On the ground
What we find behind the walls in Zilker & Barton Hills
Zilker and Barton Hills sit between Barton Springs Road and the Greenbelt, in the heart of 78704, and the housing is split three ways. There are 1940s-to-1960s cottages, many with native limestone or painted brick exteriors and a small masonry fireplace inside. There are the two-story modern rebuilds that replaced a lot of those cottages in the last fifteen years, with standard framing but often a floating shelf or feature wall where the TV is supposed to live. And there are the condos and townhomes along South Lamar with shared walls and strict noise windows.
For the cottages we plan on irregular studs, plaster or shiplap under the drywall, and a fireplace that may be rubble limestone rather than laid block, which changes where an anchor can safely go. The rebuilds are simpler to anchor but frequently need wire concealment through a wall that is already stuffed with cabinetry or a built-in. For the condos we keep the drilling short and inside quiet hours. Street parking is tight on the blocks closest to Zilker Park on event weekends, so we schedule around ACL and the Trail of Lights.