By Kira Koldeway
Empty nesters Scott and Juliette have a passion for golfing and lakeside living, and they wanted to create the ultimate gathering place for friends and family. When building their four-bedroom, six-bathroom custom home with HighCraft Builders, the couple emphasized the importance of involving their young adult children—Ashton, Sienna and Blake—in the process.
“The house was really a family dream where we sat down and designed it together,” Scott says.
Their new home is in Berthoud’s Heron Lakes Community at TPC Colorado, an official golf course on the PGA Tour. According to Scott, living on a lake and near a golf course allows the family to “be part of a neighborhood community that has things to keep us all active, like the fitness center, swimming, biking, paddle boarding, enjoying nature and the outdoors. And, of course, golfing.”
Scott and Juliette’s home was designed in the mountain modern style and built on two levels: a 3,655-square-foot main floor for everyday living and a 2,988-square-foot, walk-out lower level that feels nothing like a basement. The front entry greets guests with a commanding front door and adjacent courtyard seating area.
“We’ve always liked the feeling we get when we go to a resort in Steamboat or Vail or Aspen,” Juliette says, describing how today’s Colorado mountain lodges make a powerful first impression. “That’s kind of the feel we’re going for…an elegant mountain lodge feel with a nod to modern design.”
Scott and Juliette’s custom home combines the natural stone, massive beams and rough-hewn timbers found in classic mountain retreats with the clean lines and sharp color contrasts that signal modern design. The couple wanted their home to feel big, open and exciting. Lighting fixtures had to be more than just functional; each fixture, and every living space, had to demonstrate some type of wow factor.
Materials and finishes in the mountain modern style include tongue-and-groove ceilings, exposed metal I-beams and several handcrafted elements. A good example of the latter is the concrete sink and live-edge walnut countertop with epoxy inlays in the powder bathroom. The dry-stacked stone fireplace, with its steel panels to match the kitchen range hood’s patina, is a custom focal point in the great room.
“The glass, the steel, the grand ceilings, the vaults, the fireplace with floor-to-ceiling stone…,” Scott says, running through a partial list of favorite design elements that make their new home feel like their favorite mountain getaway. “That’s what Juliette and I love.”
On the main floor, the couple enjoys Juliette’s piano room, his-and-her offices, a combination laundry and mudroom, spa-like master suite, vaulted great room and dining room and the couple’s dream kitchen.
“The kitchen is magnificent,” adds Juliette, who does most of the cooking. When asked to elaborate, she points to “the look, the appliances, the layout and functional beauty of every element.” More specifically, she appreciates having a steam oven, two dishwashers, two Sub-Zero refrigerator-freezers, a beverage center with built-in espresso machine, and a custom butler’s pantry featuring cabinetry courtesy of Milarc Cabinets.
The lower level of the home boasts a large wet bar with a full-size refrigerator, spacious family room, separate workout room, guest bedroom and bathrooms, custom bunkroom that sleeps up to five people and space for a future indoor golf simulator. The “cabana” bathroom—another must-have item on the family’s wish list—provides garden-level exterior access for people coming in from the lake. By creating a private, self-contained living space on the lower level, Scott and Juliette can also host pro golfers, their families and their caddies when they play on the PGA Tour at TPC Colorado.
“We could host any number of people down there,” Scott says of the lower level. “And it’s got its own kitchen, its own pantry and storage.”
Everyone appreciates easy access to the home’s outdoor living spaces, which include an upper deck lounge off the great room, a relaxing hot tub and fire pit on the walk-out patio and the family’s private dock on the lake.
“HighCraft lives up to their name and deserves their stellar reputation,” Scott says of his family’s custom home build. “They strove to exceed our expectations, and they blew our minds with how much they sincerely cared about our project.”
Photos by CassiHise Photography
