A home is so much more than a building where we live and sleep. As many of us have discovered, a home is a retreat where we can escape the outside world and reconnect with our minds, bodies and souls. That’s why developer Jared Gossett, CFA, and architect Jay Corder, AIA, set out to design a home centered on wellness. Building a house with resort-style amenities such as a private gym and wine cellar sounds like a feat in and of itself. But, the most challenging aspect of this expansive three-level build was connecting it to the landscape and creating a Zen treehouse feel.
Gossett is the president of Gossett and Company, LLC, a home builder and development firm crafting some of Austin’s top residential properties. “Since this was a spec home for us,” says Gossett, “we took on the role of developers and builders for this project.” The Gossett team’s first step was to select the perfect piece of property. “We came across this amazing site in Tarrytown,” he continues. “I immediately fell in love with the property because it feels like a forested retreat.” However, while the site is beautiful, it posed immediate challenges for construction. The property features a steep slope and dozens of old-growth trees protected by Austin city building codes. Securing permits alone set the project behind by six months. “We knew the trees would pose design challenges, but we also wanted to capitalize on the amazing views,” says Gossett. “That’s why we decided to partner with Jay Corder on the design plan.”
Corder is the owner and principal architect of Jay Corder Architect. As a firm rooted in the design principles of the Modernist movement, Corder’s team is known for crafting streamlined builds intrinsically tied to nature. “This was our first time working with Jay,” says Gossett, “but we knew he could marry our vision of preserving the oaks while opening the home to the outdoors. We wanted a treehouse feel to the space, and Jay’s team did a great job of pulling that off.” With a site this challenging, having an architectural team experienced in working with the land was the key to success. Corder explains, “For all of our projects, we do three things. First, we take time to understand the site and turn its challenges into assets. Second, we look for opportunities to create indoor-outdoor connections. Third, we tour the neighborhood and take cues from existing properties. In older neighborhoods like Tarrytown, you need to prepare to be flexible and roll with the unexpected.”
Corder and his team designed the home in the modern transitional style, paring down traditional design elements, embracing open-concept living and highlighting the forms and materials used. “For this home,” says Corder, “our team was incremental in choosing an exterior palette, designing the floor plan and connecting the interior to the outdoors. Being able to create a solution that layers in all of these themes with synergy is a testament to the project’s success.” The home’s exterior features commercial aluminum bronze windows, a Sierra Pacific door package, LaHabra smooth finish stucco and Mexican Artisan brick. “We chose neutral finishes for the exterior to complement the natural surrounds of the property and provide a blank slate for the homeowner to personalize their retreat,” adds Corder.
Corder and his team focused on form and light to showcase the materials used and relate the home back to the site. “We took an elemental approach. You can see traditional forms used in the house, but we brought them back to basics. For example, the traditional roofline is modernized with a short overhang, creating a cleaner look and amplifying the modern edge. This effect allows the materials to speak for themselves,” he says.
While the exterior finishes are beautiful, it’s the home’s transparency that sparks curiosity and draws visitors in. “One of the most striking features of the home is the floor-to-ceiling glass panels accentuating the staircase,” says Corder. A bank of two-story-tall glass windows at the front and back of the home flood the staircase and open concept living space with light. “This entry sequence was one of my favorites to design. While you enter the home, you never really depart from the outdoors, and the trees remain the focus,” he adds. Since the home wraps around the trees, no room is left without a view. “To work around the landscape, we had to stretch out the volumes of the home, effectively making it one room deep,” explains Corder. “This creates a nice effect because you get daylight and views on all sides.”
You can’t help but feel rejuvenated when light spills into every room of the home as windows frame the green landscape outside. “Part of our company ethos is always to add a wellness component to our builds,” says Gossett. “Natural light makes us happier and healthier, and it is one of my favorite features and amenities of this home.” The wellness amenities don’t stop at natural light. This spacious home includes a state-of-the-art home office, a private gym, Neolith non-porous and antimicrobial quartz counters, a butler’s pantry, a wine cellar and a lap pool, to name a few. “A home this size lends itself to vacation-style amenities like these,” adds Corder. “However, the natural connections are what give it the Zen feel.”
This home also includes some hidden amenities that significantly impact one’s health and wellbeing. A home water filtration system cleans the city supply, creating better quality water for drinking, bathing and laundry. The house is also designed to scrub the air, venting dust and pollutants outside the home with six-inch thick MERV-rated filters. A Lennox two-stage HVAC removes twice as much moisture from the air as other units, preventing mold and improving air quality.
Corder and his team designed the home with a blank slate for the interior, ready for Gossett and his team to make finishing selections. “Our design team picked out a European White Oak that runs throughout the home. It’s a natural finish that complements the elements outside,” says Gossett. “For the kitchen, we went with a combination of matching white oak and painted cabinets for a unified approach. Personally, I love the primary bathroom’s shower, which features a walkthrough design as well as rain, overhead and body jets.” While Corder and Gossett started the design process for this spec home, it sold for a record price during construction. “The homebuyers came in with their interior designer, Ellen Godfrey, to complete lighting selections, finishing details and decor,” says Gossett. “This home became a communal effort, and the final result is just stunning. We couldn’t be happier.”
The home set a new standard for luxury spec homes in Austin. “I am proud to design something that people see the value in,” concludes Corder. “It means we had a good plan and were able to optimize the home to be well suited to a new family. That’s really the true measure of success.”
Jay Corder Architect
512-243-8507 | www.JayCorder.com
Gossett & Co
512-842-9904 | www.GossettCo.com