Friday Four Hundred: Beautiful Urban Reserve Home Feels Warm But is Still Very Green
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I love Urban Reserve for many reasons, most of which coincide with my general adoration for modern architecture. Another reason to love Urban Reserve, a Matthews | Nichols development East of 75 and North of Royal Lane, is the focus on sustainability.
Of course, some people have bought lots in this fantastic subdivision to build groundbreaking dream homes with forward-thinking designs that you’d most often see in the pages of Architectural Digest, or any of the seemingly endless supply of Pinterest pages and Houzz idea books that celebrate modern architecture. But if you’re not the type of person who would wait four or five years between design and move-in, then perhaps 43 Vanguard Way is a better idea. You can quell your love for modern design and sustainability with this incredible LEED platinum home.
With 1,200 square feet and two bedrooms and two baths, this home is great for someone who wants to downsize but not sacrifice on design. In fact, that’s exactly the purpose behind the design by DSGN Associates, which was featured on the 2012 AIA Dallas Tour of Homes.
DSGN Associates was tasked with designing a budget-savvy but personalized “home base” for a pair of empty nesters. Vanguard Way is the result, a compact, two-bedroom home achieving high livability and high sustainability at an affordable cost. A collaborative effort between DSGN Associates, the client and the developer, this home takes advantage of a unique site to create an open, efficient plan with controlled views to a sunny garden. A generous roof deck provides a second outdoor living space and dynamic views to the adjacent DART line.
Generous windows on the south facade, balanced by small skylights, allow ample natural light during the winter months to all major rooms while a generous roof overhang shields the interior from harsh summer sun. Other sustainability features include advanced wood framing, Echoshel cedar shingle panels installed as a rain screen, photovoltaic solar array, geothermal heat pump HVAC, and energy recovery ventilation.
We love the interior features of this home, which includes polished concrete floors, sliding wall-hung doors, and beautiful windows from which you can admire your treehouse-type view.
This gorgeous home is marketed by Briggs-Freeman Sotheby’s agent Christy Berry for $415,000. For an award-winning structure such as this, it sounds like a fabulous bargain. What do you think?
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I love this treehouse!
Just beautiful!
I love this treehouse!
Just beautiful!
Emily Summers Design!
Emily Summers Design!
Awesome house, but at $415K it really screws up the comps!
Awesome house, but at $415K it really screws up the comps!
Marc, appraisers' rules promote sameness and mediocrity. The homes at Urban Reserve are all unique and architect designed and it is exceedingly difficult for appraisers. The best comp in terms of size and finishes for #43 is a high rise condo. The Buyer for #43, I think, is someone who wants an efficient space, lots of quality, a quiet place to live, and own their dirt.
God that is so true! And now some of these appraisers come in from Timbuktu to appraise a neighborhood of which they have no knowledge! Real estate is LOCAL! The Urban Reserve ROCKS!
Marc, appraisers' rules promote sameness and mediocrity. The homes at Urban Reserve are all unique and architect designed and it is exceedingly difficult for appraisers. The best comp in terms of size and finishes for #43 is a high rise condo. The Buyer for #43, I think, is someone who wants an efficient space, lots of quality, a quiet place to live, and own their dirt.
God that is so true! And now some of these appraisers come in from Timbuktu to appraise a neighborhood of which they have no knowledge! Real estate is LOCAL! The Urban Reserve ROCKS!
Thanks, Joanna, for the great article on this home. It was a true pleasure designing it for the owners, Ann Marie and Richard, as well as collaborating with Wendy Konradi (the interior designer) and Rick Fontenot and Diane Cheatham, who built it.
Thanks, Joanna, for the great article on this home. It was a true pleasure designing it for the owners, Ann Marie and Richard, as well as collaborating with Wendy Konradi (the interior designer) and Rick Fontenot and Diane Cheatham, who built it.
Wonderful house in a wonderfully unique development.
Wonderful house in a wonderfully unique development.