This Clever, Affordable Homestead for a Retired Texas Couple Is Two Houses in One

When architect Ryan Bollom’s parents retired, they approached their son to design their future home in Texas Hill Country. Bollom jumped at the opportunity, seeing it as a way to give something back to his parents after everything they had done for him. His sister and her family were living with his parents at the time, and the main challenge was to create a home that was flexible enough to accommodate two families, while also being climate responsive, efficient, and cost-effective. They also wanted to take advantage of the spectacular views over the hills.

"My family comes from modest means, and my parents’ starting goals were similarly modest," says Bollom, co-founder of Low Design Office (LowDO). "As an architect, this was a great opportunity to explore some of the core issues our office focuses on—delivering ‘high-end’ design in the most efficient and effective manner in terms of form, environment, equity, and accessibility. We asked ourselves whether we could design and build something for $150 per square foot and have it compared to homes that cost four or five times more."

Given the primary challenge of housing two families, Bollom immediately began thinking about the idea of "co-housing". A form soon emerged comprising two interlocking, yet independent, homes. The form was also driven by a desire to optimize environmental performance and reduce material costs.