Texas certainly knows how to do it large. When the team at Southern Living started scoping out properties to take on a remodel of epic proportions, they looked no further than the Lone Star State.

Austin, specifically, was chosen as the 2018 Idea House location for Southern Living magazine. The dream team selected to tackle the project consisted of designer Meredith Ellis, builder David Wilkes, and architect Chris Sanders.

“They wanted to be in relative proximity to Downtown Austin and other popular places in the city,” Sanders said. “There weren’t a lot of available houses in central Austin that met our criteria for the remodel. We spent several months just looking for the property.”

Taking the time to choose the correct property took much of the team’s available time allowance. Because they knew they would have a shortened timeline for the build and design, the team knew they had to choose a home that would not require extra work beyond the scope of the project.

“We wanted to make sure we found a property that was structurally sound and wouldn’t require unknitting the sweater too much,” Sanders said. “We knew we wanted to make significant changes to the interior of the house. However, we didn’t have time to do a massive replumb or 100 percent rewire or repair a damaged foundation in a house. In every remodel, there are surprises, and you don’t know what to expect when peeling back the layers of a house. But, if you have a good team together, which we did, we could collaboratively look at a property and identify if the property would have potential issues or not.”

The team settled on a property in the Northwest Hills area and started work at once. There was a condensed schedule that allowed for about four and a half months total for the design, architecture, and permitting to occur.

The result is nothing short of stunning—a home that belongs in the pages of Southern Living while remaining true to the distinct Austin vibe.