Reporter’s Notebook: Some Hidden Treasures to Find at the White Rock Home Tour Today
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The White Rock Home Tour returns this weekend with six striking homes that speak to the neighborhood’s midcentury roots, modern sensibilities, and unmistakable East Dallas vibe. From crisp renovations to creative new builds, the lineup offers a peek inside some of the most thoughtfully designed residences near the lake.
I’ve combed through the photos, pored over floor plans, and picked out the details that caught my eye — think unexpected materials, clever layouts, and design moves worth stealing. Whether you’re touring in person or just nosy from afar, here are a few highlights that stand out ahead of today’s tour.
720 Peavy Road | New Leaf Custom Homes
We’re a fan of all things New Leaf Custom Homes, but this one — They really outdid themselves. The tour describes this Peavy Road home as an “urban retreat designed for a vibrant, multi-generational family that loves to entertain.”
From the tour description: “The home makes a bold, modern statement with classic plastered walls and a lush courtyard, complete with a multi-level pool that mirrors the home’s footprint. Inside, warm gray plaster walls and polished concrete floors create a serene ambiance, enhanced by a custom sculptural staircase and art installation.”
Standouts
The wrought iron front gate: No doubt it’ll be swung open for the tour, but the geometry of this doorway to the courtyard is stunning.
A sunken outdoor conversation pit: You can tell New Leaf Custom Homes has a pool design division.
Now, if you lived it, I don’t have to explain, but for the younger set: Popularized in the 1950s and ’60s, sunken conversation pits were recessed seating areas built into the floor, often centered around a fireplace or coffee table. Some say the conversation pit dates back to 1927 with Bruce Goff, but they came into pop culture in the 1950s. This outdoor take on the pit is genius.
11737 Rogue Way | Donald Speck (1961)
This is an architectural time capsule with an awesome past. Before this 1961 Midcentury Modern was a friendly fixture on Rogue Way, it was home to a NASA scientist with a troubling secret. He’d been in communication with an enemy from afar — an alien from Venus named Zontar.
Standouts
Get your blaster gun, we’re going sci-fi: “In 1967 it was featured in the sci-fi movie Zontar: The Thing from Venus,” says listing agent and designer Miranda Parker, who reimagined Donald Speck’s Lochwood residence into the updated beauty you see today.
With its low-slung roofline, stone-clad walls, and even the street corner out front, the home is instantly recognizable from its big-screen moment. I suspect Lochwood Shopping Center, White Rock Lake, and the nearby creek all make guest appearances here, too. Here’s the movie on Dailymotion if you want to play I spy, too.
From the home tour: “In 1961, architect Donald Speck designed an iconic home for his own family, carefully responding to the unique character of the site. Rather than imposing a design on the land, the floor plan weaves around existing trees, while seven stepped levels work with the natural grade, ensuring every room has a direct connection to the outdoors. The roof slopes up toward the Dixon Branch Greenbelt, drawing in soft, diffused north light and expansive views of the surrounding trees.”
8634 Santa Clara
For another before-and-after reveal, CandysDirt.com did a great deep dive when architect and resident Lou Simmons was designing his Little Forest Hills home within the footprint of its original 792-square-foot 1942-built home.
From the home tour:
“In the Santa Clara project, architect Lou Simmons honors the spirit and scale of the neighborhood from the street by preserving the original structure and reimagining it as an open-concept Living/Dining/Kitchen area, complete with a small pantry and coffee bar.
Beyond, the home meanders around a sculptural elm, creating a courtyard reveal that provides natural light between the original structure and the rear addition. To minimize its visual impact from the street, the connecting hall ramps down to a two-story addition with a slab foundation and flat roof that discreetly houses the bedrooms, bathrooms, and garage.
Standouts
A tree runs through it: The home works around a “sculptural elm” — okay, let’s call a spade a spade. It’s a crooked tree, but it’s amazing and creates a perfect courtyard to bring the outdoors in.
Don’t let the floors fool you: It absolutely looks like it, but the floors here aren’t terrazzo. Simmons brilliantly ground down the concrete so you can see the variation in the stones. Those flecks are just fantastic rocks.
6634 Yosemite
Architect Laura Juarez Baggett crafted this dream home for a spirited couple in their 70s. But this was a little bit different of a teardown, as the Lakewood Advocate wrote about last year. The couple engaged Baggett to level the 1953-built home they’d lived in since the ’80s and replace it with a contemporary, age-in-place-friendly home in its place.
Surely, this can’t be the right house. Look at those stairs. I’m nearly half their age and I don’t trust myself going down those stairs. There’s an explanation.
From the home tour:
“Architect Laura Juarez Baggett crafted this home as a dream fulfilled—an inspiration for a spirited couple in their 70s, who bid farewell to the house they had cherished for 38 years. Though aging-in-place was a priority, the site’s natural constraints and their vision demanded a two-story design. To balance accessibility with beauty, daily living spaces were strategically placed on the main level, seamlessly connected to the carport. Nestled into the sloping terrain, this level opens to a tranquil private lake, preserving the couple’s cherished view [for birdwatching] and a beloved, mature tree.”
Standouts
Walking the catwalk: Here, you enter on the second floor to reveal a striking catwalk-style passageway, and go down to the living areas. How do 70-year-olds do that? An elevator, of course. The owners get soaring double-height views and a prime perch for birdwatching, and their knees get some respite.
What’s old is new: The owners had a mind for budget and sustainability, so they salvaged materials from their in-place teardown and repurposed them in the new home. For example, the couple’s original deck made of durable Ipe wood got new life in the wood floors in the primary bathroom. Wood in a bathroom? Ipe wood is surprisingly weather resilient so it can handle some wet feet.
10226 Vinemont | Original Ju-Nel
Originally featured on the inaugural White Rock Home Tour in 2006, this classic Ju-Nel home makes a return appearance for 2025.
“We started the first home tour of Ju-Nel homes with Tim and Christine Rogers,” said previous owners Tai Yungjen and Lynn Chiu-Lien Hsu told CandysDirt.com back in 2022. “That first year, Lyle Rowley was in our house to meet everyone.” Their home helped launch what would become the White Rock Home Tour tradition — a showcase of vintage and modern architecture that continues to honor the Ju-Nel legacy.
From the home tour:
“Nestled under a canopy of mature trees, the low sloped roof shelters a private facade articulated by a perforated brick screen wall that marks the entrance. Beyond the screen, a serene courtyard frames a tree that continues up through an intentional opening in the roof, sensitively providing natural light and a thoughtful place to transition from the public to the private.”
Standouts
It’s a Ju-Nel: A Ju-Nel home is pretty rare. In fact, only about 50 Ju-Nel homes were ever built. That’s because the architects Lyle Rowley and Jack Wilson were ahead of their time. They used open floor plans, favored floor-to-ceiling windows, recycled materials, and green building techniques before these ideas were on anyone’s horizon. They were also known for adapting homes to their natural surroundings — the more challenging the topography, the better.
Go sit in the living room: This is a signature Ju-Nel Great Room. The open living, dining, and kitchen areas share a generous vaulted ceiling, supported by exposed beams that extend through floor-to-ceiling windows, meeting every hallmark of these beloved Midcentury Modern designs.
935 Bridget Drive | BuildTX Solutions
An unassuming 1954 bungalow in Lake Park Estates was taken down to the studs and reimagined in 2021 by BuildTX Solutions, a female-led team of designers who renovated and expanded the home. They brought sharp contrast — both in black and white color, but also angular gabled rooflines. You could cut yourself on angles that sharp.
From the home tour:
“The dynamic team at BuildTX Solutions transformed this simple Lake Park Estates bungalow into a vibrant, light-filled sanctuary. Through a remarkable renovation and addition, they created a home that seamlessly blends modern amenities with a deep connection to the outdoors — perfect for a nature-loving family.”
Standouts
Squint and you can see it: BuildTX Solutions wanted to keep some character in the home’s facade, so they kept the original gable and low-sloped porch roof of the original 1954 bungalow and designed from there. Check out the before photo here and see if you can line up old and new.
Cat fancy: There’s an architecturally significant cat house inside. The owners are big pet people so there’s an A-framed cat shelter for the family’s beloved pets.
This tour is not only a celebration of architectural beauty but also supports the vital work of the Hexter Elementary PTA.
The self-led tour runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Here’s a tour map or visit wrhometour.com for FAQs and more details.
