So, we’ve broken a few temperature records lately. Is anyone keeping score of how many? Or are you too busy fanning yourself and refilling the ice in the glass that was supposed to contain iced tea?
Besides inserting one’s head inside the fridge, one must find another way to keep oneself from melting in August in Texas. Here’s a thought — trees.
The temperatures indeed are soaring, but we humans have done ourselves no favors in surrounding ourselves with concrete and asphalt. Highly developed areas — hello, North Texas — become urban heat islands. These areas can measure as much as 20 degrees hotter than more rural areas, according to Health Trees Healthy Lives. All those hard surfaces heat up during the day and then hold onto that heat, even after the sun sets. Yes, we are living in an oven.
The Healthy Trees Healthy Lives group and others, such as the Texas Trees Foundation, promote planting trees for many reasons, including lowering the temperature of a property. Cool idea and certainly something to think about when buying a house.
This week we’ll be highlighting open houses that bring their own shade as part of the deal. Check these out.
1214 N. Winnetka Avenue, Dallas
A stately tree adds to the sizeable curb appeal of this home, built in 1927 in Kessler Park. The house’s covered front porch offers some shade, too, and brick arches lead to a French door entry.
The 2,744-square-foot two-story offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms with a price tag of $1.2 million. The updated house features a living room with a fireplace that could get some use during the winter. The floor plan is designed to open to the kitchen, complete with a commercial cooktop and farm sink. The downstairs includes a light-filled dining room and the primary suite. Upstairs is designed with three additional bedrooms, plus another living area.
The traditional home sits near the green spaces of Stevens Park Golf Course and Coombs Creek Trail. It also includes a recently built two-car garage and a gated driveway. Out the back door is a spacious deck, a courtyard, an expanse of green grass, and a children’s play area — with trees.
This house, listed by Jason Saucedo and Kathy Hewitt of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, will be held open from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday.
3645 Hanover Avenue, Dallas
The shaded lawn of this University Park two-story makes the view just appear cooler. Credit goes to the lovely tree dominating the front lawn, and the welcoming front porch adding even more shade.
This five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home features 6,144 square feet. Built in 2004, the two-story traditional charmer is listed at $4.75 million.
Inside, the center hall floor plan includes plenty of natural light and custom millwork throughout the home with both formal and casual living areas. The property also includes guest quarters with a full bathroom and a small kitchen.
Cooking in the heat? Well, yes, the home’s main kitchen is impressive and ready for entertaining with its custom cabinets, upscale appliances, a wine vault, a six-burner gas cooktop, double ovens, double sinks, and double dishwashers.
In case the new owner can’t stand the heat, there’s a place to get out of the kitchen. The backyard boasts features for Texas’ weather extremes: a pool for the hot seasons and a fireplace for the cool season. There’s also some landscaping for the cool factor.
This home, listed by Holly Thompson with Allie Beth Allman & Associates, will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
1514 Windsor Forest Trail, Keller
The reason to buy this house is in the street name. Come on, a street name like Windsor Forest just screams trees. The towering trees are the first thing anyone would notice approaching this 2,754-square-foot Keller house. The lawn could use a little help — try some fescue — but the trees are doing their part to lower the AC bills.
It’s a one-story with five bedrooms and three bathrooms in its 2,753 square feet. It’s listed at $739,000. Built in 1984, the house feels like it sits in the middle of a forest, but instead is close to shopping and zoned for Keller public schools.
Inside, natural light floods the one-story house, thanks to the large, decorative windows in the living room and the skylights in the kitchen and primary bathroom. The home features custom wood floors and granite countertops.
A fireplace promises cooler temperatures to come, but until then, the backyard, with its gathering of trees, offers some protection from the sun’s summer heat.
Listed by Terri Gallagher with Sullivan Real Estate, this home will be held open from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
