We caught up with Dean Barrera from Austin's Metrohouse to chat about how he's redefining urban housing with his modern, flexible living spaces and use of innovative materials.

Tell us a little about your background.

Grew up in South Texas...left Texas to get a mechanical engineering degree from MIT…after graduating in 1984, I went to work for, now infamous, Bear Stearns, a Wall Street investment banking firm...grueling hours but socked away some money and decided I didn't want to be an investment banker...the creative side of me wasn't finding an outlet.

I decided to travel around and came to Austin to visit some friends. Real Estate was in the dump at the time and I purchased some foreclosed rental properties. I got my realtor license and worked for a small realty company for about a year and decided that I wanted own my own real estate company. I did (and eventually sold it) but never lost the love of real estate.

When and why did you start Metrohouse?

I built my first duplex in 2000. The feeling was incredible...to visualize something in your head and then to see it materialize before your eyes. It was so much more satisfying than "remodeling" an existing home. When you remodel you have embedded constraints...I generally don't like limits of any kind, especially in an artistic endeavor. This duplex was the predecessor for Metrohouse. I then built four more homes, and at the time, there was no other company in Austin that was building speculative residential housing with modern design.

In mid 2003 I decided to focus purely on speculative building. I knew that it had to be branded properly and that all aspects of the business and the product had to be connected by one overall concept: good modern design.

Was the design aesthetic the same in the beginning as it is now, and would you describe the design style?

Things have changed over the last four years. We started out trying to build affordable, cool, modern housing. On an early 1300 sq ft project it was literally one giant room, no walls and a Hollywood bath. We wanted the buyer to place walls in any configuration that suited them giving them good bones through superior construction techniques and architecture, excellent infrastructure. But, not lavish it with the proverbial luxuries such as granite countertops, Jacuzzi tubs, etc.

Our buyers since then have steered us into providing more amenities and although our homes are still not luxurious in the conventional sense, they are fully appointed. It’s as though we have redefined, at least for our buyers, what luxury is.

The design style is all modern but actually quite varied since we have collaborated with many different architects.  I am not trained in architecture so it would be hard for me to describe our homes relative to historical architectural styles. Some of our homes have been more conservatively modern, others are quite unique with substantial use of grey block. In the end everyone seems to say the same thing: these homes look like they belong in Dwell Magazine.

Are we more likely to find a Metrohouse amongst other Metrohouses or do you also build in established neighborhoods? What's the experience like of actually living in one?

It would be impossible to build modern homes in the central core of Austin that are not next to older styled homes that have been there for decades. We have built in all kinds of neighborhoods. We spend quite a bit of time integrating the landscaping into the homes and lot trying to provide the neighbors with some privacy.  A lot of "creative types" are moving here and want a different kind of house...one that speaks to our time and place.

Metrohouse home owner, Jeff Kline says, "I discovered the house while under construction and was initially impressed with the unique, efficient design and use of space. Once moved in, I gained an even greater appreciation of the efficiency of the spaces, the flows from room to room, and the feel of integration between the interior and exterior spaces due to the huge walls of glass that form two of the living room walls. The landscaping is beautiful, with very little need for water, utilizing multiple colors of crushed stone, a sprinkling of native hearty plant materials, and palm trees."

What measures or standards are you using or putting in place to "green" the building process? Are clients asking for this or are you educating them?

Our clients are highly educated professionals that are quite aware of green issues. In the beginning we would have our homes rated by Austin Green Building program. The truth is that the city wide energy codes that are in place ensure that any new construction is more energy efficient than older homes. We choose the most economically beneficial and effective aspects of  green building practices and they are standard in all our designs. Passive climate manipulation, AC ducts within the thermal envelope are a couple of things that are highly effective in reducing energy consumption. As time goes on, the homes get greener and greener since more and more "green" products are available. The next step is to possibly transition into solar power and geothermal cooling. 

Are there elements or materials that make your houses immediately identifiable?

The ones that linger past three or four projects we consider to be primary and necessary to our brand. They become members of the Metrohouse material palette. Even though we have never duplicated a plan and all our homes are very different, people do recognize them as a Metrohouse. We use a lot of aluminum. I love this material on the exterior since it's lightweight and requires no maintenance. We also use steel in the landscape pretty heavily. Storefront glass panels are always used…I also like colored Plexiglas to jazz things up.

Do you do all the designing, or have the pressures of a growing business forced you to choose between Executive and Designer? Do you still love doing this or does it feel more like a job now?

I have never had a plan drawn up by an architect that does not have my influence. All aspects of exterior and interior design including landscape go through me. I have found that it is the only way to ensure quality control and cohesive design integrity.

The growth of the business has not hindered my involvement in the design process. In fact it has reinforced my commitment to dive deeper into the design arena.  

Give us a rough idea of costs.

Cost varies since all our projects are quite different. I would say that building cost varies between $160 to $225 per square foot minus land prices that can vary tremendously. Recently our sales prices have ranged from $275 to $315/sf.

Do you live in one of your homes?

People often ask if I live in a Metrohouse and I'm embarrassed to say no. I don't have a good reason as to why I don't, except for the fact that since we don't build that many homes per year, I kind of want the general public to have the opportunity to purchase them.

Homeowner Jeff Kline continues, "I like to use the analogy that Metrohouse considers these homes as their children, with commensurate 'care and feeding' considerations that go into the quality and thoughtfulness of the homes. Prospective buyers need to keep this in mind, as like any parent, Metrohouse wants to know that their "children" are passing into hands of someone who appreciates and cares for them well!

Any plans to expand outside of Austin? What's next?

We would like to continue to build in Austin although the building regulations continue to get more and more restrictive. This inevitably pushes prices higher for consumers. I guess Austin will fall into the fate of all other large cities around the country that are experiencing a resurgence in the downtown core...higher priced real estate where only the wealthy can purchase.

What's next? Maybe Dallas...that city has a lot of energy and design awareness. Hmmm...to continue to innovate and explore the potential to radically redefine the modern urban home.