- 215 Avenue of Oaks St. [HAR]
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Homes for Sale
The house at 1514 Banks St., which Karen Lantz designed for herself and her husband a few years back, just hit the market this weekend for a cool $2.5 million. After deconstructing the previous house on the Ranch Estates lot piece-by-piece for reuse, Lantz made a point of sourcing as much of the new building’s materials as possible from American manufacturers — and got most of the way there. The 3-or-4-bedroom home, nicknamed the Down and Up House by Lantz (and the (Almost) All-American Home by Mimi Swartz), contains both an extensive basement level and an upstairs patio terrace; its energy-conscious design (including solar paneling and solar water heating) bagged it a LEED Platinum certification.
Above, you can listen to architectural historian Stephen Fox narrate a walkthrough video of the house and its design process; below, you can look through the house at your own pace, starting with the spiky xeriscaping and poolside edible gardens:
High and Low in Ranch Estates
- 28319 Lazy Rock Dr. [HAR]
- 3519 Robinhood St. [HAR]
- 4411 Oleander St. [HAR]
This 3-story Georgian  rolls out the red carpet at the corner of River Oaks Blvd. and Del Monte Dr.  Its 16,931 sq. ft. include a flexible 6-to-9 bedrooms, 10 full baths, and 5 half baths.  Built in 1939 on a 1.02 acre lot, this house premiered on the market in mid-October of 2015 at the price of $16.95 million.
Ready for a close-up?
For Your Consideration
- 6610 Kendall Creek Dr. [HAR]
Don’t let the sharp exterior angles fool you —this Harvest Moon Ln. home now on the market in Ashwood Forest is well-rounded in its interior decor. This 1966 home includes a uniquely appointed master suite, complete with period-appropriate fireplace (visible just to the right of the railing, above) and featuring extensive slate tiling. Sold in 2011 for a little under $275,000, this 2754-sq.-ft. house boasts 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and 2 half baths; the price on the home and all of its updates has since risen to around $456,000.
Bathroom’s on the Right
- 1516 Kirby Dr. [HAR]
Originally listed in December at $167,000, this 5-bedroom, 3-bath, and 1-half-bath home features dramatic avian motifs and a few eye catching finishes, like the mirrored doors above.  As for the occasional bit of unfinished cabinetry or unpapered wall — just unhatched potential, which the listing says is reflected in the price. After a couple will-they-won’t-they under-contract periods and a price drop down to $159,900, the house is now free as a bird and back up on the market at $165,000. The 1972 home offers easy access to FM 1960, just a few miles east of Willowbrook Mall.
The second floor balcony overlooks the front yard:
Champions Roosts
- 5501 Tilbury Dr. [HAR]
- 9202 Hudson Ct. [HAR]
- 3719 Darcus St. [HAR]
- 5312 Valerie St. [HAR]
- 93 Grand Regency Cir. [HAR]
