AIA Home Tour, Part 1...

So, what happened on October 4th and 5th? Well, in 2008 the AIA Homes Tour in Austin happened. (AIA = American Institute of Architects) My wife and I decided to see all 12 homes. We saw 4 on Saturday. It stated in Westlake and ended out on 71 West. Our favorite home was house number 11 on the list, landing us on Sam Houston Circle. We were pleasantly surprised from the start. Before even entering the home, we are met with a small outside dining area, by the front door. This street reminded us of a normal neighborhood, however the dining space was not visible from the street. Once entering, to the left we saw a kitchen that had concrete countertops and what my wife called a “diner style” cabinetry. There were no cabinets, but shelves that would hold the exposed dishes. I heard this is how older kitchens were made. It would require one to have matching dishes and always have them organized. I also heard to be careful of the dust particles that land on the plates, cups, etc. It doesn't mean we will do this, but it is always an idea. (Soon I'll tell you about another kitchen design for managing dishes, hopefully I'll remember soon)

OK, back to the important stuff...

We were most impressed by the stairs. They were about 4 inches from the bottom of the top step to the top of the bottom step. Now, doesn't that sound confusing...just think hard, you should get it. Also, they were about 14 inches deep, only exposing about 12 inches to actually step on. Most steps are about 6 inches tall or so, not 4 inches, and also not that deep! What does that mean to me? Well, I felt like I was actually gliding up an incline...not climbing up a hill. It was such a nice experience to be walking up stairs and it not feel like it. Overall, the house was wonderful. They had a small media room, dining room that overlooked the lake/river and a lower and upper balcony. It would be amazing to wake up in the master bedroom to walk about on the balcony to see the sun rising and reflecting off of the water and trees in the distance. Then, imagine then the leaves changing colors this Fall. That would be even more pleasant. This house was also a little closer to the size we want, so it was easier to imagine the spaces. To see this house (and stairs)...click here!

Also check out the sponsor, Artisan Concrete. I really enjoyed looking at their work.

Soon I will update you to the rest of our journey on the AIA Austin Home Tour. I have more fun news!

If you want to see the main page that has all of the houses, click here!