Good Houses of the Week: Texas Part 2
Added 2018-07-12 16:55:16 +0000 UTCHowdy! I bet you need some eye-bleach after those monstrosities. (Especially the Castle from Hell!!!) Fortunately, I'm here to deliver.
This lovely 2008 Colonial Revival home is a lesson in stuffing a lot of house in a neat package. The double porches are classic Southern Vernacular, and their presence invites a balanced, symmetrical facade. One thing I like is that the garage (which is a little incongruous) is concealed, kept away from the street as to not distract from the main house. (This was the norm before attached garages.)
This 1998 Tudor Revival "Cottage" is notable for its craftsmanship. The architecture of house itself is relatively simple, harkening back to the Tudor-influenced Minimal Traditional houses of the inter-war period, exhibiting what is sometimes called "asymmetrical symmetry," where the house, although not symmetrical is evenly balanced. The house's use of materials is wonderful, especially the slate roof and masonry, which makes it look like a much older house.
The three-centered arches are a nice change of pace from the usual semi-circular or stilted arches found on houses of this type. For some reason the three-centered arch feels more "Texan" to me. The shutters may not shut, but contrary to McMansion Hell doctrine, this was relatively common on the type of houses this house aims to imitate, which were built with sturdier materials that had made the protection of shutters somewhat functionally unnecessary, banishing them to the realm of the merely decorative. The carport on the side of the house is a nice touch.
This 1994 Colonial Revival is a classic example of WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get): A simple, finely built house. Growing up in the South, I've always been a fan of these pseudo-Georgian houses, as they are very popular down there. What I like best about this house is actually the landscaping, especially those wonderful trees. The house's inside is the same, always popular traditionalist decor, but yours truly would much rather see such interiors in a house like this than one that ends up on McMansion Hell. A big house doesn't have to be ugly!
I'm a sucker for ranches, because I grew up in one. This cute little ranch is no exception. It's less common to see a ranch house with a detached garage, but this lot has the space for it. I personally like how they omitted the shutters, which I think makes the house look larger. The tin roof and cute, very Texas-style porch make this house fit right at home in any Western film. This house may look simple, but it's pretty plush. Check out the pool!
This neato (and very vintage) 1975 house demonstrates how the low-profile split-level house began to evolve into the mid-sized houses of today. The exterior of this house, which has two stories, is closer to that of today's one story houses than it is to its split-level predecessor. Houses like this are in a no-name zone, where anthropologists and architectural historians have not yet agreed on a term to describe houses with this irregular plan structure. Often they get relegated to the "mid-sized suburban home" bin. I love the cross-gable that throws back to the mid-century-modern days, and the tall windows and roofline that point towards the future. Overall, the composition of the house is simple and sweet, and the owners have done a nice job (albeit with contractor gray paint) modernizing the interior without gutting some of the 70s charm. Plus the price is a steal!
Anyways, that does it for this week's Good House of the Week! Stay tuned for Utah!
