Throwing Shade: Keep Your Cool in North Texas’ Hot Summer With These Shady Open Houses

July 20, 2023 | Joy Donovan | | CandysDirt Open Houses of the Week

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Good grief, pass the cold drinks and let’s find some shade. The summer temperatures in Texas are: (insert your favorite cliche)

hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.
hotter than blue blazes.
hotter than all get out.
gonna be a scorcher.
or, all of the above.

Here’s some news: this summer is expected to be warmer than usual. Shocking, but it’s official, according to the Climate Prediction Center during its seasonal projections for the summer of 2023.

Now, air conditioning is a wonderful way to combat extreme summer temperatures, and we have Willis Carrier to thank for that. He’s credited with inventing the first “modern cooling unit” in 1902. But before that and even now, shade in the form of structures and great trees were two ways people dealt with the heat. This week’s CandysDirt.com roundup of open houses will focus on great properties with not only air conditioning but other ways to combat 100-degree days.

1809 Western Ave., Fort Worth

Trees and a covered front porch add some shade to this Fort Worth home.

This Spanish-style house was built in 2005 and is nestled in a beautiful neighborhood with wonderful mature trees, just a short walk to the gracious River Crest Country Club.

Open the doors on the shaded front porch to see beautiful hardwood floors in this 4,338-square-foot house built by HGC. Priced at $1.99 million, this two-story contains four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, and one half-bath. The floor plan allows for easy entertaining with living areas, a formal dining space, a large wet bar, and a bright kitchen.

It’s a home for all seasons. As a reminder that someday temperatures will cool down, this house features three fireplaces in the living areas — two inside and one on the covered patio with a built-in grill. The climate-controlled wine cellar stands ready for any season. There’s a three-car garage with access to the alley.

This living room’s fireplace gives a hint that the temperatures will cool off someday.

The kitchen’s design is cool, even when it’s cooking hot outside.

A wine cellar stands at the ready winter, spring, summer, or fall.

The patio is covered for shade in the summer and features a fireplace for warmth in the winter.

Listed by Realtor Martha Williams of Williams Trew Real Estate, this home will be held open from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

9615 Mechem Court, Rowlett

Sitting on more than a half acre, this Rowlett house offers multiple ways to escape the heat without taking off for Canada.

The list of ways to cool off here includes shady trees, a pergola, and a swimming pool.

The front porch is covered for a shaded entry to the home, and the backyard also has plenty of ways to beat the heat. The rose garden arbor and a variety of trees cool this retreat situated in a private, gated community. The greenscape that circles the property attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, and the saltwater pool allows the humans who live among them to dip into the water to escape the high temperatures.

With four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and two half-baths, this 3,865-square-foot house is listed at $850,000. The home features a fireplace for the winter months, and its wall of windows allows views of the yard from the air-conditioned comfort of the living space.

This house has a lot of what buyers are looking for today — an open-concept first floor, a kitchen with granite countertops, an upstairs game room, solar panels, and a three-car garage.

Trees surround this home that sits on a half acre in Rowlett.

Even though it’s summer, the fireplace might be nice in December.

A theater room is a cool escape on a hot day.

There are a lot of places to hide from the sun in this yard.

Open from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, this house is listed by Samantha Smith with eXp Realty.

8250 Boedeker Drive, Dallas

Sure, this modern Santa Barbara-style house has trees on its lush lot of more than a half acre. But check out the patio. There’s shade, shade, and more shade on this expanse of a terrace, which overlooks a pool and spa.

Palm tree lovers can sip a cold beverage and survey the trees sprinkled throughout the landscaped yard while forgetting they’re in hot, hot Texas.

The house’s floor-to-ceiling windows allow views of that pool and the palm trees, plus the French doors open to the backyard. The house’s U-shape design accommodates an open floor plan with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and two fireplaces in its 6,164 square feet.

Built in 2002, the home features luxurious amenities both inside and out to be enjoyed in hot weather or cold. Inside, the homeowner can enjoy a spa-like master bathroom, a wine room, a library, and a media room. Not to be missed outside are the landscape lighting and the three-car garage. The listing price is $3.4 million.