A Return to Wylie: High-Performance New Build Across from Rattlesnake Creek
all photos credit of: Cou Cou Studio
If you ask a Rattlesnake resident what they love about living there, the creek usually comes up first. And this neighborhood on Wylie is fortunate to have Rattlesnake Creek and Tom Green Park right out the back door. These trails are used year-round by dog walkers, kids on bikes, and even anglers. If Wylie Ave sounds familiar, that's because this is our second project on the street. (You can read about the first one here.)
For this project, we had to do a complete tear-down and rebuild. The house had seen better days and had fallen badly into disrepair. After taking a hard look with the owners we agreed that it was time to start over.
all photos credit of: Cou Cou Studio
Our first plan was to save the existing foundation and build on top of it, enabling us to focus on reuse and sustainability. But once we dug in, it was clear the old foundation simply couldn't carry a new structure. So we demolished the house, poured a new foundation, and gave this project the clean start it needed.
However, we were still able to hyper focus on sustainability. In fact, the owners had a clear number one priority: they wanted a hyper energy efficient home. Here’s what we did:
11" thick insulated exterior walls
A SIP (structural insulated panel) roof
Triple pane, energy efficient windows
A heat pump for heating and cooling
Solar panels on the roof
This means the house is roughly 300% tighter than our building code requires us to be. It's a house built for the long haul.
all photos credit of: Cou Cou Studio
One change worth celebrating: for more than 20 years, we've relied on Bruce Allen Woodworks for our cabinetry. Bruce has been with us for as long as he's been in business. Recently, Ryan Crowe bought the shop and renamed it Legacy Cabinets. Wylie was one of our first projects with Ryan at the helm, and we're happy to report he did a fantastic job. Same quality craftsmanship, same great customer service. The name fits.
We'd love to tell you a dramatic story here, but honestly? This one went the way a good build should. There were the normal day-to-day challenges that come with any new construction, and the satisfying wins that come with solving them. We'll take it!
The elegant curved roof over the front entry on the Cottonwood St full home remodel.
all photos credit of: Cou Cou Studio