Monday, January 5, 2009

Lance Armstrong's Hill Country Hideaway

SELLER: Lance Armstrong
LOCATION: Deadman's Hole, Dripping Springs, TX
PRICE: $12,000,000
SIZE: 4,241 square feet, 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms (total0
DESCRIPTION: Spectacular resort like ranch with 447.8 acres (hcad). Ownership in Deadman's Hole & 1886' of Pedernales frontage (per survey). Extensive clearing of underbrush, paved roads, beautiful grassy pastures & 7 miles of hike/bike trails. Fab 4bd, 4ba main house on hilltop w/ exquisite landscaping, neg. edge pool & firepite overlooking endless hill country views. Great 1bd/1ba guest house.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Seven time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor turned advocate Lance Armstrong not only has a penchant for famous ladees like Kate Hudson, singer Sheryl Crow and New York socialite/designer Tori Burch, he also has a habit of owning houses and hideaways that create quite the kerfuffle in the communities in which they're located.

Not only was there that big brouhaha over his newly built Tuscan style mansion on the outskirts of Austin, TX using more than 25 times the amount of water the average Austin household uses–a situation he claims to have remedied–the Texas born bicycler also ran afoul of his nearby neighbors out in the boonies of Dripping Springs, TX where he owns a 447.8 acre ranch that, thanks to Two-Stepping Trudy, we've learned he recently listed for sale.

A peep into the property records does not provide much in the way of purchase price, but previous reports and current listing information reveal that the sprawling Hill Country ranch is comprised of two tracts that total 447.8 acres and include 1,886 feet of frontage on the purdy Pedernales River. What makes Mister Armstrong's property most unique, however, is ownership in Deadman's Hole, a pool of pristine water that can be accessed and used only by the 17 neighboring landowners whose deeds grant them ownership. In his memoir about conquering cancer, Every Second Counts, Mister Armstrong states one of the reasons he purchased the property was because he was drawn to the stunning swimming hole where jumping off the 45 foot waterfall became his, "own personal way of checking for vital signs."

It is Deadman's Hole, beloved by all that use it, that has made Mister Armstrong less than popular with some of his neighbors with whom he shares ownership. According to many, many, many reports, back in 2005 Mister Armstrong began building a small dam on a creek that runs across his property and feeds into Deadman's Hole. Neighbors claimed the dam construction caused sediment to run into the swimming hole and cloud the once uncommonly clear waters.

After much wrangling and bickering, Mister Armstrong agreed to arrange and pay for the clean up of the swimming hole, an endeavor which he says cost him around $850,000 in clean up charges, consultant costs and legal fees. Most reports indicate the neighbors are satisfied with the result.

However, all the finger pointing and big bucks spent cleaning up Deadman's Hole must have left a bitter taste in Mister Armstrong's mouth because sometime in October of 2008 (or maybe it was in September?) he listed his Hill Country hideaway for sale. Listing information Your Mama turned up shows the current asking price is $12,000,000.

Listing information indicates the Armstrong hideaway was built in 2003 and includes a four bedroom and 4 bathroom main house as well as a 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom guest house. A previous report on the property–which did not identify it as belonging to Mister Armstrong–reveals the main house measures 3,928 square feet while current listing information shows it at 4,241 square feet. We're not sure of why there's a difference, but it might be that the larger figure includes the floor space of the guest house.

Listing information and photos show the main residence features and open plan program where the main living space, dining area and gore-may kitchen share the same prodigiously peaked and beamed ceiling. Floor to ceiling windows and several sets of french doors allow the long and lovely vistas over the Hill Country west of Austin to create an ever changing and mesmerizing back drop for the clean lined but cozy looking interior spaces.

The kitchen includes a giant work island and breakfast counter where Your Mama would surely sit sipping gin and tonics while Chef prepared dinner and has been kitted out with top grade stainless steel appliances, natch. In place of overhead cabinets, three rows of plank shelves provide easy access to all the daily dishware. Presumably the kitchen area includes a large pantry where food and other kitchen necessities can be stowed away and out of site and there is little Your Mama loves more than a giant pantry for hiding kitchen clutter.

A media room has been tucked up under the peaked roof line on the second floor with a u-shaped seating arrangement that allows everyone to view the big screen boob-toob.

We imagine some of the children will remark and complain that the interior spaces look a little hotel-like and without the sorts of personal touches that make a house a home. And we'd agree that some books, magazines and knick-knacks strewn around would make it all seem a bit more homey, but we also imagine the place has been staged and stripped of Mister Armstrong's personal belongings for the selling process.

The manicured grounds immediately around the house include covered patios overlooking rolling green lawns where a negative edge swimming pool and spa visually spills into the scrubby Hill Country horizon. Listing information also states the property includes 7 miles of hiking/biking trails which photos and at least one report reveal are marked with yellow "Livestrong" directional signs. The grounds also include at least one fire pit and a heated and cooled work shop and bathroom where Your Mama imagines Mister Armstrong and his team of peeps toil away to make his collection of two-wheeled contraptions lighter and faster.

And then, of course, there's dee-lishus Deadman's Hole which by any standards looks to be a spectacular spot to get away and a place Your Mama would give our molars in order to skinny dip in the moonlight with the Dr. Cooter and several of our closest and better built buddies.

It's difficult to imagine that Mister Armstrong would want to sell such a pulchritudinous place, but desire to sell he does. Perhaps he has plans for another even more spectacular location for his next rural getaway? Or maybe he's just planning on spending more time in the Bahamas where Your Mama read somewhere (but can not confirm) he's building and decorating his own island paradise.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

welcome back!

TwentyFiveFifty said...

Those little directional signs look mighty similar to The Amazing Race signs...hmmm.

Anonymous said...

Dripping Springs....how fitting.

Anonymous said...

Aside from being in the smackdab of the middle of nowhere, this house looks outrageously appealing. I would LOVE to take it off his hands, but I'm about $11.9 million short. Can anybody spot me a few bucks?

On google maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=dead+man's+hole,+Dripping+Springs,+TX&sll=30.162735,-98.074093&sspn=0.01204,0.019226&ie=UTF8&ll=30.316187,-98.173935&spn=0.003005,0.004807&t=h&z=18

Anonymous said...

Mr. Armstrong's problems with the various homeowners associations he belongs to smacks of an all too familiar theme to me as a long time board member for mine. People who live like the world revolves around them regardless of it's impact on their neighbors are a constant thorn in our side. There's always 1 or 2 who seem to feel they're above having to consider others or follow rules. It must be alot worse to deal with when the offender is a resident celebrity. I doubt any of his neighbors are upset to be losing him.

StPaulSnowman said...

I am sure it is quite spectacular but from the photos it has that sad look of the once great country house now used as a conference center.

Mike Cook said...

'Deadman's Hole, Dripping Springs' just makes me want to bathe, in shower shoes... It sounds like a turn of phrase reserved solely for something gone terribly wrong at the morgue.

Anonymous said...

Everyone wants the commission on this one. It is listed everywhere!

Seems the price is fairly high for agriculture acreage. New houses at that size go for around a mil there.

Let us see how much his name is worth?


http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes/dripping+springs-tx/
http://www.loopnet.com/property/15970917/560-Deadman-s-Hole/
http://www.realtor.com/realestate/dripping+springs-tx-78620-1104451271/
http://hillcountryheaven.blogspot.com/2008/10/dead-mans-hole.html
http://www.gottesmanresidential.com/homes/DeadMansHole/index.htm#floorplan

Anonymous said...

I think it's gorgeous - and this part of the state (the "Hill Country") is sooooo pretty. Unfortunately, wealthy retirees and others have discovered it and driven land costs up and up and up - now it's really expensive. The Austin area has the highest real estate costs in the state - and it's spread to the Hill Country, sadly. I'd kill for that house, though.

Anonymous said...

Looks like this house has been on the market since last October? He needs to drop the price down.

All the flippers in that area must love Lance.
As they say in the bike world, they are "drafting" behind his VERY high price listing.
Good old Lance is keeping the prices high in these sorry recession times.

Anonymous said...

Of course the flip side of the coin is the homeowners association board members who are happy to have a celebrity move in and drive up their property values while at the same time are jealous of the celebrity's financials so they look for ways to get a piece of his wealth for their own cheap a$$ selves.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't Andy Roddick, the has-been tennis player, have a place around here?

Anonymous said...

I LOVE THE PROPERTY. I REMEMBER READING SOMETHING IN THE STATESMEN ABOUT HIS HUGE WATER USE WHEN OTHERS WERE CONSERVING.

Anonymous said...

Nice,

The big fridge must be for all his dope.

Anonymous said...

Deadman's Hole..........perish the thought!

Anonymous said...

3:39, huh? IF that happens, it's a few and far between occurrence, and would be illegal. More often than not, the non-celeb majority who belong to exclusive homeowners associations have substantially more personal wealth than the occasional celeb who moves in.

Anonymous said...

That's a nice peice of property, the house is solid and could be warmed up to take away the sterility of Lance's house and his sterile nut sack.

Really, that water feature and the 400 plus acres makes me wonder who would want to sell that at all. I guess Lance got mad when they told him he couldn't turn it into a resort. That place is bad ass. Why do people go through all what it takes to create and build, to sell. That's too much blood, sweat and tears--but prob he just signed off on the blue prints etc and showed up a year later to write the check--then like the rest of them told Arch. Digest how deep his thought process was for building it.

Mama's black sheep in WEHO

Anonymous said...

He announced he'd spawned another kid with just one live strong uni-ball. Perhaps he's regrouping with young family in mind.

Love the house. Still trying to figure out that painting above the fireplace.

Unknown said...

I can't stand him.
He is an A Hole.
Self centered.
His wife takes care of him through cancer then he gets better and leaves her.
Dates Cheryl Crow and she gets cancer and he dumps her.
Time for us to dump him.

Anonymous said...

9:12, what! I seriously doubt if there is someone else richer than Lance in the Dripping Springs area. His net worth must be well over 100-200 million. He was one of the top ten sports people making MASSIVE money in the 90s and the early 2000s. He is not a Tiger Woods, but he is VERY, VERY rich. He made millions on his Coke, Nike, and many other endorsements. He still makes tons of money off Trek which is the largest bike company in the World.

Sounds like one of his advisors told him to sell this property now.
He plays the RE market like Wall Street and has no problem dumping his beautiful holdings to make or preserve his assets. He is just another rich emotionless flipper like Nicholas Cage who leaves unstable prices in their selling wake.

Anonymous said...

He must be selling this place to pay for his new 8 million dollar home in Aspen

Anonymous said...

Here is the house he is building in Aspen for the new baby.

http://www.fadedyouthblog.com/73265/lance-to-raise-family-in-new-aspen-home/

Anonymous said...

Amen, Angus.

Anonymous said...

At least you a-holes could learn that her name is *S*heryl Crow if you are going to claim you know enough about their PRIVATE relationship to claim he dumped her when she got cancer.

Anonymous said...

Gee... Appears she didn't find out she had cancer until AFTER they split up. You mean some of Mama's children don't know their a$$es from a hole in the ground?

From People Magazine in 2006:

Sheryl Crow underwent surgery for breast cancer on Wednesday, she confirmed via her web site. According to the site, Crow's doctors call her prognosis "excellent"; she will receive radiation therapy treatment as a precaution.

In a statement released to PEOPLE today, Crow's former fiancé, Lance Armstrong, said, "I was devastated to hear this news. Once again I'm reminded of just how pervasive this illness is as it has now touched someone I love deeply."

The cycling champion continued, "Based on my contact in recent days with Sheryl, her doctor, and her family, I am confident that she will have a full and complete recovery and the world will be a better place for it. And to all of her fans and friends out there, please keep Sheryl in your thoughts and prayers yet know that I have never known a stronger woman in my life."

Anonymous said...

Despite the grotesque name, I LOVE that "pool".... deadman's or not.

Just imagine having to pay to create something like that. You know Hugh Hefner paid something like $3 million for his grotto, which is NOTHING compared to this slice of heaven!

Huntstar said...

Spot the BIG fridge .......for the storage of the EPO?

Anonymous said...

Armstrong can pack his shit and leave for all I care. All this yankee been since he left his family to be a man-hoe was a over confident trick. Please someone by this home for 1 million. That way all the other neighbors property taxes does not go up because of this flick.

Anonymous said...

Angus,

He met his ex-wife when she was working for the Foundation he started while RECOVERING from Cancer. She did not "take care of him when he was getting better," she didn't know him.

If you want to talk trash about the guy, then spend 2 minutes checking first.