The overall design goal was to capture the views and deal with the very steep slope. To achieve this, Schmidt used tumbled Lueders limestone supplied by Champion Stone in Lueders, TX. The limestone was selected by the owners, who had seen something similar in a residence in the Houston area. They also wanted to complement the original stone found on the property. To do this, the same stone was used on the inside and out. 

Approximately 300 tons of Lueders limestone was used on the project and laid in a random ashlar pattern. The warm shades of beige and rust work well with the rural country environment.

The building stone was employed for the exterior facade, as well as for archways, interior walls, a fireplace in the main living space and built-in shelves that flank each side of the fireplace. Complementing the limestone is Oklahoma sandstone with a sawn finish which was employed around the interior of the fireplace opening.

The biggest hurdle in implementing the design was the steep slope. The floor plan had to have a very narrow configuration. “Materials had to be staged in certain locations to be certain not to block access to the front of the house,” said Schmidt. “The front of the house was 12 inches +/- above finished grade, while the rear varied from 8 to 14 feet.”

For the kitchen, the island, being the center point, was faux finished by Rene Sandifer of Ray Hay Designs in a soft green aged finish and topped with a black walnut countertop. They designed the island to serve many functions — it has table linen storage, informal counter seating and lighted display shelves for the owner’s vintage teacup and plate collection. The granite kitchen countertops incorporate gray and white tones to blend with the space’s light gray walls and concrete flooring that was stained with gray and brown earth tones by Element 7 Concrete. 

In the bathroom, the countertops are 3 cm Bianco Antico granite fabricated by Southwest Marble and Granite. The soft gray tones of the vanity tops match well with the white cabinetry and walls.

The homeowners are very happy with the end result. The home relates to the site nicely — capturing views and prevailing breezes. “For just under 2,800 square feet, there is an enormous amount of detail throughout the home that comes together to make it look as picture perfect as it turned out,” said Schmidt.