Noteworthy Outbuildings: Unique Sleeping Quarters in Austin, TX

Photography courtesy of Tim Cuppett Architects

In the historic Texas neighborhood of Old West Austin, clients asked architect Tim Cuppett to add sleeping quarters to a one-bedroom house (circa 1908). To avoid disfiguring the vintage facade with an attic dormer (or worse), Cuppett came up with a charming solution: the back alley guest house.

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The guest house has a painted board and batten facade.

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The guest house has a bedroom alcove with a dormer window (above the bed) which mimics and size and shape of a kitchen window in the main house.

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From the kitchen in the main house, the guest house’s bedroom dormer is a prominent feature.

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The staircase has a framework of steel stair stringers to support ipe treads.

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The roof deck offers a view of the Austin skyline.

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The guest house replaced an old carport. From the alley, the view is distinctly modern.

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Clever sight lines allow a glimpse of the house in the distance.

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