This Austin Home Was Designed to Showcase a Vintage Car Collection

Set on a 10,300-square-foot narrow lot in Austin, Texas, the Autohaus was created to devise a fully functional gallery-like space. With automobile upkeep and display as the starting point, Matt Fajkus Architecture designed an asymmetrical home that's set on a rectangular base with a 20-foot cantilevered second floor to house the living space. 

Cover photo by Charles David Smith

The entire ground floor was left open in order to house the owner's classic cars. The compact living quarters float above—with the second floor shifted forward to allow for a garage with double-height ceilings. On the exterior, the hovering, cantilevered bedchamber creates a traditional carport below.

The cantilever is made possible by the use of 30-by-116-foot steel beams. 

A light-filled stairwell provides physical access between the two volumes. 

The minimalist interiors of the one-bedroom home have a straightforward layout, including a rooftop terrace that sits adjacent to the living area, providing ample space and light for relaxing and entertaining. 

Custom-made, steel-and-glass sliding doors open up the living space to the large rooftop terrace, which is shaded by the surrounding trees and a wooden canopy. The setup enables indoor/outdoor living within the context of an urban setting. 

The master suite is connected to an office nook.

"A collaborative design and construction process was key to the project," explains Matt Fajkus, the architect of record on the project. "This process allowed for greater quality control, high-end craftsmanship, full customization, and immediate installation in order to produce a structure for a unique function and equally unique living experience," he continues.

Project Credits:

-Building Size: 4,088 square feet

-Architecture: Matt Fajkus Architecture

-Design team at Matt Fajkus Architecture: Matt Fajkus, AIA, David Birt, AIA, Sarah Wassel, Jooyoung Kim

-Project manager: David Birt

-Builder/General Contractor: Matt Risinger of Risinger & Co.

-Structural Engineering: Justin Billodeau of ARCH Consulting Engineers

-Landscape Design: Tyler Porterfield of Articulated Design

-Sound Engineering: Peter Sanford of AV Smarter Homes

-First-Floor Walls: Richard Rossi of Bautex Systems