Prairie Chapel Ranch

David Heymann, then an associate professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, designed the four-bedroom,[4][5] 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) honey-colored native limestone single-level home with painted white galvanized tin roof manufactured and installed on the site.

The house was built by Byron Bottoms Builder from nearby Elm Mott, Texas, and wasn't completed until after Bush's inauguration because of needed accommodations for security, meeting space, etc.

"[5] The passive-solar house is positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the residence.

The water for the outdoor pool is heated with the same system, which proved so efficient that initial plans to install solar energy panels were cancelled.

The facility includes a helicopter hangar which was used as an auditorium on the rare occasions when the former president held a press conference at the ranch.

Press conferences that didn't involve the President were conducted in the gymnasium of Crawford Middle School, 10 miles (16 km) away from the ranch.

The land includes seven canyons and three miles (4.8 km) of frontage along Rainey Creek and the Middle Bosque River.

"[9] At the urging of his daughters, Bush also built a swimming pool[10] over the objections of Heymann who thought it would interrupt the stark views.

[5] A prized souvenir from the ranch is a gray Under Armour athletic shirt emblazoned with a Texas star encircled by the words The President's 100-Degree Club.

In order to qualify a visitor must run 3 miles (4.8 km), or bike for 10, when the thermometer hits triple digits.

When not holding meetings or briefings, Bush spent his time mountain biking, jogging, fishing, bird hunting, and clearing brush.

In 2001–2002, Bush held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abudallah in his 2001 Ford F-250 pickup truck at the ranch.

In 2013, President Bush donated his personal 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch edition to be auctioned for charity.

[12] Bush made clear his preference for spending some time away from his official residence at the White House in Washington, DC.

He returned to a theme that had echoed throughout the summit: That U.S.-Russian ties had entered a new phase and arms control was no longer the driving force.

[16] The Federal Aviation Administration had a full-time 3-nautical-mile (5.6 km) no fly zone, designated "Prohibited Area 49" (P-49), around the ranch during the Bush Presidency.

When President Bush was in residence at the ranch, a Temporary Flight Restriction was issued, expanding the radius to 10 nautical miles (19 km), with lesser restrictions extending to 30 nautical miles (56 km), containing some exceptions for Waco Regional Airport nearby.

Laura Bush confirmed that they would make that their permanent residence, while spending weekends and holidays at the ranch.

President Bush at his ranch
Angela Merkel and Bush outside the main house in November 2007
USGS aerial photograph of the ranch before Bush built his house. The elongated objects at the top are hog barns (on Mill Road). They were demolished and the drive extended to build Bush's house. He enlarged the lake on the upper right. In the lower right are more hog barns and the original Englebrecht house which is now called the "Governor's House." All of the lower barns except one were demolished. At the top is the Middle Bosque River. Prairie Chapel Road ends at the intersection in the lower-left corner and becomes Rainey Road.
President Bush and Lance Armstrong on grounds in 2005
Putin and Bush in 2001
Alberto Gonzales and his wife with the Bushes at the ranch the day before Gonzales resigned as United States Attorney General