Esperanza Ranch

Cypress lined creeks and fertile pastures are prized commodities in the Texas Hill Country. When choosing the site, a decision was made to keep a respectful distance from both and build on an oak studded stone outcropping at the confluence of the two.

Equal care and consideration were given to adopting a regional architectural vocabulary. The compound is nestled within the oak trees, and a squat stone spring house emerges at a pedestrian gate along the edge of the gravel road to announce the entrance. The main structure is a well-proportioned stone building with a formal porch inspired by the refined Architecture introduced to the region by mid-19th century German emigrants. The porch is the symbolic entrance to the house and an axis established with the center pair of doors aligns with an old swimming hole to the east. This axis extends west to embrace a series of support buildings that maintain the scale and materials of local farm and ranch buildings.

One enters the house from the front porch into a large living room. Opposite and on axis with the front door is a portal leading to a wood framed structure containing the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the house, with a screened in dining porch overlooking the creek to the south and a herb garden to the north. Continuing on axis to the west, a second stone building containing the bedrooms runs parallel to the main structure. A central stair hall extends the axis through the back door to the gravel motor Court where vehicles are tucked away, and a series of agrarian inspired buildings house additional amenities.