Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes of Austin Texas Honored with National Design Award

Austin Luxury Custom Home Builder Awarded National Best in American Living Award

AUSTIN, TX FEBRUARY 10, 2015 – Luxury home builders, Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes of Austin Texas, has been awarded the 2014 Best in American LivingTM Awards (BALA) for Specialty Outdoor Living by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

The award winning Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes project is located in Horseshoe Bay along the shores of Lake LBJ. Dallas based architectural firm, HKS, noted for designing the Dallas Cowboys Stadium served as both the architects and interior designers on the project. The magnificent 16000 square foot lakefront retreat sits on the tip of a peninsula along the southern side of Lake LBJ and provides one of the most expansive views in Horseshoe Bay. The design focused on creating a Mediterranean style retreat taking advantage of its incredible waterfront location with the outdoor living space playing a critical role in design. The floor plan is structured around the expansive Great Room with the integrated outdoor living spaces on the front and lake side completing the open, airy design. This enormous project was completed in fewer than two years with both the homeowners and architectural firm located in other cities during the entire construction period.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the National Association of Home Builders for our custom home building work, with the Best in American Living Award for our Horseshoe Bay Lakefront Retreat, we work every day to seamlessly integrate our clients lifestyle desires with quality craftsmanship to produce distinctive custom homes their families will enjoy for years to come,” says founder Steve Zbranek.

Celebrating spectacular outdoor spaces was a significant concept for the retreat. Visitors to this Mediterranean style masterpiece find themselves on an upper level overlooking the elaborate courtyard below. Descending the stone staircase brings guests to a centralized courtyard oasis of lush greenery, an enchanting fountain and a stone fireplace; providing the perfect setting for entertaining, lounging in the grotto or sipping wine by the fire. Vintage styled rolled-steel windows along gardens highlight the 60′ long glassed front entry of the home and acts as one of many locations for the family’s art collection to be displayed. Through the gallery and beyond the Great Room, numerous over-sized glass doors spill out to an expansive covered rear terrace perfectly perched above the lake. Two complete outdoor kitchens are conveniently located off the main kitchen and at the boat dock. The expansive terrace is one of many outdoor spaces that bleed into one another, from the seating and outdoor dining areas to the resort style pool with spa, fire pit, boat dock and floating meditation/yoga/lounge pavilion. This project enabled a masterful combination of modern accents in this classic European designed home.

“This was a challenging and fun project. It required a full time, senior project manager on site throughout construction,” says Owner/Partner Tony Holt.”The blueprints were 56 pages long and every detail that would appear on the finished product was covered. The one thing that was not different about building this magnificent home was our contractor and supplier team. The Zbranek & Holt construction group is the best in the business, I think. Their ability to transform this building from blueprints to a Best in America Living Award winner is a testament to their skill and dedication levels.”

“The Best in American Living Awards are the most prestigious awards of their kind, setting the benchmark for innovations in residential home design,” said 2014 BALA Chairman Stephen C. Moore, senior partner – marketing at BSB Design Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa. “We are proud to have a long history of honoring those who set the bar high by encouraging creativity, originality and imagination in our industry.”

The Best in American Living Awards (BALA) is the nation’s premier award program continually redefining design excellence for the entire residential building industry. By recognizing outstanding achievements, the BALA spotlights the most creative and innovative builders, remodelers, architects, developers, land planners and interior designers in the nation. Every year, the awards program, sponsored by NAHB Design Committee, recognizes good design in single-family and multifamily homes of all types and sizes, communities, interior design, remodeling and rental developments.

Award winners were announced during the annual NAHB International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. Additional Information about the awards program can be found at www.bestinamericanliving.com including images of all 2014 Best in American Living Award recipients, a review of design trends and an extensive archive.

Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes (www.zhcustomhomes.com) is widely recognized as one of the preeminent luxury custom home builders in the greater Austin and Texas Hill Country area including Horseshoe Bay. The company provides complete design-build services from timeless traditional or Mediterranean, to in-demand contemporary architecture. The company’s commitment to providing clients with the utmost in quality construction and innovative design along with their dedication to the highest level of customer satisfaction are the hallmarks of Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes. Along with the strong reputation of Zbranek & Holt, the Austin Texas new home builder has also been recognized with numerous prestigious awards in recent years. These include 2-Time National Master Builder of the Year, 4-Time Custom Home Builder of the Year, 3-Time Best of Houzz for Design and 2-Time Austin Business Journal Custom Home Builder of the Year in addition to being named Business of the Year by the local Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit www.zhcustomhomes.com