LEED The Way

Efficient University Park spec home doesn't sacrifice style for sustainability

Covered and large, the patio extends from the living room.

Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday Realtors

Green living and earth-friendly updates are real estate buzz words, but few homes go all out when it comes to truly innovative improvements. This new 5,056-square-foot home at 4428 Greenbrier Dr., listed for $1,798,000 by Ebby Realtor Victoria Barr de Quinones, offers impressive LEED qualifications.

Designed to minimize energy usage, it features a foam exterior building envelope, Pella windows that reduce solar heat gain, variable speed HVAC, and more. All this energy efficiency recently resulted in electric bills of $198 to $257 per month to keep this home at a constant 72 degrees throughout the fiery Texas summer.

It's also a spec home, so builder Nest Homes is ready to make any changes a buyer may want. And should the new homeowner want official LEED certification, the builder is happy to apply for that too.

In addition to its energy perks, the four-bedroom, three-bath home boasts a modern interior packed with high-end amenities.

There's a “cloud ceiling” that appears to float over the kitchen island and connects with a cabinet wall, bringing visual separation from the dining area for a contained but thoroughly open kitchen. The recessed LED rope lighting brightens and focuses the eye to the space, and, bonus, LED means you won’t be changing bulbs for at least 10 years.

Off the kitchen with its wealth of gadgetry is the less formal family room, not to be confused with the bonus/play room in the rear of the home on the second floor. A bank of French doors leads out to the covered patio, which could become an outdoor entertaining space if the builder continues the travertine flooring.

Bathrooms sell homes, and the master is grand with wood floors; backlit mirrors; and graphic stone tile, like the chevron pattern in the shower and behind the bathtub.

Natural materials are used throughout to enrich the home, including travertine tile on the ground floor, birch flooring upstairs, Brazilian chestnut walls in the study and great room, and yards of maple in the cabinetry.

Modern technology, of course, hasn’t been ignored. The home’s main systems, including HVAC, lights, and alarms, can be programmed remotely, adding a little control to your hectic life.

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A version of this story originally was published on Candy's Dirt.

An airy landing at the top of the stairs.

Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday Realtors

An airy landing at the top of the stairs.

home-for-sale sustainability

Coworking News

Dallas' Longhorn Ballroom unveils new renovated coworking studio space

Longhorn Ballroom

Dallas' famed Longhorn Ballroom music venue has unveiled a newly renovated multi-use building — located across the courtyard from the Ballroom at 200 Corinth St. — that's open for creative types in the fields of entertainment, restaurant, and the arts.

The Longhorn Ballroom was built in 1950 for country music legend Bob Wills and this Texas Playboys and was originally named Bob Wills’ Ranch House. It was managed for a time by Jack Ruby, then Dewey Groom who renamed it the Longhorn Ballroom and built it into one of the greatest venues of its day, hosting Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Pasty Cline, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, James Brown, Al Green, Johnny Rodriguez, Freddy Fender and Selena.

This newly renovated building was originally constructed in 1950 as part of the Ranch House, where it served as a motel for touring musicians and according to a release, is rumored to have sheltered Wills' horse "Punkin."

You could office here. Longhorn Ballroom coworking space.Longhorn Ballroom

The two-story 26,000-square-foot building offers co-working spaces for entertainment professionals, attorneys, and managers. There are five 1-2 person offices available, along with a limited number of residential live-work studios for artists. There are also several small restaurant spaces available for "culinary creatives."

The largest available area — a former recording studio — could be transformed into a space for audio, film, or post-production work.

There is also a common area and kitchen, plus plentiful parking. Internet and utilities are included. Rates depend on space rented.

"As an entertainment attorney, there’s no better place for my practice than the Oficina co-work space at the Longhorn," says Decker Sachse, a current tenant. "It’s a great location with easy access and my clients love the vibe."

In the fall, the Longhorn will complete its third and final phase with the opening of a 6,500-capacity outdoor amphitheater along the banks of the original Trinity River. Called The Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater, it will host a series of soft opening shows this fall, starting with Randy Rogers on September 20. A grand opening with a full calendar of events will commence in the spring of 2026, providing the city with a state-of-the-art outdoor venue one mile south of downtown Dallas.

concerts openings