127 Marina Rd, Smithville, TX 78957

On five acres in Smithville, Sweetheart Ranch offers a turnkey creative retreat with multiple structures, a new barn and apartment, and a pond—an easy, design-forward escape less than an hour from Austin. Fully taken to the studs, the main home has been rebuilt with a warm, modern aesthetic. Wood wraps the exterior and interior, complemented by raised ceilings, a new metal roof, and a streamlined wood-burning fireplace finished in smooth cement. The two-bedroom layout feels calm and cohesive, with an all-wood backdrop and a farmhouse kitchen featuring butcher-block counters and an apron-front sink. Generous windows and covered porches on both sides connect the home to its five-acre setting. A brand-new barn and barn apartment were built to complement the property’s aesthetic and function. The barn includes three stalls, a feed room, tack room, and pasture access. Above it, the full apartment continues the wood-wrapped look with a kitchenette, full bath with a claw-foot tub, a bedroom, and elevated views that create a sense of privacy and retreat. A detached container structure adds flexible space for a studio, office, or guests. With a half bath, kitchenette, lofted area, and elevated deck, it expands the property’s usability without competing with the main home. The land is inviting and intentional, with a pond designed for swimming, a chicken coop, and acreage that leads to a wet-weather creek. The property also includes an updated septic system and an electric car charger. Smithville offers the charm of a historic small town with an artistic, tight-knit community, local shops, cafes, galleries, and a creative culture shaped by its film history and local makers. It provides the space and ease of rural living without feeling remote. Acreage, design, and usability rarely align this well this close to Austin. Sweetheart Ranch manages all three—quietly, intentionally, and with room to grow.

Four and a half acres of open sky and tall pines stretch across this 127 Marina Rd property in Smithville, with the horizon breaking wide where most suburban lots end. The land itself is the defining feature here-rolling, private, and uncluttered, with mature trees casting deep shade and a wet-weather creek running through the back acres. This is the kind of property where you can actually see weather coming from miles away, where the property line feels more like permission than restriction.

Within this landscape sits a 3,000 square foot log residence built in 1984 but substantially renewed, with wood wrapping both exterior and interior to anchor the home to its surroundings. Beamed ceilings and an open floorplan move light through the main living areas. The kitchen centers on a substantial island with a breakfast bar, cooktop, and double oven-functional for both daily cooking and entertaining. Wood floors and natural woodwork carry the material consistency throughout. Three bedrooms and three full baths plus one half bath provide room for family or guests without excess complexity.

What makes this property genuinely useful is the multiplicity of structures. A new barn with three stalls, feed room, and tack room serves livestock or equipment storage. Above it, a full barn apartment with kitchenette, full bath, and lofted bedroom creates income potential or guest independence. A separate container structure with kitchenette, half bath, and elevated deck functions as studio, office, or additional guest quarters. These aren't afterthoughts-they're intentional extensions of the property's purpose.

The land includes a pond, chicken coop, and cleared pasture, planted with the kind of intentional design that lets you actually use every acre. Covered porches wrap the main home on both sides, collapsing the distance between interior and exterior. An updated septic system and electric car charger confirm this land has been thoughtfully modernized.

Smithville itself sits approximately 35 minutes southeast of downtown Austin, within Smithville ISD serving Brown Primary, Smithville Middle, and Smithville High schools. The town maintains genuine character-galleries, local cafes, and a tight creative community drawn partly to its film history. At $799,000, or $266 per square foot, this property offers genuine acreage with usable structures at a price point where land and house actually balance. The five acres here are not just setting. They are the point.