Confession: I’ve had my eye on this one for a few months.
It occupies a commanding hilltop lot in River Hills, easily my favorite new neighborhood just west of Overton Woods. River Hills is the locus of many high-end, well-executed, traditional-style houses, but there are some first-rate residences of modern design.
However, by any measure, 3736 Aviemore Drive is a stunning stand-out even by the high standards of River Hills.
I was graciously given a guided tour of the property by Trenton Laird, master builder and impresario of The Construction Group LLC, which has an impressive portfolio of residential and commercial projects under their belt.
In fact, I’m amazed that their work has evaded notice at Daltxrealestate.com until now. Laird, who thinks this is his 40th house, is polite and modest, making certain to share credit with his team. Given his rigorous attention to every detail of construction, he’s surprisingly relaxed and low key.
When I caught up with Laird, he was supervising Herr Helmut Paffrath from the Dusseldorf area of Germany who was finishing up the installation of the splendid Bulthaup kitchen cabinets. The kitchen has a roster of appliances of the first rank personally selected by Trenton Laird including Gaggenau ovens and Miele refrigerators. There is a coffee bar tucked in a corner with two refrigerated doors.
The following pictures are photo renderings of the finished house.
My visit with Mr. Laird was an education in exotic, modern materials and construction techniques. Materials include substantial board form concrete walls, Sapele wood — a species of mahogany, and shou sugi ban wood — a Japanese technique using charring to strengthen and weatherize wood.
Laird worked with the architecture firm Official Design in Dallas, but it’s clear that the vision is all Laird’s.
“I wanted a Texas Vernacular modern-style house that fully takes advantage of the lot,” Laird said.
The siting is spectacular — on a perch overlooking never-to-be-built-on land with mature trees is oriented to capture dazzling sunsets.
Attention to detail is obsessive, down to the plugs and switchplates — all recessed to be flush with the walls. Three TV screens, hidden in the ceiling, descend when in use and offer 8K resolution.
The mechanical room looks like it could power a high-rise building. My note-taking couldn’t keep pace with the description of the many custom features such as the sophisticated water heater and filtration system and the 15 HVAC zones — one for each room. When we pass through the workout room, Laird remarks on the heated floors conducive to yoga.
“Oh, so you could do Bikram yoga in here?” I jest.
“I could have this room at 90 degrees Fahrenheit in five minutes,” Laird deadpans.
It’s easy to get distracted by all of the bells and whistles and low-key luxury materials and finishes, but one is principally awed by the overwhelming impression of brilliantly managed space.
Quality Quantum Windows, many floor-to-ceiling sliding on tracks, invite the outdoors inside. In fact, the line between indoors and outdoors has been intentionally blurred with identical flooring used on the interior and exterior.
The four-bedroom, nine-and-one-half bath Texas vernacular modern has nearly 8,000 square feet of interior space and a bonus 1,600 square feet are under the overhanging roof, creating more ambiguity between indoors and outdoors.
Sapele slatted sunshades on parallel tracks can slide closed for privacy.
A large infinity pool defines the lower level. There is a garage accommodating four cars. Naturally, the doors are custom, made by Renlita, which specializes in industrial, heavy-duty doors like airplane hangar doors.
The house is still between two and three months from completion, but there is already an interstate bidding war on the property. Laird keeps mum on pricing.
“Just say it will sell for more than $1,000 per square foot,” Laird said, hedging.
