Texas Regional Design

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Our clients selected Cross Pines, a preserve-type wilderness, land development in East Texas near Mineola as the place to build their vacation cabin. Cross Pines has a mix of forested land, meadows, and a chain of fishing lakes. Our clients love the “preserve” concept. Most of the land is held in common and open to all the owners who purchase one to two acres on which to build a house. A majority of the home sites are tucked into the wooded areas on higher ground and are hidden by the trees creating privacy. An equestrian center, stable, and miles of riding trails are amenities of Cross Pines which were desired by our clients who are horse owners. They purchased a beautiful wooded site overlooking a pond.

 

We worked with our clients to create a master plan for a compound. The master plan is U-shaped; the wings of the U come out to meet you upon arrival and form an entry courtyard. On the rear side of the U-shape, the site slopes down through the woods to the pond. Looking at the front, the left wing of the compound is the guest cottage.  It has a living room, with kitchenette, in the center with a bedroom suite at each end. The center bar of the U is the main house with a large living/dining area, eat-in kitchen, loft, game room, office, master bedroom suite, two additional bedroom suites, a large covered porch with a fireplace, and a screen porch.  Opposite the guest house, the right wing, is a three car garage with a bunk room above. The house is required by deed restrictions to be no more than 5000 square feet of air conditioned space.

 

Just the guest house has been built so far. It is a Texas regional porch house made of Texas limestone with a metal seam roof. It has a single gable with the ridge running the length of the plan. A kicked out shed roof forms a porch on the front and another forms a screen porch on the rear.

One of the bedroom suites has a sleeping loft up in the garret accessed by a ladder. The other suite has a rolling barn type door to screen off the bathroom and dressing area. Timbers and timber trusses have been added to the walls and cathedral ceiling to give the illusion of timber frame construction.

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Regards, Richard Drummond Davis Architects