After agents captured an old 1940s house in East Dallas and its neighboring bunch during a marijuana raid, the land landed on a national auction. The site was ideal for a local avid gardener (a more legal one), that snatched both the house and the next-door whole lot for approximately $120,000 ($60,000 for each parcel).
Wanting to maximize the yard area, the owner tapped TKTR Architects to create a small, budget-friendly house that felt connected to the leafy whole lot — then rented out the old house near it. Main designer Thad Reeves, now of A Gruppo Architects, created a design that successfully anchors the house to the eclectic, bohemian area and determines the website as exceptional — and for much better reasons than its shady past.
in a Glance
Who resides: An avid gardener
Location: Little Forest Hills area of Dallas
Size: 1,450 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 21/2 bathrooms
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
Reeves worked with the client to come up with the idea of a garden pavilion house with lots of glass and sliding doors. The small footprint, about 1,450 square feet, meant there wasn’t too much design freedom for him to perform with the design; he was made to make a stubby structure. However, Reeves smartly extended the shape with overhangs along with a large pavilion-style cedar roof which extends for colour and also makes the structure feel bigger.
Triangular windows help highlight the idea of a floating roof and allow light into the second-floor bedrooms.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
Reeves estimates that the entire cost for the project was approximately $100 per square foot. The original owner has since moved, but the new homeowner, also an avid gardener, snatched up the house after considering building a small glass box of his own. Reeves’ design was just what he wanted.
The present homeowner uses different bins to make a vegetable garden where he develops leafy greens (although nothing smokable), tomatoes and peppers. He’s also a beekeeper. His yellowish bee box is near the metallic fence.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
A metallic walkway leads to front garden. The aluminum subway grate in addition lets light through so plants could grow underneath. Overhangs help divide the massiveness of the structure.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
The interior materials are fairly subdued — Reeves used brown Masonite panels and doors to keep things cheap and easy — therefore the architect thought the floor deserved some texture. It’s concrete polished with a grinding wheel to expose the aggregate.
Dining table: custom by Sean Springer; chairs: Crate & Barrel
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
Reeves left the trusses from the second floor vulnerable to save money but also to bring a raw feel to the house. “Usually people insure that with Sheetrock,” he states. “However, I wanted the juxtaposition of glistening and unfinished.”
Sofa: Crate & Barrel; rug: Design Within Reach
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
Reeves calls the area the lightbox. Polycarbonate panels insure a laminate veneer timber frame. Not only would glass have been pricey, but also the light could have been too intense and created too much heat gain indoors. The panels help diffuse light and provide much better insulation than clear glass “We travelled with diffused light rather than perspectives,” he states.
Because there aren’t external plywood panels to maintain the structure from changing, X-bars offer lateral bracing.
The treads are more laminate veneer timber.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
The kitchen counter top is stainless steel on plywood.
Tile: Home Depot
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
The floor on the second floor is polyurethane plywood to help keep down cost. Reeves states that the sheets came out to approximately $1 per square foot for materials and labour.
To split up the light-diffusing panels, a glass window captures a few outside views.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
“In a house so small, you have to actually think about where to set the windows,” Reeves says. “In a small area, sometimes you only get one.”
Triangular windows and a screened-in porch in the principal bedroom help bring light in, while a strategically positioned wall window extends directly out from the hallway to capture a sliver of a view, which makes the room feel bigger.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
The homeowner converted a spare bedroom into a music space, with a grand piano, guitars a banjo and a seating area.
Paint: Antique Tin, Behr
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
The cedar trellis roof extends to the rear of the house, in which a wraparound deck leads to a rolling green yard. The outside panels are gray Hardie boards, one of which can be painted lime green.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
Reeves says the biggest challenge was making the compact house feel spacious. Connecting the house to the leafy whole lot by sliding glass doors, smartly placed windows and the diffused lightbox created the winning solution.
A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas
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