Pedernales A-Frame in Texas Hill Country: Modern Cabin Plans Meet Short-Term Rental Success

Building a modern cabin isn't just about design — it's about creating a space that blends comfort, profitability, and a unique guest experience. In Fredericksburg, Texas, real estate investor Dakota Haines did exactly that with the Pedernales A-Frame, transforming DEN's modern cabin plans into one of the region's most distinctive short-term rental properties.

Based on DEN's popular A-Frame 2.2, this project shows how thoughtful architecture and smart amenities can elevate a build into a high-performing investment. The home stands out in Texas Hill Country's competitive cabin rental market, offering design details and guest experiences that go beyond the typical cabin plans seen elsewhere.

From its striking modern A-Frame silhouette to standout features like a full pickleball court and private hot tub, the Pedernales property proves that investing in modern cabin plans can deliver both lifestyle value and financial returns.

Check out The Pedernales A-Frame on Instagram and Airbnb.

Meet Dakota, the Man Who Turned DEN Cabin Plans into a High-Performing STR in Texas Hill Country

Mike: All right, sir. We'll start with the softball questions first. Who are you? What DEN design did you build and where did you build it?

Dakota: So my name is Dakota Haines. I'm a native Austinite. I selected the A-Frame 2.2 Cabin DEN build, and I built it in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Mike: Amazing. What about that particular design caught your attention? And what's the name of the project?

Dakota: The project's called the Pedernales A-Frame because the land we built it on sits right on the Pedernales River, which — unless you're from Texas — you probably won't know what that is. But it's very popular. When it's not drought season here, it's very pretty to overlook that river.

I really selected that design because I knew I wanted an A-Frame. I was adamant about being in the short-term rental market and needed to make something unique. I'm no builder, and so being able to just go buy plans — as an investor — that were easy to just provide to a builder, that was gold. And so that's why we selected DEN.

Dakota: I really wanted something that was something you didn't see. In Texas, A-Frames are not nearly as common as maybe you'd see in the Northwest. And so it kind of sits on a very popular highway in Fredericksburg. You would not believe how many people reach out to us on Instagram just because they see our A-Frame overlooking the river.

Mike: Oh, that's amazing. I mean, yeah, we hear that from short-term rental and boutique hospitality operators. It's like, how do you differentiate in the design itself to attract engagement and bookings?

Dakota: No, there aren't really any others. There's somewhat of a competitor in Fredericksburg that builds unique style properties — they have a couple A-Frames. But theirs are very primitive, which I know has its niche in the short-term rental space. We wanted to create that elevated experience where it's a unique design, but you also have the modern features and amenities that people have come to expect when they stay in an Airbnb.

Elevating the Guest Experience with Unique Cabin Plans and Outdoor Features

Mike: Awesome. What other cool amenities do you have as part of this property?

Dakota: Yeah, so we added a pickleball court. I actually ran a poll on Instagram on things we maybe should add. Luckily, we've got some additional space with the land that we purchased. And pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America — that was a no-brainer to just pour a concrete slab and paint ourselves. It actually came out really well, and you would not believe how many people utilize it or book just to play pickleball.

Dakota: We have a hot tub that is a popular amenity in Texas. I highly recommend anybody in the space look into getting a hot tub. You can get them fairly cheap these days. Other than that, I think it's really just the layout of the design. Today's short-term rental guests, they don't just want a place to stay. They want a story to tell. And I think that DEN design really helped us capture that with this A-Frame.

First-Time Build Experience with DEN A-Frame House Plans

Mike: That's amazing. So this is the first time that you built a structure from the ground up. Is that right?

Dakota: Yeah, correct.

Mike: Yeah. I mean, like, you know, we have a lot of prospective customers who are wondering — do I have what it takes to build something from the ground up? What advice would you give to somebody who is attempting to build something from the ground up for the first time?

Dakota: Yeah, I think that's a good question. Things are always going to go wrong. That's something you should expect — you're going to have obstacles that you have to figure out a way to overcome. For us, the first one we encountered was before we even started with DEN's plans. We were in a 100-year flood zone that I really had no idea about. So we had to deal with a lot of local permits and regulations. Luckily for us, the permitting process is not very extensive in this area of the country. So my first advice would be: understand what that process is before you even think about getting started.

Dakota: The plans are what made it so easy. I was able to find a builder — I'll shout them out, Concept 8, a local friend of mine. She was in Austin but willing, and had workers that would go out to Fredericksburg. Every person I had quote locally had never built anything like that before in Texas either. There's just not anybody who's going to say, 'yeah, we've built this kind of A-Frame build before.' But we bought the plans, I handed them over, and other than some minor tweaks to the design — really all we changed were the finishes — we started that project in, I want to say February. We were done in December.

Mike: Oh, amazing. That's amazing. We hear this time and time again — the plans stand on their own. And they're also flexible enough so that you can sub out fixtures and finishes.

Dakota: And I think that was also key — the flexibility of being able to make those tweaks. I want to say the plans initially included mini splits. Talking with our builder, we weren't sure if we could get an HVAC system installed that wasn't mini splits, but obviously the aesthetic is a lot better if you don't have these big mini splits sticking out of the walls. We were able to tweak that. He said we could get it done. We ended up getting it done with really no issues at all, and now we've got this cleaner aesthetic with the full system. The plans kind of stood for themselves and made the process super simple.

Maximizing Airbnb Revenue with Modern A-Frame Cabin Plans

Mike: Tell us a little bit about your background and the companies you run — but also, how is the property performing as a short-term rental asset?

Dakota: Yeah. So my background — I am a real estate investor. I own multiple short-term rentals of my own. I also own a management company, Nomad STR, a vacation rental management company. We have about 143 properties across Texas, in markets like Fredericksburg, Austin, Round Top, Dripping Springs, Marble Falls. And DEN is my only super unique build, from a design standpoint.

Fredericksburg is typically a Thursday through Sunday town — a very small old German town with a lot of great shopping and tons of wineries, which is the big attraction. A lot of people travel from Dallas, Houston, Austin, just as a getaway for the weekend. This build has been able to capture not only those weekend guests and book out months in advance, but we're getting weekday bookings.

"February — typically a slow month in Texas — we were at 98% occupancy at the A-Frame. There's none of our properties that are even close to touching that." — Dakota

Dakota: We have some properties that do over $400,000 a year in revenue, but they are not at the occupancy level of the A-Frame. I don't want to give away too many secrets here, but there will not be another short-term rental investment that I do that I don't build from the ground up. That is a unique stay, probably with DEN.

Mike: Yeah, that's awesome. The intention behind DEN was to give folks in America access to cooler looking buildings at a more accessible price point. And we hear this time and time again — people build these things, and then they stand out in the markets that they're in. And that translates to great performance.

Dakota: Yeah. I couldn't agree more. It's like the winning strategy now, especially with short-term rentals. The design — it's not only about aesthetics. It's almost a financial strategy. These unique homes command a premium when people are booking them. I have properties that sleep the same amount of people in Fredericksburg as the A-Frame. The amount of money it commands versus those? Completely different. Books faster. More revenue. Obviously way more effective to have these unique builds.

Exploring New Opportunities for A-Frame Cabin Builds in Texas

Mike: Yeah, totally. Are there any other markets in the United States that you're inspired by? Hocking Hills seems to be really cool these days.

Dakota: Yeah. They've captured the Instagram audience for sure up there. Sometimes I'm really jealous of the fact that Texas, while there are some beautiful parts, you just don't get that allure you have up in the Hocking Hills or the Northwest where you've got these huge trees and lush green grass everywhere. But I also want to stay in a market I know potentially.

Where I see a lot of opportunity for myself, actually, is a town called Terlingua in Texas that I think mimics a lot of what you see in Joshua Tree, California. The challenge there is just the lack of basic infrastructure. There are short-term rentals there, but they're primarily running on solar and essentially portable facilities. I want to eventually be able to create something out there that blends in with that desert architecture, but also offers the premium amenities people have come to expect.

Mike: Believe it or not Dakota, not saying that you're late to the game — every market deserves another mover and potentially a best mover — but there is a pretty big DEN development in Terlingua already. Stardust Big Bend. We did this project with a developer. They've been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and there are DEN A-Frames, A-Frame Weekenders, and a DEN Modern Cottage on the property.

Dakota: Yeah, I guess they beat me to it. But I think that market will just continue to get better. There's a lot of land for sale out there still.

Mike: All right, man. Any last words of wisdom before we hop off?

Dakota: Whether you're building a unique home that you just want to live in or you're like me as an investor — DEN takes the hard part out of building something unique. I had no experience building A-Frames, building anything. And so it made the process super easy.

Dakota: If I could afford to just keep replicating this over and over, I probably would. I will not do another short-term rental build or buy another short-term rental myself, unless it's something I build that's unique with DEN.

Mike: Awesome, dude. Well, listen — on behalf of the whole team here at DEN, thanks so much for spending some time with us today. The project looks incredible. Congratulations on all the success, Dakota.

Dakota: Yeah, I appreciate it, Mike. Thank you for having me.