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Modern design, Hill Country soul

Fredericksburg, Texas - Southwest

Set in the Texas Hill Country, the 2026 Southern Living Idea House in Fredericksburg pairs a regional vernacular with cleaner lines and modern detail. Andrew Bray of Mustard Architects designed the home around a strong indoor-outdoor connection, studying the site's trees, topography, and sun paths before placing a single wall. That approach carried through to the multilevel deck, which steps down the sloped backyard and integrates with the landscape. As builder Melanie Sparks of Kirk Homes puts it, the home blurs the line between interior and exterior, creating the gathering space Hill Country living calls for.

Material choices had to hold up to extreme heat, hard freezes, and wildfire risk. The team used fire-resistant TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking and Aluminum Framing paired with Impression Rail Express Railing. The aluminum framing delivered larger spans and a level surface with no warping, and the non-combustible material meets Wildland Urban Interface requirements. Sourcing across the James Hardie and TimberTech portfolio also simplified specification and warranty coordination. "The working back and forth with TimberTech's engineering team," Bray notes, "allowed us to create something great."