Hyde Park Renovation... Our new roof!

We wanted a metal roof, but didn't want a modern metal roof that didn't match the era of the home. and... voila - our new roof. Interlocking diamond shaped metal tiles. A perfect match with the 1930s architecture.

We have our brilliant builders Spaller + Glover to thank for the suggestion and sourcing.

Hyde Park Renovation... Framing it up

Feels good to see it start to look more like a house again. My brilliant builders Spaller + Glover created this cathredal-esque hallway leading to an iron and glass custom window at the end to allow for more natural light and (of course) a little more glamor.

Future kitchen. (remember, used to be the bathroom) That door leads out to a courtyard.

This is the main living area... with high high ceilings. It's a small house, but won't feel that way thanks to all of the high ceilings.

Hyde Park Home Renovations...part deux

This was scary... all of that wood outside? That is my HOUSE. The demolition has been "a little" more invasive than I had imagined. I remember the time I naively asked my builder if we could live in the house during the renovations. I don't know how she managed to control herself from laughing. Before - master bedroom & closet area...

and post demolition... before bathroom...

Post demo - no more bathroom and the site of my future kitchen! Check out the ceilings... sky high. The ceilings are higher than I expected, but I love them. before... living and dining. (that's my 5 year old... practicing her best moves in the wide open spaces of the empty house)

and post demo.... no more walls or ceilings. Glad we took pictures. !

Introducing Our New Hyde Park Renovation Project

Where did I leave off? For the past 3 months my husband and I have been working on acquiring this little house in Hyde Park, one of Austin's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Unfortunately, this particular real estate saga was high on drama and incredibly time consuming... not to mention my kids, my husband, my day-to-day real estate clients, and, oh right... the holidays...sigh. Needless to say, my blog was neglected.


I was out for a run one September morning in Hyde Park and I noticed that this little house - which I had jogged past MANY times... had a "For Sale" sign posted out front. This house, I should mention, has had a "For Sale By Owner" sign posted for probably over a year...but the sellers wanted an unreasonable amount of money given the property's compromised condition.

Turned out that the house was up for foreclosure and the sellers were now trying to do a short sale. My husband and I immediately wrote up an offer (for what we thought was market value) and submitted it. Apparently in the nick of time, saving the house from foreclosure. (Interesting to note - a bank cannot foreclose on a house if there is a written offer to purchase...no matter what the purchase price)

Now, 4 months later, and much drama... it's all ours. ! We have big plans for the house that we will renovate for ourselves to live in - hopefully for many years to come. The renovations will begin next month - pending city of Austin building permits. The house is actually located in a historical preservation district... which presents many fun hoops to jump through. Luckily, we have a great builder, Urban Nature, Inc. to help us through the process.

I am looking forward to telling the story of our renovation project this year as it progresses, along with keeping everyone informed of Austin things to do, to see, and of course... Austin real estate.

Happy 2011.