Posted: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:39 PM - 10,874 Readers

By: Nicole Villalpando

photo by Kay Andrews

Paul and Julie Grimme stand inside their finished Lake Austin home for the first time. It's a bittersweet introduction and farewell to the house they spent 2 1/2 years planning before realizing that they were never going to live here.

Paul Grimme, the former head of Freescale Semiconductor Inc.'s microcontroller business, left the company a year ago. He is now an executive at the Geneva-based STMicroelectronics, splitting his time between the headquarters and an office near Milan, Italy. Julie Grimme, who had been in the event-planning business, is now learning Italian and setting up their house near Milan.

The 5,686-square-foot house at 1401 N. Weston Lane wasn't finished until April. It went on the market in June, first at $5.5 million, then $5 million and now at $4.5 million.

When the Grimmes bought the property in 2006, they wanted to consolidate their Circle C home with their lake house at Sunrise Beach. They looked for a property with lake access that was close to Austin. This 1.39-acre lot was perfect for that. A 1987 house on the site that had seen many rounds of additions was not. Working with architect Jim LaRue and builders Woodworth Homes, they took the existing house down to the slab and built a Mediterranean palace with hints of Texas throughout. The stucco house is accented with limestone from a quarry near Liberty Hill. The floors are Texas mesquite. The Grimmes also saved all of the pecan and cypress trees on the lot.

"This has been a 2 1/2-year labor of love for us," says Julie Grimme. "We expected to live here, but life's events changed that for us."

The foyer and open living room look out onto the negative-edge pool that appears to spill into Lake Austin. A large fireplace and Douglas fir beams provide architectural details.

It flows into the kitchen and breakfast nook, which have views of the lake. The kitchen's large granite center island with a vegetable sink creates a useful work space and gathering space for guests. Julie Grimme picked out all the granite in the house.

The kitchen features waves of brown and hints of blue-gray, a reflection of the lapping water outside. Fun iridescent light fixtures dangle above the island. The kitchen also introduces the alder cabinetry and built-in shelving found throughout the house.

The back half of the house features a pantry, wine room and enclosed bar. Each room offers different granite, wood and glass doors. The bar has a sloping copper sink. The dining room sits across from all three and has a faux-painted wall that reflects the blues and coppers in the granite on a built-in buffet.

The laundry room has granite counters above the washer and dryer, and a sink sits across from a mud room and near the garage. The three-car garage is outfitted with a wall unit from Dream Garage Specialists. A home-automation system controls all the lights, heating and cooling and the sound system from panels placed at key locations throughout the house. Homeowners can program the system to turn on certain lights when the garage door opens, for example.

On the other side of the house, a wood-paneled study and the master suite have front-row views of Lake Austin. The master suite offers a fireplace, a linen closet, exercise room with a built-in coffee bar, a closet for him, dual vanities, an oversized tub and a shower room with a variety of sprayers, including a rain shower. The closet for her is a full room with built-in drawers, granite counters, glass doors enclosing the closet rods and a bench across from the shoe wall. The room also holds a second washer and dryer. It's airy with windows placed throughout the room.

The second floor is perfect for guests or a family. A family room can become a media room with the flip of a switch as blinds cover the windows, including those in the staircase. On one side of the room, a large balcony overlooks the lake. The other side leads to the bar and mini-kitchen with a microwave and dishwasher. Three bedrooms each have large closets and their own bathrooms. The largest room has a balcony.

In the backyard, a built-in grilling area sits across from the two-sided outdoor fireplace. The negative-edge pool spills off of this outdoor living area. On the other side of the fireplace is a fountain/spa that lights up at night. A cabana with a changing area and half-bathroom is across from the pool. Limestone steps lead to the lake and the two-story boathouse with room for a boat and two personal watercraft.

Julie Grimme calls the house "soft contemporary."

"It really is our style," Paul Grimme says. "We're not really flashy. It's classy and well-done but comfortable."

The eventual buyer will be somebody who wants a new home but doesn't want to work with a builder, says listing agent Kay Andrews of Amelia Bullock Realtors. "It's somebody with an appreciation of the constant-level lake and the value of being in the Eanes school district," she says.