Project Spotlight: Embracing the Colorado Landscape in Mountain Home Design

Posted 12/6/2024 by Marketing

In Colorado’s rugged landscape, designing a mountain home requires crafting a space that embraces its natural surroundings and can endure the region’s extreme conditions. McSwain Builders serves the Roaring Fork Valley and is known for their expertise in custom home projects. They collaborate with Brad Zeigel of A4 Architects to bring beautiful, bespoke homes to life. 

In their recent home projects, they selected our Thermally Modified Wood Collection for key features of the homes, a choice that highlights the natural beauty of the Colorado mountains and can withstand the region's tough climate.

This collaboration highlights McSwain Builders’ commitment to quality and showcases how a thoughtful design can make the outdoors an integral part of the home’s experience.

Crafting a Home with Purpose in the Mountains

One thing McSwain Builders excels at is guiding clients through the building process, ensuring clear communication and full transparency every step of the way. Zeigel also takes a very thoughtful approach to communication when designing his clients dream homes. He starts with hand sketches followed by creating physical models to provide a tangible aspect to the design process.

 

He says that his favorite part of the design process is the dreaming part, where he gets to work closely with clients to understand what they want in a home, then figure out how to bring that to life. 

“We really try to understand our clients. We really try to understand the site and see the opportunities that the site brings to the project,” he says.

 

In Colorado, a site’s views, orientation, and natural light are all critical components to factor into a design. Rather than focusing on fleeting design trends, Zeigel aims to connect with the client’s lifestyle, needs, and aspirations, creating a home that integrates seamlessly with its environment.

“Colorado is a unique place, and building in the mountains is always challenging,” Zeigel adds. From fluctuating weather conditions to rugged terrain, each project demands a balance of resilience and aesthetics. This makes the choice in materials paramount for the design to work and last over time. 

Why UFP-Edge Thermally Modified Wood?

Known for building lasting, high-quality homes, McSwain Builders recommended UFP-Edge’s Thermally Modified Wood Collection early in the project for both its aesthetic and durability. McSwain Builders is dedicated to providing clients with solutions that enhance the beauty of the home while offering a lower maintenance alternative to typical wood siding—a top priority for homeowners who seek to enjoy mountain living without constant upkeep.

McSwain’s approach provides homeowners reassurance. As Zeigel explains, “People move here to not work on their home on the weekends; they move here to enjoy it.”

Our Thermally Modified Wood Collection (TMW) met that need perfectly. Zeigel integrated it into key areas of the home, creating visual continuity that reflects the surrounding environment. The ceiling in the main living area became a showpiece, with TMW adding warmth and texture that complements the sweeping views of Mount Sopris through the windows. 

“The wood ceiling really sets off the whole space,” Zeigel notes. “It’s a beautiful product, and it makes that room sing. It has an earthy, natural feel to it.” 

By selecting a material that could withstand the harsh sun, heavy snow, and intense dry seasons, they ensured that the home would be both beautiful and resilient.

A Design Where the Outdoors Takes Center Stage

Zeigel aims for his home designs to make the landscape the star. “With our work, the goal is to make the outdoors the priority,” he says.

Thoughtful design choices—from natural materials to the careful layout of entryways—ensure that their homes don’t compete with their surroundings but rather enhance them. Zeigel’s approach, combined with McSwain’s commitment to quality, craftsmanship and transparency, creates residences that are both grounded in nature and elevated in design.

These Colorado mountain homes, built with UFP-Edge’s Thermally Modified Wood Collection, stand as a testament to what can be achieved when architecture, craftsmanship, and the natural environment come together in harmony. Learn more today by visiting the project page.

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