The covered walkway leading from the front door to a towering outdoor fireplace adds drama to a renovated Austin, Texas, ranch house. But this exterior element is more than merely decorative. Architect David Webber used it to resolve two client requirements that threatened to clash: They wanted the existing pool to remain in the front yard, where they also wanted to build a detached garage and auto court.
Webber separated the two uses with a long pergola that provides a generous measure of privacy to the pool area and gives definition to the two spaces. The covered walkway also created a shady play area for the clients’ sun-sensitive children.
The pergola terminates in a wall and fireplace tower that shapes the patio and shelters it from the parking area. The structure is made of local Austin limestone, and surfaces, including the auto court, are sandstone. Webber topped the chimney to match the house with an acid-etched Galvalume roof that seems to float above it. It serves as an orientation point for the other buildings, the architect says. Builder: Renaissance Builders, Houston; Architect: Webber + Studio, Austin, Texas; Landscape architect: Coleman & Associates, Austin; Photographer: Paul Bardagjy.
