South Texas Guest House

Not one of the site’s 420 live oak trees was removed to accommodate the complex of main house, pool and guesthouse. Buildings on the land were master planned to celebrate the site’s elevation changes from its natural low point, a drainage arroyo near the center, to the high points along the perimeter, where the buildings are located.

The guesthouse is a double-wide rectangular volume of re-claimed 19th century long leaf pine and recycled stone that is a modern interpretation of a traditional cabin. At 1,200 square feet, the little house is a creative use of space, with an open ground floor plan and sleeping lofts upstairs to maximize the square footage.

The northern façade, also the entry, faces the motor court and provides protection from winter winds by way of a massive battered stone wall that hunkers the building into the ground, which slopes away to the south. Clerestory windows provide privacy to the north while the interiors open generously to the south to take in the views and catch the prevailing summer breeze.