Hyde Park home projects: bungalows, design standards and smart upgrades

Hyde Park is one of the few Austin neighborhoods where the age of the house matters more than the size of the budget. The neighborhood was platted in 1891, first marketed as an upscale suburb with large houses, and then filled in for middle- and working-class families. The city's own history of the district says its biggest building boom came between 1924 and 1935, which is why so many blocks are lined with Craftsman bungalows, small cottages and a scattering of earlier Victorian houses. Many of these homes are now about a century old. Almost every project here starts with the same questions: what is original, what has already been altered, and what will the historic design standards allow?

The historic district comes first

Much of the neighborhood is inside the Hyde Park Local Historic District, one of Austin's eight local historic districts. Inside the district, each property is classed as contributing or noncontributing. A contributing building is generally at least 50 years old, was built during the district's period of significance, and still has a high degree of integrity. A noncontributing building is newer, was built outside that period, or has lost its integrity through alterations. The status of your house decides how closely exterior work is reviewed.

In practice:

• Street-facing changes get the most scrutiny. Porches, front windows, siding, roof form and additions visible from the street are reviewed against the Hyde Park design standards. Rear additions set back from the main roofline are usually easier to approve than anything that changes the front.
• New detached buildings go to the Historic Landmark Commission. That includes a backyard unit built under HOME.
• There's an incentive. Owners who rehabilitate a contributing property may qualify for a City of Austin tax abatement. Owners of noncontributing houses that restore original features, so the house becomes contributing, can qualify too.

Read the design standards before you hire a designer. Then ask contractors whether they've worked through historic review in Austin before. It's a different schedule from an ordinary permit.

What a 1920s Hyde Park house usually needs

Bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s share a predictable set of issues:

• Pier-and-beam foundations. Most houses of this era sit on wood or concrete piers with a crawl space, not a slab. Floors slope as piers settle or beams rot near plumbing leaks. Re-leveling, replacing failed piers and adding ventilation or a vapor barrier in the crawl space is often the first project and the best investment. It's also far easier than repairing a cracked slab.
• Old wiring and panels. Original knob-and-tube wiring, ungrounded circuits and undersized service are common. A kitchen remodel or a central heat pump will usually require a panel and service upgrade.
• Cast-iron and clay drain lines. A camera inspection of the sewer lateral before a bathroom remodel avoids tearing out new tile to fix a collapsed line underneath.
• Lead paint. Paint on houses built before 1978 may contain lead. Contractors disturbing painted surfaces must follow EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rules, which affects scraping, window work and demolition.
• Original wood windows. Many survive. Restoring sashes, adding weatherstripping and installing interior storm panels can bring them close to new-window performance and is usually compatible with historic standards. Replacing street-facing original windows is the kind of change the design standards address, so check before you order.

Trees and tight lots

Hyde Park lots are small and the tree canopy is mature. Any pecan, live oak or cedar elm 19 inches or more in diameter at 4.5 feet above grade is protected under the city tree ordinance, and heritage-size trees of 24 inches or more have stronger protection. On a 50-foot-wide lot, the critical root zone of one big tree can rule out a slab addition or force a rear unit onto piers. Trenching a new water or sewer line to a backyard unit can impact roots too. Map trees before you sketch anything.

Adding space: HOME, attics and rear additions

HOME allows up to three units on SF-zoned lots. In Hyde Park, though, any new standalone building also needs historic review, and the lot has to accommodate trees, setbacks and utility connections. Owners often get more value from these options:

• A rear addition that keeps the original front intact.
• Finishing attic space under the existing roof. Check head height, stairs and egress requirements early.
• Converting an existing garage or outbuilding, which may be simpler than building new.

Keep in mind that the Hyde Park Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD) also sets its own site development rules for parts of the neighborhood. Your designer should confirm which regulations apply to your lot.

Comfort and energy in an old house

Bungalows were built for cross-ventilation, not central air. Air sealing the attic floor, insulating the attic, sealing or replacing ducts in the crawl space, and right-sizing a heat pump all make a big difference. Austin Energy serves Hyde Park, so its residential rebates for air conditioning, heat pump water heaters, solar screens and whole-home energy improvements may apply. Income-eligible owners may qualify for free weatherization. Check current amounts before you sign.

Projects that make the most sense in Hyde Park

1. Foundation releveling and crawl-space repair, done before cosmetic work.
2. Electrical service and panel upgrades, often bundled with a kitchen.
3. Kitchen and bath remodels that keep the original footprint and exterior.
4. Rear additions or attic conversions designed around the historic standards and trees.
5. Window restoration and storm windows instead of replacement on street-facing walls.
6. Insulation, duct work and a heat pump sized by a Manual J load calculation.