Given the often unique and sometimes spectacular sites our clients typically want to build on here in the Colorado Rockies, it is particularly incumbent upon us to respect and properly respond to the project's natural setting. We strive to design projects that blend into and complement their surroundings, rather than trying to overpower or stand above nature.

Respect and reverence for the natural environment is one of the basic principles we incorporate into all of our projects. Beginning with our initial site analysis and conceptual planning studies, we identify the intrinsic qualities of the project site, so that our design can properly address and respond to these unique features. Design of building forms and massing often relate to topographical features and the scale of existing vegetation. Exterior finishes incorporate natural materials including moss covered stonework, hand-peeled logs, heavy timbers, natural rough-sawn cedar and salvaged barn-board siding. Colors used at the building's exterior are usually chosen with respect to existing vegetation and natural daylight present at the site.

Quite often, our goal is to create a seamless appearance between the home and its natural surroundings. We like to think that once construction has been completed at the jobsite, our homes tend to nestle into their hillside settings, with exterior character effectively creating the notion that the residence has actually been "at home" in its surroundings for many years.