Parade of Homes events provide opportunities for builders and architects to showcase their talents, and to have some fun with a home that doesn’t rely on homeowner input. It’s an opportunity to present innovative ideas not only to their peers but also to their potential clients. Terry Polston, owner of New Austin Homes based in Austin, Texas, did exactly this and more when he participated in the Parade of Homes event in the Lake Travis area outside of Austin.

The style of this house is a change from the standard Mediterranean-styled homes found around Lake Travis; Polston describes it as Cuban hacienda. “It’s a fresh and new look that is inviting. But you don’t want it to be too different because people don’t like stuff that is way outside the norm,” he adds. “This is a stucco home and can fit in with the Tuscan and Mediterranean homes around Lake Travis.”

To create the Cuban hacienda feel, different design characteristics were added to the home’s exterior. “The designer used a tea-stained stucco finish, and the starter row on the roof has concrete underneath the tiles to bump them up. Five percent of the rest of the roof also features this concrete application. All of this adds to the Cuban appearance,” Polston says.

Finishing Touches

As guests walk up to the house, they are not directly introduced to the front door. Rather, they walk through a covered entry designed to invite visitors into the home. “The covered entry brings guests into a courtyard with a water feature and landscaping. You can see the study and different parts of the home through the windows. Then you walk around a curved wall where you see the guest casita — or guest room — on the right. This takes you to the entry foyer where you see the lake through double doors,” Polston says.

All the homes on Lake Travis are situated to take advantage of the lake. This home was no exception with living areas — outdoor and indoor — designed to focus on the lake, Polston adds. “The outdoor area consists of a 3,300-sq.-ft. terrace. It includes an infinity-edge swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen and a fireplace,” he says. “The library features a double balcony that is cantilevered out over the swimming pool.”

A unique feature in the home is a koi pond that starts in the outdoor living area, continues under the house and into the wine room. “The floor in the wine room is acrylic with the koi pond underneath it. We wanted to do something that was unique,” he says. The homeowners who ended up buying the house loved the koi pond so much they bought additional fish.