Listing of the Day
Location: Austin, Texas Price: $4.995 million
Entrepreneur Milton Verret’s home on Lake Travis — known as Acqua Villa — is no ordinary estate. There’s a tram that travels down a cliff to a boat launch. There’s also a six-car garage made for a sports car collection, and there’s a wall filled with electric guitars.
The three-story home will appeal to those who love watersports. Outside, there’s a sprawling sundeck, an infinity-edge swimming pool with two hot tubs, an adjustable boat dock, jet ski ramps, and multiple decks with water views.
“The home is located on the deep water portion of Lake Travis, and there was plenty of water even when the lake hit its lowest levels,” says listing agent Dave Murray of DMTX Realty with Coldwell Banker United. Murray says the views rival those at the Oasis, a popular waterfront restaurant nearby.
The Stats
The 8,800-square-foot house has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms. There’s also a detached guest house.
Design Pedigree
The home was completely redesigned by architect Winn Wittman in 2010. Mr. Wittman, one of Texas’ best-known residential architects, gave the property a contemporary new look. The house is anchored around a breezeway, which offers stunning views of the nearby hills.
Amenities
Mr. Verret, the founder of the precious-metals firm U.S. Money Reserve, fitted the home with his own custom touches, including the wall filled with electric guitars and the custom-painted Steinway piano in front of it.
A noted car collector, the garage was built to hold Mr. Verret’s 2010 Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV and Ferrari 458 Italia, in addition to his 1967 Chevy Nova and 1956 Cadillac convertible.
He also installed an unusual lighting system. “The entire house features custom recessed lighting fixtures with unique acrylic bezels that help diffuse the bulbs,” says Mr. Verret. A series of adjustable, fiber-optic RGB LED lights can be used to create different scenes, mood lighting and automated color changes. “The pool has the same fiber optic lighting,” Mr. Verret says. “As the automated scenes change inside, the pool follows the same theme.”
Outside, there’s the infinity-edge swimming pool, inspired by the one at Miami’s Delano Hotel. There’s also the private elevator tram, which transports riders from the top of the cliff to a boat launch below. Once on the water, riders have access to an adjustable boat dock and a slip, which can accommodate a 42-foot-long boat, as well as two additional ramps for wave runners.
Celebrity Cachet
Acqua Villa appears as a set in Terrence Malick’s upcoming film “Weightless,” starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett.
Agents: Dave Murray, DMTX Realty with Coldwell Banker United
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