In Robert Frost’s poem, “Tree at My Window,” the famed poet laureate muses,
“Tree at my window, window tree, My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn between you and me.”
The love between man and nature began in the Garden of Eden, and many
Hill Country dwellers feel as if they’ve inherited a little piece of Heaven on Earth.

San Antonio architect Craig McMahon has captured the essence of Eden—and Frost’s poem—in a home nestled among 300-year-old trees on the banks of the Guadalupe in Hill Country River Ranch. Designed originally for a couple as a retirement venue, as is often the case, their family liked it so much they opted to make it their primary residence.
McMahon brought the nature into the 21st century with climate-friendly design and the latest in green technologies. “It’s a premier location,” says McMahon, who spent years in Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas before returning to South Texas. “We walked the raw, undeveloped land to see what possibilities we would have.”

With heights looming in certain areas, McMahon and his business partner, Billy Johnson, suggested pulling the home back from the picturesque frontage on the Guadalupe. McMahon calls the design “an organized train wreck.” They wrapped the structure around the hundreds of oak trees standing sentry on the property, some six and seven feet wide.
“We didn’t want to move any of the trees,” explains McMahon. “So, the home became a series of open pavilions.” Consequently, the design incorporates the nuances of the landscape.
“The entry courtyard offers a unique front door allowing the full vista of the land and new buildings to unfold,” says McMahon. “We oriented the house to the southeast in order to embrace the prevailing breezes. That way, the house will passively cool itself.”
In addition, McMahon says, locally quarried stone walls around the property provide a buffer from the north winds known to whip across the Hill Country. Southern overhangs help block the blazing summer sun. The clean lines and crisp materials blend into the natural surroundings and offer the feeling of “living large.”
The owners, originally hailing from “up North,” wanted more refined finishes for their Texas abode, and McMahon captured the essence of outdoor living without it being overly Texas rustic. “We still incorporated natural materials,” McMahon explains. “We used native limestone and a metal roof. They really gave us free reign.”
The home boasts six bedrooms and five-and-a-half baths, with the master suite at the “pinnacle” of the home. The open gourmet kitchen is replete with fine appliances and a chef’s pantry for the owner to store homemade jams and jellies. A separate breakfast area extends from the kitchen near the living area, while the wood beams, glass and soaring ceilings create the ambiance of actually being outdoors.
“The transparent and open plan is complemented with large covered terraces and arbors extending the living spaces to the outside,” says McMahon. The hospitality extends fluidly and flawlessly outdoors, where the home features an outdoor kitchen and swimming pool, he adds.
This warm sense of “welcome” extends to the guest suite, where McMahon says visitors will feel as if they’ve traveled to a Texas estancia. “They follow the arbor to the guest house, where there are two bedrooms and a kitchen. There, guests will have direct access to the pool as well, giving them and the homeowners a sense of privacy.”

Even though trees are located all about the property, the house is built so that unobstructed natural light can flow in. Yet, with different heights of ceilings and direction, certain rooms can be “darkened” as needed, such as the office and the library, where the owners have their TV and media.
While those features are more obvious, some of McMahon’s interesting design twists can’t be seen. For example, the exercise room features a private sauna cooled by a chilled water system.
“We’ve incorporated an underground geothermal water cooling system,” McMahon explains. “That way, you don’t have the hum of air conditioner compressors going. It’s a ‘green’ process of building where there are a lot lower energy costs.”
Going “green” seemed like a perfect fit for this entire project, he adds. “We can reduce energy costs through the building orientation. But in addition to the geothermal heating and cooling systems, we’ve added electronically controlled window and mechanical systems, tankless water heaters, expanded foam insulation, reclaimed water systems and solar collection.
The result? “We have embraced harmony with the climate.”