Extreme Home Tour

What kind of home can find a place for not one, but two Model-T automobiles in the living area? The place has to be extreme.

With an indoor aviary, five sitting areas, a media room and a 400 square foot closet, not to mention the loaner cars, anyone who's seen the loft owned by Mike Bass and Eric Weinrich of Taylor, Texas can understand why it's a perfect fit for Home & Garden Television's Extreme Homes.

Getting the producers of the show to recognize this potential wasn't quite as easy. It took over a year to finally get the crew of Scott Craig Productions/Worldwide to Texas.

"They emailed, I called and then they sent pictures," said Cathy Fisher, associate producer.

Looking at pictures, however, doesn't show the depth and details incorporated in the home. Both the producers and their crew had the same reaction most people do upon entering the loft's 7,000 square foot second floor.

"I don't know Cathy, it doesn't look too extreme to me," said Producer Scott Craig joking as he strolled through the loft with an awestruck expression.

In this home eclectically furnished with a mix of old, new and in between, Craig admitted it is "far more dramatic and extreme" in person than the pictures showed.

A Ford automobile dealership made it's home in the building back in the 1920s which accounts for some of the features still serving the current owners.

"One of the benefits is that it came with a full size automotive elevator," said Bass. It's clanky, loud and elicits lots of barks from the resident dog, but it works great when they need it.

Not only did they use it to lift the Model-T's borrowed for the filming, a Harley Davidson motorcycle made it's way up for a charity fundraiser home tour last December. Bass and Weinrich find it indispensable for hauling up the extra large furnishings they often purchase for their home at auctions and thrift shops as well.

"We buy pieces that won't fit into most people's homes," Bass said in a lengthy interview taped for the show.

Every aspect of the luxurious yet comfortable loft was filmed for the program. This includes the upstairs plant-filled aviary.

"The aviary was originally the car washing bay" complete with drains and water sources, said Weinrich during his turn under the interview spotlight.

This allows them to maintain a fountain, fish pond, a veritable jungle including herbs used for cooking, and 10 snowy white doves without making a mess watering and cleaning up.

Weinrich was also featured in the spacious kitchen during filming. Some of the amenities include a professional stove and refrigerator, along with stainless steel work surfaces providing ample room for food preparation.

One of the most interesting aspects of this room is the origin of the components. The stove came from a business that refurbishes professional cooking equipment, the fridge was an unwanted item from another home being remodeled, and one of the steel work surfaces came from the clinic where Weinrich works as a registered nurse.

"Everything in here is recycled," he said not only about the kitchen, but the entire home.

Considering the building itself falls into the recycled category, filling it with things with a past seems quite fitting. These include a conference table that reportedly once served the Dynasty character Alexis Carrington and wooden wall panels from the movie Hope Floats now decorating the study.

Being an interior designer doesn't hurt matters when it comes to having enough vision to turn an old warehouse into an extreme home.

"I like the openness of the loft but I don't like the minimalist look," said Bass. Including five separate living areas in an open space might be difficult for some folks, but he uses his design skills to make it all work.

"I like to make a home feel lived in rather than like a show place," he said referring to the work he does for his clients.

And although each individual element in his home is inviting, combining them all into one grand loft does indeed make it quite a show place. This is particularly true in the bathroom.

"The master bathroom is the one room in the house people say they could really live in," said Weinrich.

Features in this spacious room include an inviting whirlpool tub, cozy fireplace and a glass-topped antique dresser transformed to hold a sink and serve as a vanity. Rich, deep colors and a gold fleur-de-lis motif on the walls truly make this a room most anyone can appreciate.

Craig felt it wasn't just a place to live. In his opinion, the loft definitely qualified as an extreme home.

"It's right up in there. It's one of the best, no doubt about it."

Photo by Pamela Wiggins

Additional resources:

View more pictures of this extreme loft home here.

Find more information on decorative antique accessories to personalize your own showplace.

Learn more about decorating periods and styles with about.com Guide Glenna Morton.

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