This new concoction in Briardale, just steps from the corner of San Felipe and Sage, isn’t your ordinary farmhouse-themed Tuscan-style mansion. No, this home is loaded up with actual materials snatched from actual old buildings in Europe! Among the repurposed Yurpian booty: limestone floors and stone surrounds from France, 19th century doors from a palazzo in Florence, and an 18th century stone sink. Plus plenty of antique brick from Chicago. A stone-vault-like Powder Room affords a relaxed, yet secure environment for guest excretions.
Completed just last year, the home was built by Burton Construction — best known locally for its not-so-Tuscan work at CityCentre — for the family of the company’s founder, Brad Burton. But the Burtons are now ready to sell, if one of you is willing to cough up the $3.5 million asking price. Here’s what you get:
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The 7,783-sq.-ft. poolside expanse features 4 or 5 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths, and an “unbelievable” 3-car attached garage, which isn’t pictured in the listing. It all fits on a 14,468-sq.-ft. lot just beyond the morning shadows of Four Leaf Towers.
- 5111 Huckleberry Cir. [HAR]
Everything seems so… heavy. Have to say though, other than the over-the-top nature, the bad interior pant color and the 3 street facing car carriages, this isn’t actually that bad compared to 99% of the stuff in the 77056/77024 new build category.
This is the closest to Tuscan in the city. Looks good and very comfortable.
Hmmm Yes I could live here! It is cozy, textural and calm.
That closet – omg! – I could live in just that space!
But the trouble with such thematic interiors is that your furnishings have to coordinate with it. Certainly none of your prized artwork could ever hang in there. You’ll probably feel your wardrobe isn’t quite right for the house. And your dumb dog doesn’t quite fit in either. (The cat under the pool table looks nervous.) It’s just too much stress to match your surroundings.
Well, I’m always wondering about anything like this, a new home, in it for a year……why do they want to sell?
What’s the problem? It’s obviously not that they can’t make the payments.
So what’s wrong? Upgrade?
Nothing has that old world charm like a triple front-loader…
So because somebody uses high end materials and it’s in 77056, all of a sudden Swamplotters go toot toot for Tuscan puffs?
Ridiculous.
From Bobby Hadley:
So because somebody uses high end materials and it’s in 77056, all of a sudden Swamplotters go toot toot for Tuscan puffs?
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Not I. Tuscan Tacky is Tuscan Tacky no matter what the zip code is.
Oh, how many times, after taking a crap and heading to put on my socks, have I wanted a place to swoon?
wilf–I spit out my Shiner on that!
Too funny. I am laughing out loud for real and the male in this house is wondering why.
I wondered about that day bed in the dressing room and wanted to comment but…well….I didn’t want to seem so uninformed.
Is that a trend now?
Aren’t the nouveau-riche done with “Tuscan” yet? Time for a new trend…
Typically, furniture in a closet/dressing room becomes a place to throw clothes you don’t feel like hanging back up — kinda like that treadmill in your bedroom.
But in this house, it’s left on the daybed for the maid. The owner just might break a fingernail hanging that Chanel back up. She would have no time for doing such petty tings! Esperanza, bring me my cocktail! :-)
Though I so want to live in this house just for a couple of days, walking around all day in chain maille and a Viking helmet.
Bet that would help sell the house…NOT!
Take away some of the arches and change the roof and you have something you might find in the Texas hill country. I agree, the inside looks very cozy. Just missing a few strategically placed animal heads on the walls.
Bottom line is that we have seen worse houses with higher prices on Swamplot. Conversely, we have seen much better, smaller, cheaper and more sustainable houses, too. For those scoring this house at home, they earn points for decent interpretation of Tuscan, extensive use of non-drywall walls and ceiling, having a fewer than 4 car garage, and being able to walk to RDG/Bar Annie. They lose points for excessive size,questionable placement of swooning furniture, and faux sustainability (recycled materials are god, but not if they were appropriated from 18th and 19th century french and italian villas and shipped here…). I give it a B-
Trust me, I think this place is rather tacky and over the top. That said it’s hardly worth the ridicule compared to recent new builds in that area. Check out Kuhlman St in Hunter’s Creek for some real charmers.
That said, I think at 7,700 square feet, this was just the starter home. These folks are now moving up from a Juliet Balcony to a Repunzel Tower… I mean, really, where’s the stone encased wine vault? What about a sports court for the boys? And everyone needs quarters!
From PYEWACKET2:
Well, I’m always wondering about anything like this, a new home, in it for a year……why do they want to sell?
What’s the problem? It’s obviously not that they can’t make the payments.
So what’s wrong? Upgrade?
PYE, the Burton’s are getting a divorce, so I believe it’s safe to assume that is why the house is on the market. Sucks, because looks like a pretty cool house and they didn’t get to live in it for long.
Building a home is one of the biggest divorce-inducing stressors.
The investment of time & money, cooperating & committing to a shared goal… nearly impossible, unfortunately.
The problem I have with most of these “Tuscan villas” is they are more Santa Barbara, recent Santa Barbara, than Tuscany.
Santa Barbara = Southampton, Matt?
Well at least Matt hasn’t lost his head.
Could not agree more re: Santa Barbara.
From Mies:
Santa Barbara = Southampton, Matt?
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Please. This crap would last two seconds in The Hamptons before someone tossed the molotov cocktails.
I am a Realtor here in Houston and I am sick of looking at all the faux Tuscan style homes. Most of the buyers who purchase these homes don’t seem to know the difference between prefab cabinets from China much less whether the doors were imported from Europe. This home has a quality finish-out, but the way it relates to the lot kills it for me. Why can’t these homes be built on larger lots? This is Houston, we all know there are plenty of homes that could be plowed down to allow room for a more attractive carriage house.