Rare Homes has brought a new level of sophistication to the remodeling market with this sexy, sleek, majestic mega-mansion in Austin.

When I recently opened up an email from Compass luxury agent Gary Dolch, I had to do a double-take. I was sure he’d sent me a California listing because it’s everything you would never anticipate finding in Texas. Not only is this home sexy and sleek, but it’s also surprising.

Nestled into Westlake Hills, this 10,498-square-foot, three-story mansion is setting a new standard in luxury for a simple reason. The three people behind Rare Homes have a level of expectation that’s off the charts.

The Dream Team For Big Dreams

Neil Chand, Esteban Souto, and Alexandra Park Souto formed Rare Homes with a new philosophy. They provide design-driven, white-glove, luxury home remodeling solutions with transparency and quality at the core of their business. This project showcases what the company does and why they are doing it better and faster.

“We look for properties with potential that’s not evident at first glance,” Chand said. “This home is in a great neighborhood, with a phenomenal view and on almost an acre and a half. It needed design work and a new vibe.”

They began with research to support the needs and desires of an imagined target client — 200 pages worth of research, to be specific.

“We developed a persona for the house,” Chand said. They took the house to the studs, added 2,000 square feet, and completed the project in nine months. 

You can see what makes this Rare Homes project, well, rare. The principals don’t just remodel. They also think way out of the box. They also design and source items you don’t see in homes for sale.

Seriously, when have you ever seen a floor-to-ceiling image of a glamorous astronaut in a listing before? That piece sets the tone for what’s to come, and yes, it’s all sexy, right down to the custom kitchen cabinets. They were painted with high-gloss, James-Bond-worthy Aston Martin paint.

Because, why not? 

There is a fully contained guest apartment on the first level, an open-plan game room, and a bar and wine area. But what’s going to blow your mind is the garage. We’ve seen a few fantastic garages before, but this one sets a new bar.

“It’s a space people expect more from now,” Chand said. “ It can’t just be a place to keep your cars. It has to be functional on more than one level.”

So, of course, the garage is fully climate-controlled with traction epoxy sealed Armani tile floors and an entertainment area complete with a racing simulator!  

Life in a Resort

The term “resort-style” gets wildly overused in real estate, but this is precisely what we have here. The entire outdoor area was designed to give you the feeling of being in a five-star resort with four private cabanas on the far side of the heated lap pool. There is also a full outdoor kitchen, a basketball court, and an area to work on your golf game.

What you cannot see, but what truly sets this Rare Homes project apart from any other, is the massive investment they made in technology. “This home features high-end technology on a number of fronts,” Chand said. “The network security has more encryption than a bank. There is a proactive home defense system with an alarm that can incapacitate intruders, a 2 mile WiFi radius, facial recognition-equipped 4K cameras, advanced child safety systems including a smart pool anti-drowning system, and much more.”

I’m impressed, and all I can say is this team is on my ones to watch list. They are headed to Dallas, and I can’t wait to see what they create here.

Dolch has this Rare Homes project at 1501 Ridgecrest Drive listed for $10.95 million.

Article by Karen Eubank