The move toward smaller homes and simpler, sustainable lifestyles has turned out to be, for better or worse (probably both), a good fit for reuse and redevelopment of small, older homes—especially in Central East Austin, where they tend to be less precious and ornate and are often on smaller lots than those in other parts of the city.
MX3 Homes, which seems to specialize in replacing small, old East Austin houses with outsized, overbearing contemporaries and modern farmhouses, made the uncharacteristic but fortunate decision to restore this 1925 build with stripped-down, modern-leaning interiors instead of demolishing it.
The 794-square-foot, wood-frame home has one bedroom and one nicely redone bathroom, an ample (or "emotional," as the listing puts it) front porch, a small deck in the private side yard off the living area, original hickory floors, and an updated kitchen. It’s in a small, ever-changing pocket of East Austin near the MetroRail line between East 12th Street and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and fairly convenient to downtown.