Rockcliff Residence / LaRue Architects

Architect: LaRue Architects
Built Area: 6,200 ft²
Site Area: 1.675 acres
Year: 2024
Photography: Chase Daniel
Principal Architect: James LaRue AIA, Principal (LaRue also designed the Boat Dock)
Civil Engineer: Duffy Engineering
Structural Engineer: Duffy Engineering
Construction: Stewart Custom Homes
Collaborators: Design Ecology (Pool)
Location: Lake Austin, Texas
Country: USA

Rockcliff Residence, designed by LaRue Architects, is a serene 6,200 ft² home located on Lake Austin, Texas, and completed in 2024. Situated on a 1.675-acre lakeside lot, this residence is tailored for a young family familiar with lakeside living and prioritizes integration of outdoor activities and healthy living. The home features 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and 3 half-baths, emphasizing a strong connection between the indoor spaces and the lake. Key elements include an outdoor living area with a pool, a screened porch, and a boat dock, enhancing its functionality for lakeside enjoyment. The design utilizes materials like wood, stone, and metal to blend regional, earthy elements with contemporary aesthetics, making it a fitting environment for the family and their dogs to enjoy the expansive acreage.

The parallelogram-shaped site opens to the northeast. A gate at the front leads to a meandering drive between oak groves, including a majestic 33-foot live oak tree. The drive leads to a standalone garage with an attached carport. A walking trail encircles the lot, leading to a large lawn fronting the lake, ideal for outdoor activities.

LaRue Architects emphasized the lot’s shape and lake views while ensuring privacy. “With the luxury of having such a deep lot, we were able to locate the house as close to the lake as governed, while creating a long experiential procession leading up to the home upon entering the site,” says James LaRue. Establishing a strong house-lake connection with the outdoor living area and pool was crucial.

LaRue explains, “The roof hovers above the two-story home and mimics the massing of the floor plan below, while the long fascia establishes a horizontal datum that creates a warm weight to the building.” The materials palette includes earthy, regional elements like wood and stone, with contemporary touches such as metal panels and smooth plaster soffits.

Entering the front courtyard, transparency allows immediate lakeside views. A large lawn follows the angle of the home. The entry courtyard features Austin Lueders stone steps leading to the front door, defining the foyer’s width. The main living area’s glass core offers sweeping lake vistas. 12-foot-tall sliding glass doors open to a large covered outdoor living area, blending interior and exterior spaces, promoting a casual lakeside living approach.

Adjacent to the main living and foyer is a guest bedroom. The upper floor houses two bedrooms and a loft designed parallel to the property line to buffer the adjacent home and ensure privacy. The primary suite, located near the opposite property line, overlooks the pool and lake, accessible via a floating cantilevered patio. The primary bath, designed with natural materials like stone and wood, features an organically carved stone tub on a river rock base.

Outdoor living is a key feature. A screened porch, clad in wood siding, offers additional protection and is located near the lake. The pool’s shape, designed by LaRue, extends the architecture’s angle. Design Ecology detailed the infinity edge pool and catch basin. LaRue Architects also designed the boat dock, enhancing the property’s lakeside functionality.