texas real estate

Northaven Contemporary, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

I first saw this one on Curbed a few weeks back. This contemporary home in North Dallas was built in 2007. The curving glass home has seven bedrooms and measures almost 15,000 square feet. The home is on 1.77 acres that includes a crescent-shaped pool and a large green lawn that gives the home a bit of a stadium like look from the outside. As Curbed pointed out some of the glass windows look out onto cement walls which span halfway up for privacy. The windows do mean that the home is flooded with bright light. Everything in the home was kept sleeker-than-sleek with a wood kitchen with Miele and Sub-Zero appliances and wood bathroom and closet details playing off polished concrete floors.The home also includes a children's playroom, media room, gameroom with bar and a study. It is listed at $11.5 million with Dave Perry-Miller and Associates, the property website has more images.

Gallery: Northhaven Contemporary

Tags: dallas real estate, estate of the day, north dallas, texas real estate

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River Oaks, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

As commenter Spectacular Bid pointed out last year on a different home, architect John Staub was one of the top architects for wealthy families in Dallas and Houston in the early to mid 20th century. Today's home in the River Oaks area of Houston shows off a bit of Staub's appeal. This home was designed by the Houston architect in 1933. Staub reversed the front and rear elevations to insure private arrivals. The home has a Tudor/Jacobean style but manages to avoid the slightly Disneyfied appearance that some Tudor aspirants can get. A two-story addition was done by architect P.M. Frost in the 1970s, expanding the interior space while keeping the home's street-side facade.

The reception parlor features carved golden oak wood paneling reportedly rescued by a New Orleans antiquities dealer and re-assembled here. A sky-painted ceiling with cherubs completes the Napoleonic theme. The original entry foyer was designed by Staub and has a wrought iron balustrade and banister. The living room with its bay window alcove and plaster moldings is also a Staub creation. The master bedroom has a fireplace with carved marble mantel and surround. The media room which could also serve as a guest suite has a ceiling-mounted retractable projection screen and projector and a built-in kitchenette with beverage fridge. The grounds include a croquet court, koi pond, sculpted shrubs and marble statuary well positioned in graceful courtyard spaces. This elegant home is listed at $9.5 million with Martha Turner Properties.

Gallery: River Oaks

Tags: estate of the day, houston real estate, john staub, river oaks, texas real estate

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Strait Lane, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home in Dallas, Texas is one that we first heard about in 2007 when it was listed at $17.5 million but it has since had a deep discount. The home belongs to Phil Romano, a restaurateur who is behind several restaurant chains including Romano's Macaroni Grill. This eight bedroom home is on 4.69 acres.

In 2007 the Real Estalker reported that Romano purchased the 4.7 acre property in 2000 for $4,535,300. The home was built in 2001 and is one of the most riotously colorful luxury homes around. The bold style combines Italian, modern and Southwestern styles with plenty of art and custom decor. There is a large living room with a paneled grid ceiling and a large limestone fireplace. The den offers sweeping views of the grounds and an adjacent library has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The sun room with expansive walls of windows is connected to the main living areas by two galleries for art, all with hand painted wood ceilings. The formal dining room is barrel-vaulted with a tile ceiling and a view through glass walls to the wine room which is the size of a small retail store. The kitchen features commercial-grade appliances such as banks of Traulsen refrigerators and freezers, and a Vulcan oven and stove, combine with stainless steel cabinets, long stretches of stainless counters, and a massive walk-in pantry. A climate-controlled pavilion gives four different views of the grounds.

All the bedrooms are on the second floor of the home. The master wing has two bedrooms, den and exercise room. Most amazing is the two-story barrel vaulted master closet. This wing also has a family room with a hand-painted ceiling. The second bedroom, designed for a child has a loft space and vaulted ceiling. There are four guestrooms plus two additional bedrooms in the connected apartment, each with its own private bath. The apartment has a kitchen, sitting room and a third floor bonus room which is divided from the main bedrooms by an office and oversized art studio. The grounds have a private lake with fountains, waterfalls, tennis courts and a glass-tiled pool. This property is now listed at $12.5 million.

Tags: dallas, dallas real estate, dallas texas, estate of the day, phil romano, romanos macaroni grill, RomanosMacaroniGrill, texas real estate

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DanMar Manor, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home is the largest property in Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. The massive home offers an estimated 30,717 square feet of living space and is the largest single-family property ever built inside the gates of Carlton Woods. The master suite alone is over 3,000 square feet and includes a sitting area, exercise room and a beauty salon. The three-story home has three elevators including a unique bird cage elevator in the great room. The media room has a 1950s style soda shop complete with red stools connected to it. The home also includes two separate apartments with bedroom, bath and kitchen for guests or staff. It reminds me of Spelling Manor which is bigger but has a similar look. This home is offered for sale by Debbie Coleman of Coleman Realty with an asking of $19,000,000. It is the highest priced single family home currently offered for sale in the entire Houston area and if it sells for anything close to that it could set a new record for Houston real estate.

Gallery: DanMar Manor

Tags: estate of the day, houston real estate, texas real estate, the woodlands

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Turtle Creek Penthouse, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home isn't just one penthouse in Dallas, it's actually three with a total square footage of 7,621 square feet. This sprawling home has two master suites and two additional bedrooms. The sky-high palace has beautiful views over the city. The owner appears to have an affinity for the safari, not only are animal prints in evidence but the home includes a variety of exotic taxidermy. This penthouse is in The Claridge, a building which home to many of Dallas' most successful and prominent residents and is known for its luxe amenities. This home is listed at $5.5 million.

Gallery: Turtle Creek Penthouse

Tags: dallas, dallas real estate, estate of the day, texas real estate

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Lexington Avenue, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Some may question my choice of today's home in the Highland Park neighborhood of Dallas but sometimes I like a home that looks like the owners have a bit of personality even if I disagree with their decor choices. This Greek Revival-style home was built in 2004 and is bustling with custom details. There is lots of space here including large formal living areas, several informal living spaces and oversized bedrooms.

The half-acre property includes a pool and rear yard with a two-bedroom apartment located above the three-car garage. The large entry foyer has a grand curved staircase that spans all three floors of the home. The formal living room with its beautiful marble fireplace leads to a large family room overlooking the back yard. The family room is wired for entertainment with surround sound, projection screen, and a fireplace. This area also includes a library with wet bar and sets of French doors leading outside. The butler's pantry with silver closet leads to the kitchen with copper sinks, a six-burner Viking range, double Subzero refrigerators and granite countertops. The first level also includes an exercise room and pool cabana, another den, office, downstairs laundry room, and the garage.

Upstairs, the master suite has a sitting area, marble fireplace, covered terrace, and a bath with a jetted tub and steam shower. There are four additional bedrooms on the second level, along with a laundry room which will accommodate three full size washers and/or dryers. The third level is approximately 2700 square feet of game room or office space and incredible storage. The home is luxurious and the owners obviously like their stuff. The spaces are full of everything from animal heads to Staffordshire plate collections. This home is listed at $6.25 million.

Gallery: Lexington Avenue

Tags: estate of the day, texas real estate

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Lakeshore Drive, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

We were recently in Austin, Texas to check out another Lake Austin property, the home of Andy Roddick, now were are back for another gorgeous lakefront home that belongs to a young success story. Today's home is owned by 31-year-old Douglas Jaffe, III, CEO of Horseshoe Bay Resort in the Texas Hill Country, which is owned by his prominent San Antonio-based family.

This home is a six-bedroom property that was renovated a few years ago, giving it a sleek, contemporary feel. Outside there are terraces with lake and city views, a negative-edge pool that cascades over the bluff into Lake Austin, and a lakeside lawn leading to the water's edge where the home has 100 feet of waterfront and a dock. A three-car glass-front garage also has additional guest quarters with a kitchen and bath. Other features include an exercise room, a media room, a game room with a wet bar and a master bedroom that has a fireplace, walk-in closet and dressing room. This home is listed at $3.995 million.

Gallery: Lakeshore Drive

Tags: austin, austin texas, lake austin, texas real estate

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Kevin Jonas Lists Texas Home

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

The married Jonas Brother, Kevin Jonas is making a real estate move. Housing Watch reports that Jonas, also known as K2, and his wife Danielle, have listed their Westlake, Texas mansion. The mansion is in the Vaquero development, which we've checked out before, baseball player Mark Teixeira's home there is still on the market.

Housing Watch reports Vaquero was originally developed by Discovery Land Company in 2002 and is home to golfers Ben Crane, K.J. Choi, and Todd Hamilton. Baseball player Vernon Wells is also building a home there. The Jonas home was built in 2004 and the the couple bought the home last year soon after their wedding.

The three-bedroom home is on .71 acre that includes an outdoor kitchen and a pool and spa with fountains. French doors open up to courtyards with multiple fountains and water features including a lily pond. The home has an open floor plan with soaring ceilings. It's very luxurious but the home has a bad case of the beiges. Dark wood, stone, wrought iron and granite countertops contribute to the faux Tuscan feel.

There aren't many personal details in the home but it does have some lovely features including a media/screening room, a climate controlled wine room and a study with coffered ceilings and built-in wood cabinets and shelves. The home is on the golf course and comes with a $175,000 golf membership is included in sales price. It is listed at $2.2 million. Check out more pictures including a shot of Kevin Jonas's study complete with guitars and personal memorabilia at the property website.

Gallery: Kevin Jonas in Texas

Tags: celebrity real estate, jonas brothers, kevin jonas, texas real estate, vaquero

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Andy Roddick in Austin, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Tennis player Andy Roddick has listed his Lake Austin home. Housing Watch reports that Roddick's Texas home is on a cul de sac in the Westlake community. The four-bedroom home is on .71 acres and overlooks the lake.

The listing makes no secret that this is Roddick's home and even if it weren't mentioned in the description, images of Roddick, his wife Brooklyn Decker and plenty of tennis trophies adorn the home. The professional gym also features Roddick-centered murals. Property records at Property Shark indicate that Roddick bought the home in 2003 for $2,149,500. Decker and Roddick were married at the home in 2009.

The house was built in 1998 and has a home theater, gourmet kitchen with a huge pantry, formal dining room, a den with a pool table, a library with a poker table, and a master suite with a sitting room. Outside there is a patio, sports court and a boat dock with a lift (the sports court and boat lift were improvements Roddick made to the home). The listing says that all furniture and paintings are offered with purchase of home for $3.75 million. That's actually a bit of a price cut, Zillow reported back in March that the home was listed for $4 million even.

Gallery: Andy Roddick in Austin

Tags: andy roddick, austin, brooklyn decker, celebrity real estate, lake austin, texas real estate

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The Process And Progress of A Significant Georgian Estate Restoration

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, By Design

If this home looks familiar, it is. Deidre Woollard's 2008 post in Luxist was about this home, then on the market for
$11.2M. But since Deidre's article was posted, the estate was sold, remodeled and renovated. It is slated to be finished in two weeks, and the price reflects the work done: it is now $14,500,000. Here's the history:

This home is located in the private, gated community of Shadyside, close to Rice University and the Rice University Medical Center in Houston. Shadyside was originally planned by J.S. Cullinan in 1916. However, he did not treat the development as a speculative venture, selling to anyone with money, rather, he offered building sites to individuals he referred to as 'congenial parties.' By the time the first owners were ready to plan their houses, the practice of hiring out-of-state architects was common in Houston. Cullinan hired St. Louis architect James P. Jamieson to design his house. Stockbroker Hugo V. Neuhaus commissioned renowned architect Harrie T. Lindeberg of New York City who was trained under Stanford White in the design of significant country estates.

Neuhaus secured additional commissions for Lindeberg in Shadyside -- that included the wholesale merchant D.D. Peden, for whom our this home at 2 Longfellow Lane was originally built and designed.

Gallery: Longfellow Lane

Tags: D.D.Peden Estate Houston, Georgian Architecture, Harrie T.Lindeberg, J.S. Cullinan, National Register Of Historic Places, shadyside, texas, texas real estate, Zubers View Of America Wallpaper

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Clemens House, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I seem to be on a brick Georgian style house quick lately. Today's home in San Antonio, Texas was originally built for the Clemens family in 1947 and designed by architect, Birdsall P. Briscoe. Briscoe primarily designed in Houston in pricey neighborhoods like River Oaks and was also the author of a couple of western adventure novels. The home is located in the prestigious Olmos Park area (a separate town within San Antionio) and is a local landmark. The manor house has four bedrooms. The overall style is a bit fussy and the bathrooms could use an update but the large columned porch, graceful curving staircase and wood paneling in the library and the dining room make this one worth a second look. There is a three-car garage and a two-bedroom garage apartment on the 1.3 acre property. It is listed at $4.25 million.

Gallery: Clemens House

Tags: clemens house, estate of the day, texas real estate

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Castello Sul Lago, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate is a story of a listing price in freefall. A reader brought this lavish home in Spicewood, Texas to our attention. Back in February it was listed at $16 million but it's had some major price cuts.

Castello Sul Lago is in the gated Lakecliff subdivision in Spicewood, near Austin. The name is Italian for Castle on the Lake and the home overlooks a deep bend in Lake Travis. The more than 17,000-square-foot estate sits on about 31/2 acres. The elaborate home has marble floors, two-story Corinthian columns and spiral staircases with wrought-iron and gold-leaf railings. The home makes the most of the views. A two-story living room with a built-in wet bar overlooks the tranquil lake. The library is also two stories and has red walls, columns and a chandelier. A February article in the Statesman on the house says that all of the chandeliers are antiques from Europe.

The master bedroom has a fireplace and more amazing views. The complete master suite includes a bathroom with a dual-head shower room as well as two closet rooms and a cedar closet. The suite offers access to an outdoor hot tub a few stairs down. Other features include a wine cellar, a three-room art gallery, office, media room, and a third-floor ballroom with a wet bar. Outside there are three negative-edge pools and more than 6,000 square feet of outdoor terraces and balconies as well as a guest house, workout room and meditation room. Housekeeper's quarters are above the five-car garage.

AvenueOne Properties has the listing of the home which is now priced at just $9.8 million.

[Thanks, Blake!]

Gallery: Castello Sul Lago

Tags: austin, castello sul lago, estate of the day, texas real estate

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Houston Area Condos Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Some of the Houston area's most expensive luxury condos are set to go up for auction next month. Wonmore Ltd. will sell all 35 of its remaining Endeavour Clear Lake residences on August 21, 2010 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston. Units that have been listed from $450,000 to $3,500,000 will be priced at auction from $200,000 to $1,500,000.

The 30-story condominium tower was designed by Houston-based EDI Architects and completed in 2007. It was created with a unique lighting system that can make it look like it is glowing from inside. The LED light system is capable of producing many different color combinations. The lights on the building went out in 2008 when the original developer went in bankruptcy but Wonmore brought the lighting back and held a special light show last month to celebrate the relaunch of the building. Wonmore bought the remaining 44 condos in the building last year and spent $2 million on renovations and upgrades.

The building has a total of 80 units ranging between 1,278 and 7,533 square feet. The development has views over Clear Lake and the Gulf of Mexico and amenities include an infinity-edge pool and private boat slips. Inside the building there is a fitness center, private movie theater, indoor resistance pool, sauna, library, a residents' business center and indoor parking. Units have tall 12-foot ceilings, walk-in closets and balconies and terraces.

Tags: condo project, condo projects, endeavour clear lake, houston, texas real estate

Lake Austin, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home commands a perfect shoreline spot on Lake Austin in Austin, Texas. The seven-acre spread is home to a three-story main house, two-bedroom guest house, a carriage house above the three-car garage, a one-bedroom gate house, boat house with three slips and a screened great room, a glass-walled gym, natatorium with an indoor swimming pool and more. The large main house has five bedrooms including an owner's suite with a river rock fireplace that separates it from the adjoining study. The home also has a large kitchen, formal living room, family room and more in an open and casual environment. With a total of nine bedrooms this estate has room for the whole extended family. It is listed at $12.9 million.

Gallery: Lake Austin

Tags: austin, estate of the day, lake austin, texas real estate

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Chamillionaire Says Foreclosure Was A Business Decision

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

The latest entrant into the celebrity foreclosure ranks is rapper Chamillionaire. But TMZ has video of Chamillionaire (real name Hakeem Seriki) saying that it was his decision to give his Houston mansion back to the bank. As he tells it the home was his most expensive mortgage (of many that he holds for himself and other people). He bought the house for around $2 million and found that after the real estate slump it wasn't worth that much so he decided to give it back to the bank. He also said that he was always on the road and never at the home. He insists he doesn't have any money problems. Later he took to his Twitter stream to add clarification saying that TMZ left out the part about the new mansion.

Tags: celebrity foreclosure, celebrity foreclosures, celebrity real estate, Chamillionnaire, Houston Alexander, texas real estate, Texas real estate news