“The homeowners were looking for a design that was unique and distinctive,” Glowka says. “They were looking for a design that reflected the Texas Hill Country, but they were also looking for some modern elements that could be effectively tied into the Hill Country architectural style.” He blended native Texas Hill Country limestone with exposed steel I-beams and steel siding that matches the standing seam metal roof to bring in modern elements. The house also has distinctive single-sloped roof pitches that give a modern look to the exterior of the residence.
Focusing on building custom homes in northern San Antonio, Boerne and the surrounding Texas Hill Country, the award-winning luxury homebuilder specializes in estate lots, private ranches and golf course communities. Emphasizing constant communication and teamwork between client and builder, from concept to completion, Glowka’s team of professional architects, structural engineers, designers, interior decorators, title companies and mortgage companies ensure the highest-quality construction.
“The design called Texas Hill Country Transitional has become a very popular architectural style in the last three to four years,” Glowka says. “As a builder in most of the upper end subdivisions in Boerne and San Antonio, we get many requests for more modern-styled residences. However, several of the subdivisions will not allow us to build a full-blown modern residence because of roof pitch restrictions and stone and stucco combinations (percentages of each). So, the architectural community has worked diligently to come up with a style that meets the subdivision architectural review committee guidelines.”
Two types of stone were used. The exterior of the residence is laid with native white limestone. To add a modern element to the house, Glowka had the quarry saw cut the top and bottom of each stone to provide a clean-cut look. Additionally, the stone is dry stacked so the eye is not drawn to the mortar that would normally be placed between each stone. Instead, the mortar is placed behind the stones to allow the stones to sit cleanly on top of one another without the standard half-inch mortar joint. For the interior, Lueders limestone in Buff is dry stacked and the mortar color is Texas Tan.
The roofing material is a Berridge Metal standing seam roof. The metal siding is a new product called “Thin Line,” also supplied by Berridge. “The use of extensive glass across the rear of the residence was requested by the owners to maximize their view through the trees and canyons that sit beyond their property,” Glowka says. The barn doors are custom built by Capital Hardwoods & Millwork in San Antonio. Tiles on this project were supplied by Travis Tile and installed by NT Tile & Stone, also in San Antonio.
Backyard entertaining is a big part of the homeowners’ lifestyle. An outdoor kitchen, complete with barbecue grill, a sink and an under-the-counter refrigerator, overlooks a rectangular, modern pool with water features topped by planters. Acid-etched concrete decks were poured creating a blending material that complemented the Lueders limestone two-by-four-foot slabs used as flagstone on the rear patio. The patio is by Oscar E. Flores of Oscar E. Flores Design Studio, the pool by Brett Corrigan of Artesian Pools and landscaping by Steve Scott of SA Grows. The landscaper created steps transitioning from the pool deck level down to ground level where you find a modern-style outdoor fire pit with seating.
“The residence is wired with whole house lighting control supplied and installed by Branson Design Group out of Boerne,” Glowka says. “The homeowners requested the use of extensive technology that would allow them to control their lighting via a whole house lighting control system in addition to ‘Smart House’ technology. They wanted to control their thermostats, gated entrance, garage doors, interior and exterior lighting along with the pool functions. The entire residence is wired with high-end audio/video equipment that is tied into the whole house automation system as well.”
Heating and cooling are provided by four Trane XR18 SEER HVAC heat pumps. Additionally, a climate-controlled wine room is cooled by a WhisperKOOL AC unit, designed and made specifically for wine rooms. Sitting on 5.3 park-like acres, the 9,489-square-foot home has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, two living areas, wine room, dining room, outdoor kitchen, three-car garage, one-car car porte cochere and matching barn. Privacy is protected by the perimeter fencing and electronic gated entrance.
“I feel that true Texas Hill County tends to be a timeless architectural style, however, things are changing very fast in this industry in the Hill Country and we value ourselves on the fact that we have to stay abreast of architectural styles, technologies and in tune with what the client is seeking,” Glowka says. “We bring a myriad of expertise to any style the client selects. At the end of the day as a custom homebuilder we are asked to build all styles of houses and we focus on using the highest quality of materials and labor available, ensuring that our houses come out with exceptional quality.”
Todd Glowka Builder, Inc.
830-229-5565 | www.tgbuilder.com