The estates of Dallas.
Preston Hollow is the part of Dallas measured in acres: houses set well back behind gates, under old trees. We design the technology behind those estates, and have worked across Dallas since 2004.
A town of its own, once
From 1939 to 1945 Preston Hollow was a town of its own — about 1,700 residents, with its own aldermen, its own police and, from November 1940, its own zoning ordinance.
In April 1945 Dallas put annexation to a vote in Highland Park, University Park and Preston Hollow at once. The Park Cities said no. Preston Hollow said yes, and joined the city on the spot.
The Dilbeck houses
Charles Dilbeck won a design competition with one of the first houses built in Preston Hollow, and his “Texas Ranch House” — local and salvaged materials, big windows, wide overhangs and low roofs, designed as though it had been built over time — became part of the neighborhood’s character. By the City’s own count, nearly half of those homes were demolished in a single decade to make way for larger ones.
In the ones that remain, we bring the systems up to date and leave the house alone: wireless lighting control, wiring through attics and crawlspaces, keypads finished to match.
The estate
In the City’s one-acre district, a house stands at least forty feet back from the street on an acre or more. On a lot of two acres or more — or any lot once a demolition permit is filed — the City’s tree ordinance applies, and a protected tree that comes down must be replaced. So the conduit, the gate wiring and the landscape-lighting runs go around the roots, not through them.
What it takes
Behind the gate.
Gate, intercom, cameras and perimeter, so you know who is at the motor court before they reach the door.
Light under the trees.
Uplighting on the trunks and moonlighting from the canopy, with the facade lit softly from below.
Light and shade inside.
Lutron lighting and shading, designed with the architecture rather than added to it.
Security.
The Otium Group, Inc — Security Division, monitored around the clock by a UL-Listed central station.
One system.
Control4 ties it together — the main house, the guest house and the grounds on one keypad.
The Dream Home
We have been Fort Worth Magazine’s technology partner on its showcase homes since 2013 — including the 2013 Dream Home, the 2018 Home of Dreams, the 2019 Showcase Home, the 2020 Dream Street and the 2025 Dream Home.
For builders
If you have built with us before, you know how we work. If it has been a while, call. Bring us in at plan review.
What we do here
Every home we design in Preston Hollow draws on the same disciplines, planned together from the first drawings.
For homeowners
Most of our work begins with a homeowner who tells their builder they want us. Tell yours.
Planning a home in Preston Hollow?
Tell us about it — we reply within one business day.
Nearby
Common questions
Do you work in Preston Hollow?
Yes. We design and install home technology across Preston Hollow and the rest of Dallas, from our base in Fort Worth.
Can you modernize an older house without changing its character?
Yes. We use wireless lighting control and shades, route new wiring through attics and crawlspaces, and finish keypads to match the original hardware, so the walls and details stay as they are.
Will the work disturb protected trees?
We plan every trench and conduit run around the root zones before work begins, and coordinate with your landscape architect and arborist.
Can we manage the house while we’re away?
Yes. Security, gates, shades, cameras and climate all run from your phone, and the house is monitored around the clock by a UL-Listed central station.
Who answers when something needs service?
Service calls go straight to our dedicated service coordinator.