance and maximize visual privacy

Community Influence:

• emulated hill country aesthetic in neighoring town to blend with locals
• diminutive roof line to crouch below the tree canopy and allow neighboring lots to view landscape and sky
• borrowed prominent subdivision elements (diamond pattern and battens) in facade vocabulary (windows, siding)
• used natural vegetation and detached garage to screen pet areas and infrastructure to maintain vistas to and from the site
• color palette is the green siding to match the trees and ochre accents reflected in the natural nicotine blend stone on site and used in community buildings

Images: