Houzz Tours
Architecture
Houzz Tour: A New Texas Farmhouse Pulls a Neat Trick
Fresh from the drawing board, this home for organic farmers in Austin looks remodeled and expanded over time
A brand-new farmhouse almost sounds like an oxymoron. Usually the structures are traditional and nostalgic, have been around for decades, and are only added on to or remodeled. That’s why architect and builder Eric Rauser’s new-build farmhouse on an organic farm in Austin, Texas, is so unusual. Rauser studied historic farmhouses in Central Texas and made it look like a really old house.
He accomplished the effect by creating add-ons that he imagined would have been done by generations of families over the decades. A living room punches out from the structure and mixes different materials to mimic an expansion job that would have come at a different time in the house’s life. “People say it’s a great remodel, which is a compliment because we wanted it to feel like it had always been there,” Rauser says.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Glen and Paula Foore, organic farmers
Location: Springdale Farm, Austin, Texas
Size: 1,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, 800-square-foot porch
He accomplished the effect by creating add-ons that he imagined would have been done by generations of families over the decades. A living room punches out from the structure and mixes different materials to mimic an expansion job that would have come at a different time in the house’s life. “People say it’s a great remodel, which is a compliment because we wanted it to feel like it had always been there,” Rauser says.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Glen and Paula Foore, organic farmers
Location: Springdale Farm, Austin, Texas
Size: 1,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, 800-square-foot porch
Instead of having an indoor dining room, which would have shrunk the kitchen, the homeowners put their dining room on the porch. Cedar planks make up the porch flooring. Rauser chose not to treat the wood, because he wanted it to be a living element that changes over time, displaying scratches and discoloration to give it an older, worn look.
The ceiling is actually superglossy pine flooring.
Chairs: Design Within Reach
The ceiling is actually superglossy pine flooring.
Chairs: Design Within Reach
In an uncommon twist, the front door of the house opens into the expansive kitchen. Rauser landed on this concept after researching dozens of historic farmhouses that embody this design, which lets farmers carry their vegetables directly to the kitchen to wash and cook them.
All the floors, handrails and stair treads are hundred-year-old reclaimed loblolly pine.
All the floors, handrails and stair treads are hundred-year-old reclaimed loblolly pine.
Cooking is a central activity in the house. The homeowners supply fresh organic produce to numerous local restaurants, and chefs are always stopping by with friends to pick produce and cook meals in the kitchen.
When the homeowners bought their farm, there was an old home from the 1940s at the front of the lot. They turned that into offices for their business, and recently a restaurant, but they saved the stove and had it retrofitted and updated. Rauser designed the modern steel hood.
To make the all-new structure feel older, Rauser cleverly devised punch-outs covered in metal siding to give the impression of a remodel.
The living room punches out and is clad in shiplap to mimic an add-on. The coffee table is an old Lineberry cart that the homeowners purchased off Craigslist.
Furniture: Spruce; art: Milbie Benge
Furniture: Spruce; art: Milbie Benge
To modernize the traditional look, Rauser added a galvanized metal roof, steel column beams on the porch and untreated steel plate skirting.
The downstairs master bedroom has a rustic vibe, with reclaimed wood floors and ceilings.
An Austinite made the master bathroom's reproduction square claw-foot tub.
Rauser found the metal bed frame in a neighbor's trash pile. He covered it in a clear sealer to capture the worn look.
The top-floor bedrooms have pitched ceilings and are bathed in rich pine.
Tell us: Do you live in a farmhouse, modern or traditional? We'd love to hear about it.
Tell us: Do you live in a farmhouse, modern or traditional? We'd love to hear about it.
While the exterior walls may look like wood, they're actually fiber cement panels. Rauser, who also built the house, chose this material because the paint job will last 10 times longer.
The 800-square-foot wraparound porch adds shade and a breezeway.