RESORT ON THE RANGE

RUSTIC TOUCHES PAY HOMAGE TO A MODERN ESTATE’S FARMHOUSE ROOTS IN BONTERRA DESIGN BUILD’S MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT YET.

About 20 minutes outside of Austin, local firm Bonterra Design Build is transforming a former ranch into a resort-like estate with everything from a freestanding gym to a private vineyard for its well-traveled owners while still staying true to the property’s roots.

In addition to building a 1,200-squarefoot gym and an outdoor tennis pavilion/ media center, Bonterra’s Austin and Brooke Pitner and architect Tornbjerg Design replaced the original homestead into a two-bedroom guesthouse complete with a full kitchen. They updated the main house with touches that include a large Ipe deck with an integrated 52-jet hot tub and outdoor kitchen, and they updated the pool as well. Now in phase three of the project, Bonterra is converting the old barn into a facility for winemaking and recreation as well as storing antique cars.

Although the owners wanted to modernize the estate and preferred a

clean aesthetic, they integrated rustic touches throughout, such as the reclaimed wood from an 1800s Pennsylvania barn used in the beams in the main house and gym. And, on top of it all, the property is still a working farm, with chickens, goats, and turkeys, and a private vineyard featuring Sangiovese grapes is being developed with the help of Southern Landscapes.

In one day, the owners can collect fresh eggs for breakfast; work out in the professional gym and rinse off in the locker room before relaxing in the hot tub; play a round of tennis; check on the grapes in the vineyard; and cook dinner on the deck while taking in a Hill Country sunset.

It’s Bonterra’s most ambitious project to date and an exciting one at that. “Everything we do is very focused on attention, because we are selective of the projects,” say Brooke Pitner. The tennis pavilion caters to the passion of one of the homeowners, who played the sport in college, and a hidden door creates an intimate writing space for both owners, who are accomplished writers.

Adds Austin Pitner: “We would much rather be involved with great clients than a really attractive project, because we want every experience to be awesome for us and the clients.”

“THE CLIENTS WANTED TO UPDATE WITH MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND AMENITIES YET STILL KEEP THE FARM-RANCH FEEL.” —BROOKE PITNER