Dec 4, 2023

A Customized San Gabriel: Maximizing Views and Creating a Cozy Home

When it comes to building a new home, every detail matters. From the floor plan to the position of the home on your property, homeowners want to create a space that fits their lifestyle and aesthetic. Lenore and Tony built a customized San Gabriel plan on their land in Medina County that features incredible views throughout and also creates a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Let's dive into the details of their home and explore the features that make it unique.

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Tilson Home Tours. I'm Kelsie with Tilson, and I am here with Lenore to talk about her gorgeous San Gabriel C home, here in Medina County. So when you first pull up, all you see is the view. So tell me a little bit about why you positioned the house the way that you did to try and maximize that.

So we live in a development that doesn't have an HOA. So we didn't have to put the house facing the road. And the way they laid it out anyway, when Tilson came in, because there's a steep embankment out the back, the house-- the back of the house was able to face the view. And so we have a wonderful view of the hillside and all of the green and the hill country here.

Yeah, and your view is definitely not obstructed in any way whatsoever by being on that hill.

And it never will be.

And then on the outside of the house, you made it all board and batten, because you-- Yes.

Did you want that farmhouse look? Yes. We were looking for the farmhouse look, and one of the things that I loved about building with Tilson was that we were able to customize everything. And so I actually wanted to bring some of the costs down outside, so that I could bring the costs up inside. Yeah.

And try to stay within my budget.

Yeah. That's a very smart plan. You did a great job.

That's one of the reasons that we went with the farmhouse, full farmhouse outside. Yeah. Well, let's take a look through your living room. OK.

Show me more about it. All right. Tell me a little bit about your living room. Did you change anything about this area?

So a couple of things that we changed in the living room. I mentioned that there were three glass-paned windows, and they were solid, and we wanted that to be open. And so we left the three windows, two of them now open. And then so when you're on the back porch, you get that feeling of it's all symmetrical from the outside. We did do a little accent wall here. Yeah. I love the green.

And so yeah, we picked that with the palette from Sherwin-Williams, and it came all-- it was just one of the colors that matched. Yeah. I love the colors that you chose in here. This flooring is really nice.

Yeah.

And the tile, it all just goes very well together.

I wanted hardwood, and that was one of my kind of major upgrades was because I just really liked the feel of natural wood under my feet, instead of doing the LVP.

This makes it a little elevated, fancy.

Yeah, a little bit nicer.

And then in here we have tile going into your kitchen. Correct?

Yes. That's all the tile over there.

I like that. Let's go check that out. OK.

Oh, this is super spacious. So you took the island out in here. Yes. We took out the island. I just felt like I didn't need that space. All of these cabinets, all the way to the ceiling, gave me plenty of storage for what I own. Yeah, tons of storage in here.

And we were downsizing. This is our retirement home, and so I wasn't trying to keep a lot of things. I wasn't wanting to accumulate anything anymore.

Yeah, and you still have tons of counter space without having the island. This goes all the way around. You've got this whole--

Yes.

I guess this is also an island.

Yes. Everything, it was perfect.

Yeah, and I like how this flows right on into the dining and then back into the living room. It's very, like you said, you were trying to make it airy. It definitely is, especially with this window going to those.

It'll open, and the air will move all the way through.

And then in your dining room, what were your goals with this space?

So the eating area is, again, very, very bright and airy. For mornings, we have the sunrise on this side. So we can get up and either sit at the table or sit on the back porch, and just have a cup of coffee, relax, and watch that sunrise.

It sounds peaceful.

Really beautiful, and again, we can open this, and the air just flows, flows through the area. Yeah, and I did notice that you have this awning over this window.

Yeah. So we got a little sunsetter kind of awning, and it just helps with the sun on this side. This is the side that gets the most sun for the majority of the day. That was another thing that we wanted to do was make sure we didn't have windows that had sun coming in all day. And so when we positioned the house this way, this is the only window that gets sun. So we just added a little bit of covering to it.

Yeah, definitely helps with the AC bill.

Yes, it does. It keeps the heat down a little bit. Yeah. Well, let's go check out the rest of the house.

OK.

Oh, this is awesome. You even have stellar views in here too.

Yes. The bedroom, the master bedroom, we loved it because the room was so spacious, and it also has the view out the back.

I like this accent wall a lot.

Yeah. Again, this was in the palette from Sherwin-Williams, and we put that all together. One of the things about downsizing, going into a smaller home, was we weren't going to have office space anymore, because we weren't working anymore. I didn't need to work from home anymore. So now, it's just living area, where you're going to spend your time. Well, I need a little bit of somewhere to put computers and keep things like that. And so we were able, because this room is so big, comparatively speaking, we were able to just tuck our office stuff into this room.

It's like the first half is your bedroom, and the second half is your office.

And it doesn't cramp anything. It still feels really open.

Yeah, the ceiling helps with that too. Having this stepped ceiling, that makes it feel very tall and light and airy, and this is super soft carpet.

Yeah. This was a special Berber that I picked that I worked with Colton to find, that was special for the house. Because again, that was another one of the upgrades that I wanted to do.

Was have a soft place for your feet. That's nice, and then in here, we have your bathroom?

The master, yes. The master, the rest of the master suite.

Let's check it out. OK.

All right. OK. I see there's a tub missing in here. Tell me a little bit about that.

Yes, there is. So we decided that we didn't need a soaking tub. I wouldn't use it. We put a large swim spa outside.

Yeah. You don't need an indoor tub, when you have an outdoor one.

I didn't need one, and I really wanted to have the shower that we could just walk into and not have a door or anything. So we have this really large-- Yeah. That's really nice. I love the tile. the deco tile is really nice too. That's really pretty, plus the window for light.

Yes. So you do get some light in here, which was-- you're kind of in the back of the house, and you wanted that, so the window was very nice.

Yeah, and then you've got the dual vanities.

Yes, and that was another one of my upgrades that I wanted was to have this large piece of cabinetry in the middle, because I knew how much stuff I needed to put away in here.

Yeah. This is a huge space. You can make it a linen closet, extra storage, whatever you really need.

Exactly, and so we have the his and hers and then the large storage unit there.

Yeah, and then by removing that tub, did it make your closet bigger?

That's a mega closet.

Whoa, we love a mega closet.

It's wonderful.

Yeah, this is huge. This is awesome, tons of storage.

I added some of the shelving here, and then it has the bars that go all the way around it. We didn't even fill it up. So it's just been a wonderful closet, and it's perfect. Yeah. That's amazing. Well, let's go check out the other bedrooms.

OK.

Oh, this foyer is really nice.

Yeah. We brought some of our antiques. We brought newer Texas things into this space. I've heard people say, when they come in, it feels like a hug.

It is like a hug. You open the door, and you're just welcomed right in. It feels very homey.

You're like, oh, come on in. Let me hug you. Like thanks, foyer, I love it. And then back here, I like that you have the other bedrooms separate from the rest of the house.

Yes. So this side of the house is our guest side. I've had my daughters and grandchildren come here to visit. We have plenty of space, and then I was able-- in this room like I hung art from my family or from trips and things like that. So we just set this aside and don't use the space all the time. But then when you do have guests over, it feels very homey for them.

Absolutely.

It has familiar touches, and the windows are great in here too. And this side of the house probably stays a little bit more shaded. It does. It only gets the very last of the sun in the afternoon. And then the other thing-- and again, keeping with all of the airiness that we wanted in this model, we added back a window that was similar to the model in Georgetown that we had gone to see. So that we could have the cross breezes and all of the light and air in here also. Yeah. That's great, and then let's check out your other room.

OK.

OK. All right, third room, final room, nice little workout space.

Yes. So we live pretty far out in hill country. So we're about at least 15 minutes to the first gas station. So we weren't going to be able to get to a gym. Yeah. That's a bit of a haul.

Yes. Like we'll just create one in the house.

So we set this space aside, made it pretty simple for working out with weights and a little TV. And then we also put this futon in for more guests, if we have more family or friends coming to stay. We do have plenty of space for people.

Just extra room, plus you can come and hang out, read a book if you want to.

Yes. Absolutely.

That's really nice. All right. Well, let's go check out that back porch, because it's stellar, and I want to see more of it. OK.

All right. Oh, nice, shady porch.

Yes.

Tell me a little bit about this area.

So this back porch has the view. It has all the air, and one of our objectives was to be able, like I said, to live outside as much as we live inside, if we choose to. And so to that end, we added a 50-foot deck, along the side of the house, to join together the front and back porches. And I also have a swim spa, because I didn't want to do the whole pool thing.

Yeah. Well, and that's your outdoor tub. Right. Exactly, my outdoor tub. Yes.

Well, let's go back inside, get out of the heat a little bit, and then I'll get out of your hair.

Great. Thank you.

All right. Well, thank you so much for showing me around your house. This has been amazing. I love how homey it is here.

We just love it. We were very happy with everything with Tilson, and the house is absolutely perfect. It's exactly what we wanted. It's our forever retirement dream home.

I love to hear that. That makes me so happy, and you definitely have made it feel like that. If you can't beat this-- you can't beat this view for anything, and this is definitely the epitome of a dream home.

Yes. Absolutely.

Well, thank you so much. Well, thank you.

I really appreciate it, and thank all of you as well for joining us for this episode of Tilson Live, and we hope to someday soon make you part of the Tilson family.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

By positioning the house at the top of the hill, Tony and Lenore were able to create a home that not only offers stunning views from every window but also blends in with the natural surroundings. They customized the exterior of the home to be board and batten, giving it a farmhouse look. On the rear of the home is a small covered porch, which opens onto a custom porch complete with a hot tub that they added after their home was complete.

When you enter the welcoming foyer, you'll notice the two guest bedrooms to the left and a spacious kitchen and family room to the right. The home is a split floor plan, with the master bedroom located off the other side of the family room. This design provides privacy and separation, which is especially useful for entertaining guests or accommodating extended family stays.

Lenore chose customizations including a warm-toned color palette with accent walls, tall ceilings, and plenty of storage space throughout the home. The living room is the heart of the home and boasts large windows with stunning views of the hill country. Additional windows were added to the primary bedroom to allow for light and air without excessive sun during the day. In the master bathroom, Lenore and Tony removed the bathtub that comes standard with the plan and opted instead for a large walk-in shower and extra-large closet. The walk-in shower provides a spa-like experience, and the extra-large closet makes organizing and storing items a breeze.

Building a customized home is an exciting process that involves various decisions, from the floor plan to the aesthetic details. Lenore and Tony's San Gabriel plan is an excellent example of how a home can be personalized to meet the individual needs and preferences of its owners. From maximizing the views to creating a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, their home is a testament to the power of personalization and attention to detail.