30th Annual WCCC Home Tour

Engineered to withstand any future flooding event, Steel Heron is built on two levels. The first is where the couple's first home was built over 37 years ago and where they raised their two sons. Because of insurance and adjusted flood plain building regulations, living areas can no longer be at that elevation. Now, that floor consists of several open spaces that will be used for entertaining, Pam's art studio, storage and garage, all created from the remains of the original home. The outlines of the former walls in the foundation of the original home are still visible in the polished concrete floors on that level.
The new living space is approximately 2,200 square feet, with three bedrooms, two baths and an office. Donn has carried his background in commercial design into his personal home, with touches including Reglet reveal trim, a smooth baseboard treatment with a subtle notch and other finishes normally used in commercial buildings. On the side of the home facing the creek and river, walls of windows look out onto the waterfront through massive trees. The large main space includes open kitchen/living/dining space and a unique movable wall to separate the living and master sleeping area.
To ensure full accessibility and convenience for the owners and their guests, an elevator was installed at the downstairs entry to the home. Two outdoor stairways, one at the front of the home and one at the back, provide multiple ways to access the living space upstairs. The front gate is a piece of art in itself. Primarily steel and wood, the door pivots into the first-floor space under the home. A substantial piece of a Cypress tree trunk reclaimed from the flood is the focal point of the gate and the front of the home itself.
While steel is used as a design accent, including the backsplash in the kitchen, Cypress trees downed in the flood provide dramatic focal points. The Sell Design Group of Wimberley designed and built the kitchen cabinetry as well as the hall light treatment: a horizontal slice of Cypress salvaged from the flood, backlit and with directional art lighting below. The final touch is embedded in the wood flooring below: another slice of the same Cypress trunk.

Angels' Wings...

   one of the homes featured in the 2017 Home Tour, was one of the many homes affected by the 2015 Memorial Day Flood. The main structure survived the historic flood although it was surrounded by the rising waters which destroyed the areas underneath the home.
The home has been in the family since 1965, then an 800 square foot getaway cabin with no central air conditioning and a screened porch. In 2010, owners Alyson and Jerry Waldron remodeled the house to make it "the best they could dream" given building restrictions and site limitations. They added a much-needed bedroom with a view, a bath and energy-efficient windows and insulation, transforming the tiny cabin into a full-time oasis.
The transformation was engineered by David Price P.E., designed and decorated by Alyson, and built by Evans Construction. The engineer required the Waldrons to include hurricane straps on the existing foundation as the structure was not attached to the foundation piers. "I was upset because this was not a budgeted expense. I actually ended throwing a little fit about it," says Alyson. She adds: "Of course, after the flood, I called the engineer and thanked him profusely because we wouldn't have a home otherwise. The power of the water would have moved everything and probably forced our home off the piers."
Floodwaters ravaged the areas underneath the house including the garage, laundry room, insulation, air conditioning, the home's septic system and septic field. Those repairs have been completed and now, in their restored spaces, the Waldrons continue to enjoy their compact nest and the design touches that reflect Alyson's art and design sense. The house is filled with antique lighting details and paintings inspired by her family and scenes of the Wimberley landscape and lifestyle. Alyson started oil painting in 2013 and her art work, primarily portraits, is displayed throughout the house.
After the flood, Alyson said the downed trees looked like angels wings on each side of the house. The owners feel their family and friends have been angels that protected them during and after the flood. "Our daughter, Shelby, woke me up, and when I saw how high the water was rising, we left," Alyson noted. "I give her the credit for keeping me safe and perhaps saving my life." After the flood many individuals and groups have supported the Waldrons through the recovery and rebuilding phase. Alyson said: "The outpouring of support after the floods to help us get back on our feet was overwhelming."