Prairie Mountain Renovation

The challenge was to convert a dark and dysfunctional 1950s ranch-style home into an inviting space suitable for entertaining and showcasing the couple’s Asian and culinary background. Staying within the overall budget of only $130 per foot required that the project was tightly managed. Interior walls were removed and ceiling heights were raised by 8 feet. Clerestory windows were added to the central core of the home, the kitchen, and adjacent passageways, flooding the spaces with natural light.

The double-sided stone fireplace adds warmth and natural mass. Garage doors were replaced with expansive glass units in the newly created sunken living room. Openings were created in living and master bedroom walls to take advantage of the Hill Country views. Reasonably priced aluminum windows and doors were detailed to resemble expensive steel counterparts giving a modern prairie style impression.

Antique decking and framing lumber were salvaged during the raising of the roof and repurposed as ceiling cladding. This not only saved money, but also adds striking accents against the subtle white walls.  Antique hand-carved screens were repurposed as the entry for the master suite. These materials provide warmth and texture to the contemporary feel of the renovated space.