GeneviEve’s Garden is an owner-occupied rental complex of three buildings and surrounding gardens. The buildings were renovated using green building practices, including salvage and recycling, low-volatile-chemical and environmentally friendly building products, energy-saving appliances and features, a water-saving underground irrigation system and drought-resistant landscape plants.
The Victorian Cottage
The first house is the historic Cabaniss-Tate-Chunn house, built in 1910 at 1502 South 1st St, just around the corner from where it now stands. This house is awaiting final approval on a City of Austin historical marker.
The Victorian Cottage
It features two bedrooms with private baths and a common living room, dining room, and kitchen. The interior has been totally renovated and furnished with family heirlooms and additional antique furniture. Individual bedrooms or the entire house can be rented by the night
The living room is furnished with antique and family pieces.
See inside the Victorian Cottage
The Bungalow
The bungalow-style house behind the historic house is a remodeled 1936 house that the owner of a lot down the street did not want. It was redesigned by the owner’s son and property manager, Keith Hazle, who resides in that house.
The Bungalow
SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels), a specialty green building product, were used to build the roof. Besides being very energy efficient, they provided a bonus of vaulted ceilings inside the house and loft areas over the porches, which we left open to the inside of the house.
Looking at the living room from the kitchen, you can see the ladder to the loft. That's a vintage Dr. Pepper machine against the wall.
The kitchen is cozy, but well-equipped with all major and many minor appliances, cookware, and dining needs. The cabinets are dark oak with cream and brown granite countertops.
The Studio House
On the rear of the adjoining lot, almost obscured by trees in the summer, a two story structure was created by jacking up a large storage room cut off of the back of the historic house, and building a small room and garage underneath it. The Studio House features a full bath with shower upstairs and a half bath downstairs. There’s a mini-kitchen upstairs with a small sink and refrigerator, but the majority of the upstairs space was left open and mirrored so that it could be used for exercise, martial arts, or similar workout space. During film and music festivals, the upstairs space was converted into hostel-like accommodations with the addition of double air mattresses.
We are currently converting the Studio House into residential space, which will be occupied by our Property Manager. If you are staying at one of the other buildings on site, know that someone will be there to watch over the site much of the time, day and night.
The Studio House, and the path to the oriental garden
The Studio House has a large, open loft area on the 2nd floor, approximately 16 x 20 feet, that has been converted to sleeping space on special occasions, with the addition of double bed air mattresses and cozy bedding.
A mini-kitchen in one corner has a small sink and refrigerator. A microwave was added, and now we are installing a 20 in. apartment-size electric range with an oven to the left of the sink.
The adjoining bathroom has a large shower.
The Studio is currently under long-term lease to our Property Manager as his residence.
