Do you love a good challenge? Try building not just a home, but a “dream home” – from the ground up -during a pandemic. And complete it in just four months!
Would there be product and transit delays, material costs shifting weekly, constant shortages of skilled labor? As the German settlers of Fredericksburg, Texas, where this charming home sits, would say:
Ja natürlich (yes, of course)!
However, with the help of many partners, including Acme Brick, that’s exactly what House Beautiful magazine did! And the result is nothing short of stunning.
Want to take a virtual tour of this year’s “Whole Home?” Click here.
House Beautiful’s editors acknowledged the unique times in which we live. “Like so many families filing construction permits and navigating skyrocketing material prices, this year we kept reality in mind. It’s never been more important to have a peaceful, productive, and restorative refuge to call ‘home.’”
The Texas Hill Country, one of the fastest growing areas referenced in the 2020 Census, proved to be the perfect spot for this year’s Whole Home. House Beautiful said, “Countless factors go into selecting a market for this program each year. House Beautiful seeks out locations where design is an established – or growing – industry, where general population growth and home values are moving in an upward trend. We also keep a close eye on where our clients and industry friends are headquartered and where they may be relocating.
“The location was a seamless fit for House Beautiful. As our brand celebrated its 125th anniversary, Fredericksburg was celebrating its 175th. And with its location outside the rapidly growing Austin and San Antonio areas, it is a destination that is getting national attention.”
House Beautiful describes Fredericksburg as “an emerging design and culinary destination known for bustling shops, boutique hotels and growing viticultural region.” So off the planners went to Fredericksburg, where they found a 750-acre “agrihood” community called “Hidden Springs. Teaming with Tyler O’Brien of Agave Custom Homes, they set out to prove that building a dream home in a pandemic is possible.
According to House Beautiful magazine, “O’Brien’s plan was to build a single-story, Craftsman-inspired farmhouse with two separate wings and an expansive outdoor area. The design is meant to be connected to the landscape, where livestock roam freely on a 30-acre nature preserve. It has four bedrooms, seven bathrooms (some outdoors!), three fireplaces, and a sprawling party patio.”
Photo sourced from House Beautiful
True to form, the “Whole Home” team “understood that design is as much about humanity as it is about vanity.” So they enlisted eight Next Wave design alumni from across the country to help define what today’s ideal home should be.
“Each designer brought a distinct point of view to their assigned space,” House Beautiful said. “From a sunrise-inspired living room that sets an uplifting tone for the whole house, to a cozy kitchen for long, lingering conversations, to a massive party patio fully equipped to go from candlelight to cornhole, every inch has a purpose. During a year in which our homes had to be offices, classrooms, and still (somehow) personal sanctuaries, this one is tailor-made to foster work, play, and pressing pause.”
With a history of more than 130 years, Acme Brick is right at home in the Whole Home project as well as Fredericksburg’s old world look and feel. This year’s build presented an opportunity for Acme to show how its product mix has evolved.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this year’s Whole Home, especially since it is constructed in our home state of Texas,” Britt Stokes of Acme Brick said. “It celebrates our history of manufacturing brick and shows off some of our innovative, sustainable home improvement products.”
Each year, the designers and builders of the Whole Home try to outdo the homes that have come before them. This year is no exception. The “wow” factor of the Fredericksburg residence is evident from the moment a visitor walks in.
“This home is built with an entertainer/host in mind,” a House Beautiful spokesperson noted. “The floorplan, which spans two separate structures connected by a breezeway, gives you privacy when you need it, and communal space for hosting gatherings of family and friends. The oversized lot and rolling Hill Country views are a huge selling point.”
Acme Brick contributed several cutting-edge products to the Whole Home. Stokes notes, “The large doors which open to the beautifully maintained Texas Hill Country yard space are by Exclusive Iron Door. They ensure a seamless transition from inside to outside.
“That beautiful hardwood floor that visitors will see in the Whole Home is Positano Cascina. It is one of the most luxurious flooring products we offer to builders and homeowners.
“In the amazing outside entertainment area is one of our most popular grills – the Renaissance Cooking Systems (RCS) grill. It combines comprehensive technology with ease of use, making it the state-of-the-grilling art.
“Finally, the thin brick in the interior and the full bed depth brick in the outdoor kitchen is Mosstown Brick from our friends at Cherokee.”
For all its beautiful, clean lines, Hill Country views and “must have” features, this year’s Whole Home has at its foundation sustainability and energy conservation. This theme aligns closely with the products that Acme Brick manufactures and sells. Brick’s centuries-old reputation for sustainability and beautify make it an important element of the Whole Home.
If you need inspiration for either your existing home remodel or building your own dream home, tour the House Beautiful Whole Home here.
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