Down­home feel Detour of Homes features unique local dwellings
By Betty Taylor The Herald­Zeitung
For some New Braunfels homeowners, inspiring and captivating are just part of everyday home design lingo. The
Detour of Homes, in its fourth year, features eight houses as part of the annual fundraiser for S.O.S. Food Bank
and Comal County Habitat for Humanity. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 4 with a home in Gruene and continue to several other homes in central
New Braunfels.
“We always go with the theme of ‘A Celebration of Soulful Spaces,’” said Norma Garvey, event founder.
The tour offers fresh views on ways to make a house a home, while helping out with a good cause.
Unique, spirited and eclectic are just some of the adjectives used to describe the tour. But one word participants
in the tour won’t hear is “cookie­cutter.”
Each of the homes reflects the creativity of its homeowner. Krumnow Home 1614 Sunnybrook Drive Monte Krumnow’s home in Gruene demonstrates the unique way rustic cowboy can transform into décor for the
holidays. Interior designer Melissa Lackey used an old door to hang on one wall of the home’s living area, which
features a cathedral ceiling. Lackey used a large old hoop to create a holiday wreath with dangling white cowgirl
boots as the centerpiece of the wreath.
She also hung vintage cowboy boots on the fireplace mantel.
“That’s just another way to use cowboy boots, instead of the stockings,” Lackey said. See HOMES, Page 3C
Photos by LAURA McKENZIE | Herald­Zeitung Ted and Karen Howell’s New Braunfels home includes a separate bunkhouse in the couple’s backyard with tin
siding and wooden floors.
Interior designer Melissa Lackey used cowboy boots in place of stockings for holiday decorations inside the home
at 1614 Sunnybrook Drive.
Article Continued Below
See HOMES on Page C03
HOMES Continued from 1C Lackey also turned old baskets upside down to convert them into lamp shades. In the front bedroom, panels of
floor­to­length brown curtains cover the entire wall and windows to create an instant accent wall and to block out
daytime light. Vintage chandeliers on both sides of the bed create soft, dramatic lighting. Instead of installing matching kitchen cabinets all the way around the room, Krumnow’s home has one wall of
cabinets. The opposite wall is home to a large wooden cabinet with glass doors, creating added storage as well as
versatility in materials. Howell Home 366 Inspiration At the home of Ted and Karen Howell, art welcomes visitors to every corner of the house and to the exterior of
the house as well. Colorful metallic flamingos, metallic butterflies and giant metal face sculptures greet visitors when they walk up to
the front door of the home on Inspiration Drive. Many of the metallic face sculptures were created by the late
artist John Mason of Austin. Inside, the Howells, who have lived on Inspiration Drive for nearly 20 years, transformed their typical ranch­style
home after it was devastated by the 1998 flood. The Howells remodeled their kitchen before the 1998 flood. “We had to take out all the cabinets we had just installed and start over,” Ted explained. The garage has been converted to a man­cave, with the ceiling height raised, rustic gold tones added to the walls
and galvanized tin added to some walls and ceilings. Influences from business trips to New Mexico are evident throughout the house that features a Saltillo tile floor
accented with Southwestern rugs and a collection of kachinas, Native American folk art dolls. A 7­foot brick wall once separated the area between the front foyer and living area. The Howells knocked it down
to a half divider and raised the ceiling in the living room. They also added skylights. They completely transformed
the fireplace, knocking off the brick exterior and replacing it with dry stack stone to resemble a Southwestern­
style adobe home. Furniture includes an old writing desk, Ted’s first furniture gift to Karen, and a table from the
1800s. They added on a master suite, which includes finishing touches such as an old iron fence for a headboard and a
sliding metal door with cut­outs for the bathroom door. They also added a screened in porch and more metal art in
the backyard. “I found the mariachi band several years ago in Fredericksburg,” Ted said of the metal musicians occupying a
seating area in one corner of the yard. A bunkhouse in another corner of the yard is filled with two sets of bunk
beds, cowboy “stuff” and more collections. On a desk sits an old metal airplane, a gift from a friend, with
miniature characters standing on the wings. Batman, Superman, Spiderman and even Yosemite Sam occupy
space on the plane. Butschek Home 498 E. South St. The 1920s home of Richard and Christine Butschek on East South Street was built in 1920. “It has the original 10foot ceilings and window cornices,” Christine said. “We left the original footprint of the house
alone.” But they did fill the home with artwork. “It is kind of set up like an artisan gallery. We have the artwork set up in groupings,” Christine said. The pieces include Christine’s artwork, family member pieces and antique artwork. “I also work in textiles, so my loom is set up as well,” Christine said. She added that the home was the type of house that didn’t offer everything at first glance. “It is a lot to take in. You can walk through and when you walk through again say, ‘Oh, I didn’t see that the first
time,’” Christine said. Feingold Home 118 Briarwood Drive Nate and Andrea Feingold have lived in their home on Briarwood Drive for nearly two years and have taken out
walls, and in other places, added walls during a remodeling process. Andrea said she knew some things had to go right away. “There was shag carpet on the walls,” she said. The transformation will be documented with before and after photos during the tour, Feingold said. Even more homes Four more homes will be featured on the tour. Visitors will be able to view the Tanya Rogers home, 578 Ave. A;
Wayne and Shari Bennett home, 328 S. Sycamore; Steve Manuel home, 351 N. Guenther; and the home of
Kailee Harbaugh/Jesslyn Buddle at 129 1/2 S. Seguin, above Naegelin’s Bakery. For a good cause Garvey said she was excited about the number of homes on the tour this year, adding that visitors to the homes
would be surprised by the creativity and imagination of the homeowners. “What makes this tour so exciting is that these are homes you drive by all the time. When you step inside, you
are absolutely amazed and delighted,” she said. An after­party will take place from 7:30­9 p.m. at the New Braunfels Farm­to­Market. Tickets are $15 each, with all of the proceeds benefitting the S.O.S. Food Bank and Comal County Habitat for
Humanity. Tickets can be bought at Max’s Haus at 653 S. Seguin St. or at Habitat for Humanity at 1269 Industrial Drive For
information, call Max’s Haus at (830) 6089033 or visit detourofhomes.com. The Rogers’ house on Avenue A features upper cabinets original to the home’s 1925 construction and a work
table made by homeowner Andy Rogers. Photos by LAURA McKENZIE | Herald­Zeitung Colorful metallic flamingos greet visitors in front Ted and Karen Howell’s home at 366 Inspiration. One of two vintage chandeliers hangs above a bedside table at 1614 Sunnybrook Drive. Floor­length brown
curtains cover the entire wall and windows to create an instant accent wall and to block out daytime light. Powered by TECNAVIA
Copyright © 2013 The Herald­Zeitung. All rights reserved. 11/24/2013