Jim and I have been building for a long time. When we moved into Brackenridge married student housing as 19 and 20 year old newlyweds, Jim went right to work adding shelves to the kitchen. These were old barracks that had been moved onto University of Texas land on Lake Austin Blvd. in 1946.
The single-wall barracks were non-insulated huts with no cross ventilation. Windows were flaps held out with a stick. They were as hot as an attic in August. An air conditioner was not in the budget, so we took a tip from our resourceful Vietnamese neighbor, and put a sprinkler on the roof. Water was included in the rent. Later, we learned that red carpet really shows dirt. In May of 1971, we rode bicycles over to Tarytown to check on an ad in the paper for a house that was “walking distance from Tarrytown Shopping Center.” Charlie Betts at Franklin Savings made us a loan for the property, with the cautioning words, “It needs everything.” We paid $11,000 for 2002 Elton Lane, and this became our first project.
Jim grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where his grandfather, Anton Hejl, was a builder of many of the stately mansions in the community. Jim’s father was a builder, and his mother later taught interior design at the University of Texas. So, he comes to building naturally. He draws his own blueprints, and typically carries around his plan to study it over lunch or in the evening.
Our real business is real estate. Get to know us at: www.weloveaustin.com Building is a side investment, fun hobby, and continual challenge. Our current project focuses on green building techniques. I invite you to share this job with us, and join our community of friends who are interested in building green homes. We’d love to hear your ideas.
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