Sustainable Custom Residence Seamlessly Integrates Luxury and Nature at Kassarine Pass in Austin’s Barton Hills

In the rugged topography of Barton Hills sits the Kassarine Pass residence. From the outside, the home presents as subdued with a low profile and rectangular shape, but, when you step inside, you quickly realize this home is actually quite extraordinary.

In 2019, Brent Fannin, owner and builder of FIA Homes, purchased the home’s land. FIA Homes is a boutique builder and developer that specializes in high-end, custom residential projects. Occasionally, Fannin will take on a spec building project that follows the same vein — a custom house built for a client who doesn’t want to spend more than three years designing the build and engaging in the lengthy, time-consuming process themselves.

“Lots of clients want to go through the custom process, but don’t have the time because of their jobs or other commitments,” said Fannin. “Building a custom house is extremely involved. If we build a spec house at a custom level, there’s a buyer pool out there who is interested in it. Just like any of our homes, whenever we’re building a house, the bottom line isn’t the 100% driver of the project. Our decisions are quality-driven, such as the mechanical systems or the detailing like the architecture or the landscaping, and we focus on creating a very high-quality home.” 

A vision realized in Barton Hills

Barton Hills has always had a soft spot in Fannin’s heart as it was the neighborhood of his first home when he moved to Austin in the early 2000s. He has continued to invest in the area while building custom homes throughout the region. When the opportunity arose to buy this lot, he jumped at the chance. 

Fannin and his partners, including Mark Odom, architect and founding principal of Mark Odom Studio, and interior designer Ruby Cloutier, spent a year in the design and permitting phase, primarily thanks to the pandemic, before they broke ground in 2022. Today, the house is ready for its new residents.

“The journey of the house starts at the street,” said Fannin. “The vision for the house is for it to feel subdued, despite its elevation, and not reveal its whole beauty right away, but then, as you come over the bridge and enter the home, you start to see the details. The home opens itself up to expansive spaces and views with lots of natural light.”

A tranquil retreat

Cloutier agrees that it’s all in the high-quality details when it comes to Kassarine Pass.

“Among the many stunning spaces in the home, the primary bathroom stands out as my favorite,” said Cloutier. “Discovering an exquisite natural quartzite from a quarry in Brazil was a magical experience, and its incorporation into the design adds a calming ambiance to the room. The unique beauty of the stone elevates the space, creating a tranquil retreat that is unparalleled.”

In true Austin fashion, the Kassarine Pass residence blends its inside and outside aesthetics, from its color palettes to its wood products all the way down to pre-weathering agents that help maintain its coloring. The home integrates with its surrounding oak trees and sits low on the lot, literally dug into the hillside, while still providing unparalleled views of downtown Austin. It spills out into a sprawling backyard that is not only made to entertain, but also provides room to reflect, meditate and escape the urban hustle.

The home’s spot among nature and the trees is one of its most redeeming qualities, according to Odom.

Blending elegance and comfort

“We had to find a unique way to put this high-end home on a steeply sloped lot, and that was a challenge,” said Odom. “Essentially, we did not want to put a shiny trophy on a hill, we wanted the home to blend into the neighborhood and its surroundings. And we had to ask ourselves — what is the experience? What is the element of surprise? You’re constantly faced with a stop and pause throughout this home, and you get an unveiling of an element of surprise.”

Fannin, Odom and Cloutier all say the ideal Kassarine Pass resident is anyone as its floor plan works well for people of all stages, including multigenerational living. 

“Kassarine Pass is a lifestyle-oriented home,” said Odom. “It’s a very classic, timeless home that’s amazing throughout many different times of the day. The shadows and lights at various times capture the videos of the city and sunset differently, and this is reflective of how we live. We migrate, we don’t stay still. We have an active mind that loves to maneuver around the home and use every piece of it. This home never disappoints, no matter where you’re sitting.”

Fannin agrees with Odom.

“The house is elegant, beautiful, refined,” said Fannin. “It’s an art piece, but it lives very comfortably, which was an important factor for me. We build works of art, but I don’t want them to be sterile. I want you to be able to kick your shoes off and get comfortable. It’s a balance between art and livability.”

Cloutier believes that balance is what makes this home so unique for its next residents.

An enduring legacy

“I believe the future residents will truly appreciate the meticulous architecture, the exceptional craftsmanship, and the thoughtful design of this home,” said Cloutier. “Of course, the breathtaking views are the icing on the cake, creating a living experience that is both beautiful and inspiring.”

Kassarine Pass is sure to be an icon of Austin architecture for decades to come, and, for Fannin, that’s the true test.

“It’s easy to make a house pretty, but can you make a house last?” asks Fannin. “That’s the question.”

“What we’ve all made here is a sustainable home, one that will stand the course of time because of the care we all took with the materials, quality and care of detail,” said Odom. “Everything was carefully considered with the end user and their wellness in mind. This home is designed for the next 100 years.”

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