Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Under a Metal Canopy in Texas
New technology, reclaimed materials and an enormous protective roof combine in this Hawkins home for irresistible modern rustic charm
Builder Erin Wright's home did not resemble any of the others on her builder's association's Parade of Homes Tour. The home sits under a 60-foot by 80-foot metal roof canopy that more than doubles the amount of living space. Windows, doors and a garage door open the interior to an outdoor bar, a kitchen, a billiards table, a fire pit and poolside lounging. The home integrates many unique details, from egg basket light fixtures to a master bathroom perched atop a teak deck.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 2 dogs
Location: A lakeside community in Hawkins, Texas
Size: About 2,157 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
That's interesting: Reclaimed materials in this home came from a barn, historic buildings, a hacienda in Mexico, a railroad car, pallets and vintage soda crates.
Year built: 2012
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 2 dogs
Location: A lakeside community in Hawkins, Texas
Size: About 2,157 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
That's interesting: Reclaimed materials in this home came from a barn, historic buildings, a hacienda in Mexico, a railroad car, pallets and vintage soda crates.
Year built: 2012
The stone pedestal in the previous photo is a high-top table with a fire pit in the center for warming things up in winter; the large fan from Big Ass Fans cools things down in summer.
Hydraulic activators make the bar's pass-through window easy to flip open and closed. "The house opens up to the outdoors in many ways, but when it's buggy or too hot, it's easy for me to close off parts of the house to keep them cool," says Wright.
This wall is made of Cor-Ten steel; Wright sprayed it with salt water to speed the rusting process.
Hydraulic activators make the bar's pass-through window easy to flip open and closed. "The house opens up to the outdoors in many ways, but when it's buggy or too hot, it's easy for me to close off parts of the house to keep them cool," says Wright.
This wall is made of Cor-Ten steel; Wright sprayed it with salt water to speed the rusting process.
Metal surfaces continue into the kitchen. This bar top and the sinks are copper; the rusty ceiling is reclaimed barn tin.
A window between the upper cabinets and the counter lets in more natural light. The window on the right is the pass-through to the outdoor bar.
A window between the upper cabinets and the counter lets in more natural light. The window on the right is the pass-through to the outdoor bar.
Wright fashioned the pendant lights from old egg baskets. The alder wood cabinets and shelves are custom, and the countertops are concrete. Stained concrete floors continue from indoors to out.
The top of the wood island used to be the floor of a railroad car. Some drawers by the microwave drawer were fashioned from vintage wood soda crates. Wright hand-selected crates with the names of local towns on them.
The top of the wood island used to be the floor of a railroad car. Some drawers by the microwave drawer were fashioned from vintage wood soda crates. Wright hand-selected crates with the names of local towns on them.
Wright built the barrel-vault ceiling in the great room from wood reclaimed from a historic building. Look to the left; the garage door that opens to the pool table patio disappears above the ceiling's wooden planks.
The wood-burning Oklahoma stone fireplace can heat up to 3,000 square feet. "Out here in the country, we lose our electricity a lot," Wright says.
The mesquite mantel is an old header from a hacienda. The cowhide-covered window seats hold the electronics for the outdoor speakers. Wright's boyfriend is an audiophile; serious subwoofers are involved.
The wood-burning Oklahoma stone fireplace can heat up to 3,000 square feet. "Out here in the country, we lose our electricity a lot," Wright says.
The mesquite mantel is an old header from a hacienda. The cowhide-covered window seats hold the electronics for the outdoor speakers. Wright's boyfriend is an audiophile; serious subwoofers are involved.
This is Barley, Wright's dog. (Look back through the other pictures and see why the name Barley sounds familiar.)
"Canton Trades Days is about an hour from me, and I get a lot of items there for my houses," she says."The doors are from Mexico; I get them from a man at Canton Trades Days. He also made the pantry doors and shipped them to me from Mexico." She bought the mantel and the guest bathroom vanity from him, too.
"Canton Trades Days is about an hour from me, and I get a lot of items there for my houses," she says."The doors are from Mexico; I get them from a man at Canton Trades Days. He also made the pantry doors and shipped them to me from Mexico." She bought the mantel and the guest bathroom vanity from him, too.
This bathroom, which serves two bedrooms, is full of reclaimed items. "The tile in the shower is a ceramic, digitally imprinted to look like barn wood. The sink is a wooden bowl that I bought for $30, and the brick is from a house demo we did in Hawkins at a hunting and fishing club that was built in the 1900s," says Wright. It is a rare brick called Whiteselle Cherry Reds Corsicana Brick. "The brick in the guest bath, on the mantel, and the reclaimed wood in the ceiling of the great room are all over 100 years old," she adds.
She found the arrow at Canton Day Trades.
She found the arrow at Canton Day Trades.
Wright fashioned almost all the interior doors from wood pallets. Some of the doors slide on barn door tracks, while others are on hinges.
In the master bath, the counter is black walnut and the sinks are stainless steel. "I used corner sinks to leave room in the middle for my hair dryer," Wright says. "In my last house I was always leaving it in one of the sinks, which is not a good idea."
Compartments in the top drawer keep her jewelry organized. She fashioned the light fixture from an old wooden yoke and Edison bulbs. The window above the mirror makes the most of the natural light.
Sinks: Signature Hardware
Compartments in the top drawer keep her jewelry organized. She fashioned the light fixture from an old wooden yoke and Edison bulbs. The window above the mirror makes the most of the natural light.
Sinks: Signature Hardware
The round cedar bathtub is from Snorkel Hot Tubs. Wright made the faucet from an old-fashioned water pump. The tub is 3 feet deep; the teak deck hides the bottom half. In the shower, water goes through the deck and drains below.
The bottle wall was quite a labor of love: Bottles were cut in half and then secured to another half bottle with duct tape, or the long neck of a beer bottle was stuffed into a mason jar and then the two were joined with duct tape. This way, both sides of the wall have a bottle bottom sticking out, and light can travel through. Unseen beer can spacers cut down on the amount of mortar required.
Shower tile: Cepac Rapture; showerhead: Signature Hardware
The bottle wall was quite a labor of love: Bottles were cut in half and then secured to another half bottle with duct tape, or the long neck of a beer bottle was stuffed into a mason jar and then the two were joined with duct tape. This way, both sides of the wall have a bottle bottom sticking out, and light can travel through. Unseen beer can spacers cut down on the amount of mortar required.
Shower tile: Cepac Rapture; showerhead: Signature Hardware
To the left is the other side of the bottle wall, and to the right is an outdoor kitchen, complete with a vintage Coca-Cola machine that Wright keeps fully stocked. Gooseneck barn lights add to the modern rustic style. She can pull her car right up into this covered area.
The metal to the right leads to an outdoor bathroom, and the door on the far right leads to an office that is separate from the rest of the interior spaces.
The metal to the right leads to an outdoor bathroom, and the door on the far right leads to an office that is separate from the rest of the interior spaces.
The pool table survives outdoors just fine: The top is an outdoor felt, there's a cover, and the legs rest on rubber spacers.
Wright used creosote lumber outdoors because it holds its color and stands up to the elements. Why did she choose red for the window and door trim? "Because it looks so good!" she says.
Wright used creosote lumber outdoors because it holds its color and stands up to the elements. Why did she choose red for the window and door trim? "Because it looks so good!" she says.
"As a builder, I see how much we waste with high-pitched roofs with attics underneath," says Wright. "This way there is a cross flow of air between the roofs over the rooms and the large roof canopy."
Windows, doors: Pella, Real Red