I don’t always get to do nice things for nice people, but when I do, I like to make it about me. Over a decade ago, I was looking for a rental and came across a special little house in Little Forest Hills near White Rock Lake.
Now back then I was an idiot and thought, no curbs?? I don’t know about this place… But I reached out. Turns out the landlord was an architect by the name of Lou Simmons. As in architect and design-build firm NeatBuilt.
You see, two years earlier, Simmons bought this cute little house on Daytonia, gutted it, took down most of the walls, and made it one massive living space with a loft. Here’s the kicker – He was still completing the renovation when he decided to follow his girlfriend, now-wife Lynn Bossange to Boston. As in, he never got to live in this sincerely gorgeous, well-designed, personal, and thoughtful space he built for himself. Instead, he trusted it to his new tenant – me. A single gal obsessed with her cat.
The Details Blend In
He gave me a tour of the space and pointed out seriously so many details that I would have overlooked.
The outlets were black and tucked neatly into the dark oak baseboards. The windows were situated in a way that you could see out, but neighbors couldn’t see in. The refrigerator hid behind two sliding panels of Douglas fir that could be closed when company came over and the stackable washer and dryer had a similar set of panels. The shower was lined with sheets of gray rubber and I know that sounds weird, but it was so cool. The more you showered, the more they — well, whatever rubber’s version of “patina” is — they did that. He added a minimal cabinet that runs the length of the primary wall and a deck that runs the length of the home.
Simmons even relocated the front door to the side behind the coolest metal gridded gate. It was to date the coolest place I’ve ever lived.
Eventually, Simmons and Bossange moved back to Dallas and finally, FINALLY got to live in this amazing space he designed and remodeled himself. One quick note I forgot to mention: It was a three-bedroom that he remodeled down to a one-bedroom, one-bath. And they’ve lived there. Together. For over a decade. And managed to not murder one another. A FEAT.
But they decided it was time for more space. I mean, Bossange has paid her dues in the one-and-one. Now Simmons is almost done with their new dream house. A house that sits a few blocks away on Santa Clara.
From the street, the elevation of Santa Clara pretty much looks the same. It blends with the cute, quirky neighborhood. It’s not a big white box, it’s not a McMansion, it doesn’t fill every centimeter of the lot. And yet, it’s just over 2,700 square feet. In the main house. It’s a two story, but again, from the street, you’d never know it.
Simmons maximized the lot, for sure. But he did it thoughtfully. Instead of a big backyard, there’s a wraparound yard with most of the space on the side.
He brought back his idea of a deck that runs along the exterior of the house, but this time the front door stayed in the front. Now it wraps to the back of the original house where the addition begins. It creates a little cove that’s perfect for the housewarming party I’ll insist they throw.
There’s an incredible deck upstairs in the back that connects to a studio apartment (back house, guest quarters, whatever you want to call it). It is its own little home with everything you need — kitchen, bathroom, private entrance, aforementioned killer balcony …
Inside, where do I even start?
The floors are polished concrete, but not like that. They’ve been ground down so you see the color variation of the stones and will ultimately have a matte finish. It has a Terrazzo look.
Instead of a few steps connecting the original house to the addition, there’s a very gently sloped ramp that will be glass on one side and look out to the elm tree they saved and built around. As for the ramp, that ties into what Simmons said that’s the latest buzzword — aging in place. As Simmons and Bossange grow old on Santa Clara and their cartilage gives out (she says hers will go soon thanks to running), they don’t have to climb any steps. Everything they need is on the main floor. The upstairs has two bedrooms and an office. The floorplan is largely open but has a very defined space.
There’s one detail I cannot get over and it’s going to be a beast to describe it so just look at the picture, but here we go. When you step in the front door, you’re in the living room with all the built-in cabinets and recessed space for a TV that you can handle. To the left, there’s what looks like the narrowest hallway. It separates the living, dining, and kitchen, but here’s the killer part. There’s a window at the front of the house and one in the wall of that little hallway. But why? Well, that’s so if you’re in the kitchen doing dishes you can turn, look through the pantry, out the hall and front windows, AND SEE WHO’S AT THE FRONT DOOR. I lost my mind on that one.
Another detail from the original Daytonia house that showed up here? Lower light switches. All the light switches are set at the same height as a standard doorknob. TO REDUCE VISUAL CLUTTER. And also, because that just makes sense. You just have to reach out at a common height to do all the things. Now I knew that, right? Simmons taught me years ago, but I can’t tell you how many homes I’ve toured and said Why are these switches so low?! If you’ve ever exclaimed it yourself, now you know.
Bossange has a pretty impressive design eye, too. She added an arched niche in the dining room wall for mirrors, art, or sculpture. Or more likely a bar. (Her words!!) The color palette of the house is neutral, a mix of white oak, shades of terracotta, and desert-y greens. She picked the matte terracotta tile for the primary bathroom from Riad tile.
But maybe most impressive is her patience. They started this project in 2020. It took two years and her persistence to get the permits from the city. It’s a true team effort and thanks to it, in 2024, they will finally get to call Santa Clara home.
You can keep tabs on the finish-out of this Santa Clara project on Instagram. (And if you want one for yourself, you can hire him for your next project, too.
Post Script
Simmons has a lot of passion for residential setbacks — a block, neighborhood, or city’s minimum distance that a home can be set from the property line, most prominently seen in front yards and home facade setbacks.
When Little Forest Hills was first developed in the 1940s, the setbacks were 35 feet. They were probably even advertised by the original developers as a desirable feature of the neighborhood. Somewhere along the way, they became 25 feet.
But it’s something big home builders (and buyers) probably don’t often consider. There’s an impact when you tear down an original home and replace it with a larger home that’s set 10 more feet forward. If you build on every possible inch of your lot – it causes rain runoff issues for you and your neighborhood streets. And yes, if you’re next door to an original home set back 35 feet and your new home is 10 feet closer to the street, it’s obvious in not a great way. Plus, it totally eclipses the OG homes, and that really stinks.
But we as homebuyers can’t know what we don’t know. We see something and assume it’s a-okay, but down the road, we know better. So maybe, we can, as homebuyers, renovators, builders, and neighbors, consider the impact our homes have on the feel of a neighborhood. When Simmons set out to expand the home on Santa Clara, he really wanted to prove that you can create a large, modern home that’s ridiculously gorgeous and make it so that it still belongs.
