A Private Mountaintop Residence

Main entrance of the house.

LOCATED AT THE HEAD OF ELK MOUNTAIN SCENIC HIGHWAY and bordering the Blue Ridge Parkway at an elevation of more than 4,000 feet, this private residence has a commanding view of Beaverdam Valley. Unlike some of the neighboring homes, this structure takes advantage of the view however it is sited and designed to sit low on the site and is not visible from the valley beyond.

The living room, designed to display the owner's artwork collected from around the world.

The house is approximately 4,000 square feet with the majority of the living space on one floor in two v-shaped wings conforming to the site contours. One wing is dedicated for the master bedroom suite and the other for the kitchen, dining and guest bedroom. The axis of the two wings is the large living room with contemporary horizontal gas fireplace, large timber framed beams and access to the west facing decks. A partial lower level provides additional guest and family living and sleeping accommodations.

The living room, designed to display the owner's artwork collected from around the world.

The wings are connected with a skylit gallery that houses some of the owner’s extensive collection of African and East European art. Our work for our client included cataloguing of all art pieces prior to design and coordination of their placement within the house. The design for the house including coordination of niches and shelving for displayed artwork, integrated lighting systems, and protection of artwork from degradation ultraviolet light through the design of appropriate glazing systems.

Photo of the kitchen.

The aesthetic challenge of the house was to create a mountain home that nestled into the landscape, felt indigenous to the site and that would comfortably embrace the owner’s eclectic collection of art. The materials used include native stone including stone from on site, cedar and cement stucco. The aesthetic is meant to compliment the natural woodland setting and the few disturbed areas have been reclaimed with the well planned re-introduction of native plants and flowers.

The configuration of the floor plan makes use of natural daylighting through clerestory windows and skylights throughout much of the house. Other sustainable features include the use of icyene and cellulose insulation, bamboo flooring, recycled glass tiles, and geothermal heat pumps. This project was completed in July of 2005 and the budget was approximately one million dollars.