Houzz Tour: The Riverside Vacation Cabins That Friendship Built
Four small getaways are big on camaraderie and water-loving activities — see their rustic modern design
Mitchell Parker
February 27, 2013
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
Friends who build together, stay together. At least that’s what four couples, who have been best friends for decades, are hoping with their four personalized cabins on a joint piece of property in Llano, Texas, about an hour from Austin. The group of eight has raised their families alongside one another since college and have been going on vacation every year together. They pooled their resources to buy a special place where everyone can congregate annually, settling on a granite-strewn 10-acre lot near the always-flowing Llano River, where kayaking, canoeing, tubing, fishing and swimming are everyday activities.
At first they talked about building one big house for everyone to share on the property. But everyone’s personal needs didn’t get them far. Instead, with the creative help of architect Matt Garcia, they built individual 350-square-foot studio cabins suited to each family, all sharing a similar design ethos: low tech, low maintenance and high design. Here’s a tour of one of the cabins.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a vacation home for a husband and wife. (Three other families live in similar nearby cabins)
Location: Llano, Texas
Size: 350-square-foot studio
Budget: $40,000 per cabin
Photos by Alexander Stross
At first they talked about building one big house for everyone to share on the property. But everyone’s personal needs didn’t get them far. Instead, with the creative help of architect Matt Garcia, they built individual 350-square-foot studio cabins suited to each family, all sharing a similar design ethos: low tech, low maintenance and high design. Here’s a tour of one of the cabins.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a vacation home for a husband and wife. (Three other families live in similar nearby cabins)
Location: Llano, Texas
Size: 350-square-foot studio
Budget: $40,000 per cabin
Photos by Alexander Stross
The butterfly roof cantilevers 6 feet out, creating a front overhang. The corrugated metal exterior contrasts with a warm plywood design inside.
Four-by-8 sheets of plywood were used for all the cabin interiors to save cost and add character. “Nobody wanted slick white walls,” Garcia says. “We wanted to do a modern form with rustic details.” The grain also adds a textually graphic element and a vibrant gold color.
The homeowners who share this cabin both work at a landscape design firm — he's the designer; she's the office manager. Instead of closed cabinets, they wanted everything to be on display, with a few baskets to help organize. Many of the cabin owners are in the newspaper business, and another one is a writer, so desk space was important. Plus, all the friends are avid readers, so plenty of space for books was a must.
The homeowners who share this cabin both work at a landscape design firm — he's the designer; she's the office manager. Instead of closed cabinets, they wanted everything to be on display, with a few baskets to help organize. Many of the cabin owners are in the newspaper business, and another one is a writer, so desk space was important. Plus, all the friends are avid readers, so plenty of space for books was a must.
The modules are 30 feet deep, with large front windows that look out toward the Llano River, about 100 yards away. The interior design elements, such as the exposed rafters, were intentionally kept simple. “We wanted to keep the building honest and not cover anything up,” Garcia says. “We wanted it rustic and honest, to expose everything.”
The floors are poured concrete with a semigloss sealer. Garcia didn’t want something supershiny but did want it to reflect and bounce light, creating soft reflections of the vegetation outside.
Steel angled shelves bolted to the wall hold the couple’s books.
The floors are poured concrete with a semigloss sealer. Garcia didn’t want something supershiny but did want it to reflect and bounce light, creating soft reflections of the vegetation outside.
Steel angled shelves bolted to the wall hold the couple’s books.
Two sets of high windows are on either side of the cabin to bring in light but maintain privacy. None of the neighbors can see into one another’s cabin from their own.
The furniture is all pieces that the homeowners have had in storage for years. “The couples were excited to finally be able to use furniture they hadn’t used in a long time,” the architect says. Designer Jodi Jacobsen did all the interiors. She went with industrial light fixtures, including an old mason jar with an Edison bulb.
The furniture is all pieces that the homeowners have had in storage for years. “The couples were excited to finally be able to use furniture they hadn’t used in a long time,” the architect says. Designer Jodi Jacobsen did all the interiors. She went with industrial light fixtures, including an old mason jar with an Edison bulb.
There’s a mini fridge and a hot plate in a corner of the bath. The metal and glass sconces are the same ones featured on the exterior.
Each couple chose a different tile color for their cabin. Here gray is dominant, accented with a black stripe.
Jacobsen had originally found mirrors she liked for $750 each at Restoration Hardware, but Garcia had a steel fabricator friend bend flat bar to create this version; the cost was $200 for all four.
Each couple chose a different tile color for their cabin. Here gray is dominant, accented with a black stripe.
Jacobsen had originally found mirrors she liked for $750 each at Restoration Hardware, but Garcia had a steel fabricator friend bend flat bar to create this version; the cost was $200 for all four.
After moving in, the cabin owners found that they needed more storage in the kitchen for mugs and glasses. Garcia came up with this shelving unit made of plywood with threaded bars and nuts that mimics the style used on the cantilevered portion of the roof. “I wanted it to talk to that detail outside,” he says.
Learn how to make a similar industrial-style shelving unit
Learn how to make a similar industrial-style shelving unit
Rainwater collection tanks are attached to each cabin and help irrigate the surrounding vegetation area. Electricity, heating and air conditioning are also available in each unit.
Though the four couples’ cabins are close together, they’re still afforded lots of privacy. And despite a steep, rocky property, the landscape designer was able to find a flat spot that lets the units share the same elevation.
A group trip to the Llano River, shown here, is what spurred the idea for the friends to build vacation cabins together.
Tell us: Have you collaborated with friends on a vacation getaway?
Tell us: Have you collaborated with friends on a vacation getaway?
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Wow, very modern looking on the outside but woody and rustic for the interior. I have been looking at prefabricated homes online, and I must say, this addiction is quite recent. There are so many prefabricated log cabins that are so damn cute, you wouldn't mind giving up your 2,000 sq. ft home to move into these tiny dwellings. Being in the futon and room divider business, I heavily promote these types of practical space saving products for small spaces located in remote areas. The number one reason is because it is very difficult to deliver a complete full or queen convertible sofa bed to a remote area. With a futon, it can be quite easy to transport. The futon frame disassembles flat and the mattress folds to store easily. The beauty of the futon in a log cabin is that it goes great with natural rustic wooden environment. The futon frame will last quite a long time and the futon mattress will be more comfortable than any flimsy mattress in a conventional sofa bed. There are so many different types of futon mattresses to choose from. From foam, to organic to a combination of foam and cotton, even innerspring. Quality futon mattresses will last you a good ten years. You can always update the look with a new slip cover for just $50. Also many log cabins have small sleeping lofts. Futon mattresses are perfect for these lofts because they are low to the ground, allowing enough room not to hit your head and don't require a foundation. You can easily transport the mattress into the loft. This can be very difficult to transport an innerspring mattress.
UrbanFutonBeds.com