La Casita

850 SF House- AEGB 5 Star Rating

This project is a collaboration between Jesse Mischel and Trinity White. They purchased a lot in East Austin with the intention of building a secondary living structure at the rear. The original 1940’s home was sensitively renovated in 2009. Due to the restrictions of the site and city code, the home is 850 SF of living space with views, porches, and balconies used to increase the feeling of openness in a small volume. The siting of the home was chosen to maximize cross breezes and allow for solar energy and hot water. Through the siting and other inventive elements such as rainwater collection, a sleeping porch and stack ventilation the home has achieved a 5-star Austin Energy Green Building rating.