With a first grandchild on the way, the owners of this timeless contemporary home in the mountains made a bold choice. They decided to renovate and to add on to their home, with the goals of being able to age in place and to host multi-generational gatherings for a growing family.
The house had three levels, and the addition was designed to step down the hillside to connect the home to a swimming pool at a lower level. To provide for anyone, of any age or ability, to enjoy all levels of the home, an elevator became a necessity.
The stunning mountain site called for spaces for entertaining that allowed one to experience the scenery while enjoying the fire, the television, or the pool table. The same spectacular views are seen from the raised bar with glass-enclosed wine room, and a tasting table, which overlooks the adjacent recreation room. Backlit red art glass and wine bottles in the custom stainless steel rack, along with sophisticated lighting design, enliven the bar in the evening.
Rather than discrete rooms for various activities, our clients wanted spaces to be more flexible, and for families and functions to overlap. Areas are minimally designated, usually by a few steps or a differing ceiling treatment. The billiard area overlooks an exercise room with large skylights and beamed ceiling, a level below the family room and close to the pool. This level also incorporated a pool bath/changing room, steam shower, sauna and massage room, all easily accessed from the swimming pool.
A detached garage with a guest suite above allowed the owners to move their collection of classic cars to their home. Now a quick autumn aspen-viewing trip can be taken in a vintage Corvette convertible. The guest suite allows family members to stay for short or long-term visits, while maintaining a sense of privacy. The forms of the original house are reinterpreted on the detached garage, and the same exterior stone and stucco created a cohesive family compound.
The original home was award-winning when it was built, and the addition and remodel were recently honored as the Best Addition at the 2011 CARE (Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence) Awards. Our clients now have the fun, casual home for family gatherings they wanted, and we hope they will enjoy it for many years!
