Posted: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 10:34 AM - 9,721 Readers
By: Nicole Villalpando
Brad and Vickie Gilbert loved their neighborhood in the Westlake area so much, they bought the house across the street from where they raised their children. They dismantled the house, gave its parts to Habitat for Humanity and built a 5,083-square-foot contemporary home on Lake Austin.
Brad Gilbert is a former University of Texas running back and the younger brother of former UT running back Chris Gilbert. Today, Brad Gilbert is the national manager of government lending for Comerica Bank. In the past he's been a home builder, so taking on a two-year project like this one was fun for him and for Vickie.
They built the home at 2913 Westlake Cove for themselves but also to sell it. Even though they only moved in last November, the Gilberts are ready for their next home project and have put the house on the market for $4.35 million with Kathryn Scarborough Bechtol of Turnquist Partners, Realtors.
"We poured ourselves into it," Brad Gilbert says, "but we'll be happy to see people enjoy it."
The Gilberts enlisted the help of architect David Manning, builder Michael Rivera and interior designer Kimble Bonamici to complete their vision.
The Gilberts were very hands-on. Brad Gilbert took a trip to Lueders, near Abilene, to hand-select the limestone for the exterior. They also chose Brazilian redwood for the eaves and a standing-seam metal roof, making the exterior relatively maintenance-free.
From the front, the house is unassuming. Enter a courtyard by the garages to find the front door. Once inside, the views explode from room to room. Glass walls at the back of the house open up and fold in on themselves to turn the house into an outdoor space. The house has more than 100 linear feet of folding doors by NanaWall Systems.
It's amazingly peaceful on this part of Lake Austin. The house sits across from Austin Museum of Art \u2013 Laguna Gloria, providing the feel of a nature preserve.
A stacked Lueders limestone wall in the living room extends to the outside space. Along this wall, a massive fireplace sits inside, a carved out fireplace outside.
Slate floors with black marble tile insets flow throughout the public spaces. On the other side of the living room is the dining area.
Nearby, the kitchen and family room create one large space, but mahogany pocket panels can separate the rooms if needed.
The kitchen offers a large island with multiple sinks, a Thermador range and Sub-Zero refrigerator. A butler's pantry concealed behind a wood panel in the kitchen provides a bar with glass cabinets, an icemaker, wine refrigerator and second dishwasher.
The family room offers a fireplace with a marble surround.
An ionized pool sits between the living room and the family room outside. The Gilberts terraced the backyard to provide flat areas that step down to the double-slip boat dock. The dock is the only thing that remains of the original house. It was two stories, but the Gilberts opted to take it down to a single story to preserve the view of the lake from the house. They topped the dock's roof with slate tiles.
The home's master suite is on the opposite side of the house from the living room but still faces the lake. A large bedroom with koa wood floors is separated from the bathroom by a hallway that could double as a library. The black-and-white master bathroom is massive, with his-and-her walk-in showers, vanities, closets and toilet areas with remote-controlled Toto Neorest toilets. In the center of the room, the bathtub was hand-carved out of a single slab of marble. It sits on what looks a rug of marble tiles.
Both of the closets offer built-in drawers. Her closet offers a window, and his has a drop-down, remote-controlled staircase that leads to a loft that could be finished to be an exercise room. His closet also has a door to the garage, a sort of Batman Batcave exit.
On the other side of the house, stairs lead to the three bedrooms upstairs. Each bedroom offers a walk-in closet, full bathroom and balcony. The third bedroom faces the lake and offers a double balcony.
This portion of the second story can be closed off when not in use, then opened up again when guests come to town. One of the garages was built so it could be adapted into a second master bedroom downstairs.
In planning this house, the Gilberts chose many renewable resources. "We wanted to do the right thing," Brad Gilbert says. "We were very careful to use products that were friendly to the environment."
The house also features four 20 SEER air-conditioning units.
"We made it to be something we would like," Vickie Gilbert says. "We thought if we like it, others would, too."
The Gilberts have had a lot of interest in the house and have a contract pending on it.
nvillalpando@statesman.com; 912-5900
