The large boulders on the property were unearthed during the site-planning process, then used as part of the landscaping. “We designed all the landscaping and hired Rusty Stevens’ West Texas Landscape for the rock and the edging,” Kyle says. This included 24 truckloads of river rock and nearly 400 plants.
Nestled in the landscape west of Wildcat Bluff, a contemporary new home stands out against the mesquites and rugged mesas. The segmented geometry of the home allows it to hug the hills behind it. The low-slope roofing and white stucco exteriors offer a crisp contrast to the surrounding landscape. The floor-to-ceiling windows and glass corridors prioritize dramatic views of the eastern sky, surrounded by a low-water xeriscape of rocks, boulders and native plants.
Late last year, Kyle and Tonya Francis completed their custom home on Wildcat Trail, moving in right before the holidays. The finished home itself stands out in the rural neighborhood, but so did the construction process: They managed most of the subcontractors themselves as owner-builders, giving them direct oversight of the project.
“This is not a typical house,” Tonya says. “we just decided to take it on and did a lot of the work ourselves,” hiring out contractors only when necessary.
She’s an interior designer and photographer, and her father ran a custom cabinet shop for years. Kyle, a Pampa native, is a manufacturer’s rep for submersible motors used in petroleum and agriculture. But neither had much experience as home-builders. That didn’t stop them.
“We talked about buying a house and just completely remodeling it, but then after you buy and remodel, it’s still not your whole vibe, right?” Kyle explains. “Either the outsides or insides are not going to be exactly what you want. So we just said, ‘Let’s tackle it.’”
The end result is breathtaking, and feels unlike most new construction in and around Amarillo. “There’s some beautiful homes [in Amarillo] but … we wanted something that was a little different,” Tonya says.
During construction, the family of six—Kyle and Tonya have four children—lived in a 1,500-square-foot house in the Olsen neighborhood. The new 4,400-square-foot home sits on five acres, giving them plenty of room to spread out.
Located on the southernmost end of the home, the main bedroom features a focal wall with a geometric patterned wallpaper. Due to the high ceiling, it required a scissor-lift for installation. Like almost everything else, the couple did the work themselves. “I have done wallpaper for a long time,” Tonya says, laughing. “Kyle was, like, I think we’re taking a break from wallpaper for a while.”
Some of the best views are available in the couple’s home gym, thanks to the massive windows. Building up a sweat feels effortless. “It makes our workout a lot more fun having a view,” Tonya says. “This room does get warm. It’s nice in the mornings.”
This breezeway connects the garage with the kitchen and open, walk-in pantry.
An interior decorator, Tonya says doing most of the work themselves allowed the couple to spend more money on decor. “I love to design spaces and change things,” she says. “And if you spend a lot of money, then you don’t have the option to change out often.”
Tonya saw the teakwood root coffeetable blocks in a design magazine and loved their appearance as functional sculptures. Each of the two blocks weighed around 600 pounds. Getting them into the home was a challenge. “They were very heavy. We thought we were gonna die carrying them up the hill, over all that rock,” she laughs.
The open-concept living room, entryway and kitchen are home to around 34 live plants, by Kyle’s count. “There are probably close to 50 in the house,” Tonya adds.
“I thoroughly love my entryway,” Tonya says. Next to windows that allow light to kiss their cactus collection, the geometric blocks separate the entry from the living area. She and Kyle located the concrete patterned blocks in Lubbock thanks to a Facebook Marketplace listing.
Known as “breeze blocks,” the repeating pattern preserves privacy while still allowing light to pass through the wall. Each block weighs at least 10 pounds.
All the cabinets in the kitchen are white oak. A massive quartzite slab serves as the island countertop. The picture window above the sink helps break up the monotony of dishwashing with eastern views. “I never really enjoyed cooking or doing dishes, but [now] I love it,” Tonya says.
Tonya and Kyle traveled to Denver for the gorgeous reclaimed wood dining table, which they purchased at Rare Finds Warehouse, a furniture business featuring imported and salvaged items. “We had that slab in our truck, and the inside of the vehicle was full of cactus,” Tonya says, because they stopped to pick up several plants purchased through Facebook Marketplace. “We hauled cactus from all over,” she adds.
Each of the kids’ rooms features a wallpapered accent wall that matches the occupants’ personalities. These bedrooms are on the opposite side of the house from the primary bedroom. Both sides of the house have a space for laundry.
The back patio features live cacti, custom cactus sculptures, and plenty of covered outdoor spaces for entertaining. A tiled sportcourt is marked for basketball and pickleball.
