Located on a five-acre rocky outcrop, The Mountain Retreat trades in Manhattan skyscrapers and the scuttle of yellow cabs for sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains and hawks gliding on the thermals below. The client, who loves mountain biking and rock climbing, camped out on the hilltop during the siting of the house to determine the best spot, angle and orientation for his new escape. The resulting home is a retreat carefully crafted into its unique surroundings. The Mountain Retreat provides a unique and efficient 1,800 sf indoor and outdoor living and entertaining experience. The finished house, sitting partially on concrete stilts, gives way to a striking display. Its angular lines, soaring height, and unique blend of warm cedar siding with cool gray concrete panels and glass are displayed to great advantage in the context of its rough mountaintop setting. The stilts act as supports for the great room above and, below, define the parking spaces for an uncluttered entry and carport. An enclosed staircase runs along the north side of the house. Sheathed inside and out with gray cement board panels, it leads from the ground floor entrance to the main living spaces, which exist in the treetops. Requiring the insertion of pylons, a well, and a septic tank, the rocky terrain of the immediate site had to be blasted. Rather than discarding the remnants, the rocks were scattered around the site. Used for outdoor seating and the entry pathway, the rock cover further emphasizes the relation and integration of the house into the natural backdrop. The home’s butterfly roof channels rainwater to two custom metal scuppers, from which it cascades off onto thoughtfully placed boulders. The butterfly roof gives the great room and master bedroom a tall, sloped ceiling with light from above, while a suite of ground-room floors fit cozily below. An elevated cedar deck wraps around three sides of the great room, offering a full day of sunshine for deck lounging and for the entire room to be opened to the outdoors with ease. Architects: Joseph Tanney, Robert Luntz Project Architect: John Kim Project Team: Jacob Moore Manufacturer: Apex Homes, INC. Engineer: Robert Silman Associates, P.C., Greg Sloditski Contractor: JH Construction, INC. Photographer: © Floto & Warner

We have gotten many questions about the stairs: They were custom designed and built in place by the builder - and are not available commercially. The entry doors were also custom made. The floors are constructed of a baked white oak surface-treated with an ebony analine dye. The stair handrails are painted black with a polyurethane top coat. Photo Credit: Sam Gray Photography

designer: False Creek Design Group photographer: Ema Peter

photo taken by Nat Rea photography

http://www.facebook.com/GrizzlyIron

Stair designed and built by Tony Dominski http://www.westedgemetals.com

Paul Owen of Owen Photo, http://owenphoto.net/.

Glenn Hester Photography Lauren Egan Design (Styling)

This tall, thin Pimlico townhouse was split across five stories with a dingy neglected courtyard garden to the rear. Our clients hired us to design a whole-house renovation and kitchen extension. Neighbouring houses had been denied planning permission for similar works, so we had our work cut out to ensure that our kitchen extension design would get planning consent. To start with, we conducted an extensive daylight analysis to prove that the new addition to the property would have no adverse effect on neighbours. We also drew up a 3D computer model to demonstrate that the frameless glass extension wouldn’t overpower the original building. To increase the sense of unity throughout the house, a key feature of our design was to incorporate integral rooflights across three of the stories, so that from the second floor terrace it was possible to look all the way down into the kitchen through aligning rooflights. This also ensured that the basement kitchen wouldn’t feel cramped or closed in by introducing more natural light.

The first impression is the one that stays. When entering one of our homes, you will notice the high-end materials, the high ceilings, the beautiful lighting fixtures, the wood work... every detail is carefully planned. #SuburbanBuilders #CustomHomeBuilderArlingtonVA #CustomHomeBuilderGreatFallsVA #CustomHomeBuilderMcLeanVA #CustomHomeBuilderViennaVA #CustomHomeBuilderFallsChurchVA

Carlos Yagüe Rivera | Masfotogenica

Timber stair carcass clad in solid oak treads with glass balustrade and hidden wine storage. Detail designed and built by Wildercreative. Photography by Mark Cocksedge