In 1969, a couple commissioned celebrated Dallas architect Bud Oglesby to design a home for their family on a sloping, wooded site overlooking a ravine and creek. Oglesby created a home that angled around the creek, affording views and light with big stretches of window walls.
Years later, the original owners befriended Dallas architect Bruce Bernbaum and his wife, Cindy, who spent many hours at the house and came to know its charms. Bernbaum even had informal conversations with the homeowners about plans to renovate and expand the house.
After decades of living in the house, though, the original owners opted to sell. Their wish? That the new owners respect the home’s design — and that they use Bernbaum for any renovations.
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The new owners happily complied, and Bernbaum updated the house, adding a master suite, creating a new entry, and expanding the family room, all honoring the original Oglesby style.
The original entryway didn’t make the kind of visual impression the new homeowners wanted, so Bernbaum created a new entry by enclosing a breezeway between the detached garage and the house. A new glass-pyramid-topped entry pavilion adds to the home’s indoor-outdoor appeal. The architect matched the home’s original glazed brick flooring for the new entry, which overlooks the backyard. The original wood entry door was reused as the door to the garage on the right.
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Little was done to the original living room, which already had unobstructed views of a creek and ravine and was spacious enough for large parties. The oak floors were refinished, and a shade was added to the window on the right for sun control. The owners handled their own interiors, choosing a mix of antique and contemporary pieces with an eye for comfort.
A small sitting room and terrace at the back of the house were expanded to create a larger family room with a new fireplace; it connects to the pool terrace for indoor-outdoor entertaining. The painted tongue and groove ceiling and cedar beams were matched to the originals, and custom windows were field fabricated by the builder and include two doors that slide open behind the fireplace.
The raised dining room was opened up by replacing a low, solid wall on the right with a glass railing.
The existing kitchen was functional, but the new homeowners saw opportunities to update the space. They added new cabinetry and appliances and a new island and swapped the location of the fridge and stove.
A new master suite addition replicates the original home’s crisp interior lines and use of glass to capture views. The master bath also has views of the landscape and of a tree house built for the owners’ grandchildren.
The architect found more of the home’s original brick for the addition at a brickyard in Waco. “We were aiming for a seamless transition,” says Bernbaum. “You can’t tell where the original house ends and the new addition starts.”
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The raised dining room was opened up by replacing a low, solid wall on the right with a glass railing.
