903 E 14th St, Austin, TX 78702

903 E 14th St. offers the best of both worlds: modern, open-concept living with vintage charm in a custom re-built & enlarged home on Austin’s vibrant east side. With 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a separate office, multiple living/sitting rooms & resplendent porches, the home was taken down to the studs, meticulously enlarged & updated in 2010 and has been lovingly cared for ever since. The large lot abuts tranquil Swede Hill Park, has no neighbors to the east, enjoys alley access (allowing for future ADU, garage apt) and features a lovely backyard with extensive plantings and healthy palm trees. The stunning upper 216 sf screened porch has composite flooring & custom drainage system. The 216 sf downstairs covered back porch with awnings leads to the lush fully fenced yard with multiple seating areas and 12x16 shed. The rebuild included: new kitchen; new bathrooms; new electric; new plumbing; hardwood floors throughout; double-pane windows; extensive custom shelving; 30-year shingle roof (w/ radiant barrier); foundation leveling & new piers; and an entirely new 2nd floor. The house has a light, airy floor plan imbued with the character of a 20th century bungalow. The home’s 1st floor has been opened up and contains a large office; guest bedroom; full bathroom; front-of-house living room; sitting/flex/dining room/ and large kitchen with butcher block island (w/ shelving), a large sun-filled dining area, custom glass-front cabinets, porcelain apron sink, large pantry and local granite countertops (from the same quarry as the Texas Capitol granite). Upstairs are two en-suite bedrooms with ample closets. The primary BR opens to the stunning screened porch, its bathroom replete with large soaking tub, double vanity and walk-in shower. The light-filled secondary BR has a vaulted ceiling & upper clerestory windows. Completing the 2nd floor is a sitting/flex room (w/ custom bookcases), a cabinet-filled laundry room and two attic storage areas.

This 1930 bungalow at 903 E 14th Street in Austin's East Austin neighborhood underwent a meticulous restoration in 2010 that stripped the home to its studs, rebuilt it from the foundation up, and doubled its footprint - yet somehow preserved the soul of a century-old structure. The result is 2,408 square feet of living space where original architectural character coexists with modern function, all priced at $494 per square foot on a 0.1722-acre lot.

The restoration began with fundamentals. The foundation was leveled and reinforced with new piers. A new second floor was constructed entirely. New electrical, plumbing, and a 30-year roof with radiant barrier were installed. Double-pane windows replaced single-pane originals. What emerged was a home that feels both 1930s bungalow and contemporary open-concept living, the kind of balance that takes serious commitment to achieve.

The main floor flows without forced transitions. A large office, guest bedroom, and full bathroom cluster toward the front, while a spacious living room anchors the street-facing side. The kitchen sits at the home's heart - granite countertops sourced from the same quarry that supplied stone for the Texas Capitol, a gas range, convection oven, large pantry, and butcher block island with shelving. Glass-front cabinetry and abundant natural light define the space. An eat-in dining area extends the kitchen's reach.

Upstairs, two primary suites each have en-suite bathrooms and walk-in closets. The primary bedroom opens to a 216-square-foot screened porch with composite flooring and a custom drainage system - this is where morning coffee happens. The secondary bedroom features vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows. A sitting room with custom bookcases and a laundry room complete the floor.

The lot itself is the property's secret asset. It backs directly to Swede Hill Park, with no eastern neighbor - an increasingly rare feature on Austin's infill lots. Alley access opens future possibilities for an ADU or garage apartment. The fenced yard contains multiple seating areas, native plantings, mature palm trees, and a 12 by 16-foot shed. A screened rear porch upstairs and covered back porch downstairs with awnings extend outdoor living through all seasons.

The Austin ISD assignment includes Blackshear Elementary, Kealing Middle School, and Eastside Early College High School. The location sits near public transit on a publicly maintained road, with walkable access to the East Austin commercial district along East Cesar Chavez Street and proximity to Mueller Lake Park and Bartlett Park.

At one day on market, this property represents what modern restoration should achieve: a home that honors its past while functioning entirely for today's living standards.

East Austin is the only neighborhood in the city where you can walk from a James Beard Award-winning restaurant to a converted warehouse gallery to a live music venue to a craft cocktail bar without ever getting in your car. That walkability, combined with a building boom that has reshaped the housing stock over the past decade, makes East Austin the most dynamic real estate market in Central Texas.

East Austin stretches from I-35 on the west to Highway 183 on the east, with Lady Bird Lake forming the southern boundary and roughly MLK Boulevard marking the northern edge of the 78702 core. The 78722 zip extends the identity further north and east. Downtown is immediately across I-35 - five minutes by car, 15 by bicycle. East Cesar Chavez, East 6th, and East 7th serve as commercial corridors, each with its own personality. East Cesar Chavez leans toward taquerias and family shops, East 6th trends cocktail bars and restaurants, East 7th mixes galleries with newer retail.

Modern townhomes and duplexes make up about 35% of sales activity, concentrated on infill lots. Original shotgun bungalows and Craftsman homes account for 25%, mostly on quieter streets east of Chicon - typically 800 to 1,200 square feet on generous lots with ADU potential. Contemporary custom homes represent 15%, with architects like Bercy Chen and Alterstudio producing some of the most interesting residential design in Texas. Unrenovated bungalows start in the mid-$400s. Renovated historic homes with ADUs land between $700,000 and $1 million. New townhomes cluster around $600,000 to $900,000. Custom builds cross $1.5 million.

East Austin falls within Austin ISD. Zavala Elementary and Blackshear Elementary handle early grades. Martin and Kealing Middle Schools are the primary options, with Kealing's magnet program drawing students districtwide. Eastside Memorial High School serves the area, though many families opt for LASA, private schools, or open-enrollment options. The school landscape is more complex than in neighborhoods with a single feeder pattern, and specific addresses matter.

The lifestyle is what people picture when they think of modern Austin. Morning starts at Cenote or Fleet Coffee. Franklin Barbecue's line forms early, but locals order ahead. The dining concentration is remarkable. Suerte does modern Mexican with in-house nixtamal. Nixta Taqueria won a James Beard Award. Launderette turns a converted laundromat into one of Austin's best brunch spots. Canje brings Caribbean cooking to Holly Street. Kemuri Tatsu-Ya fuses izakaya with smokehouse. Via 313 has been making Detroit-style pizza since before the current boom. The Butler Trail, Boggy Creek Greenbelt, Roy Guerrero Park, and Mueller Lake Park provide outdoor options.

East Austin offers urban density and walkability unmatched outside downtown, at prices that undercut the west side significantly. Compared to South Congress, it provides more housing variety and better value per square foot. Compared to Mueller, it trades master-planned orderliness for more character. The main concerns are the pace of change and the east-west infrastructure divide, which has narrowed but still shows in some areas.

East Austin is for buyers who want to live in Austin's cultural energy rather than commute to it. It fits people who eat out frequently, bike to work, and value diversity of experience. It works for investors who see ADU potential in the generous lots. If you need a large lot, a quiet cul-de-sac, or a top suburban school, look elsewhere. But if you want to walk out your front door and feel the pulse of what makes Austin different from every other Texas city, there is no better address.