Sited on 10 acres in Jefferson County, Colorado, a moderately sized mountain abode dubbed East Watch merges three forward-thinking construction principles with influences of Japanese design.
The owners purchased the plot of land in the Golden Gate Canyon area of the Rocky Mountains roughly five years ago and contacted Longmont, Colorado–based F9 Productions, a small architectural practice established in 2009 by Lance Cayko and Alex Gore, to design the project. Noting that building a custom home was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the clients had three main goals: efficiency, longevity, and functionality.
Efficiency
The F9 team approached these requests by first addressing efficiency with the decision to site the home on the lot’s hillside.
Jason Buss
The design team chose an angled roofline with long overhangs to keep the deck cool in the summer and protected from snowfall in the winter.
“We carefully sited the home to be able to gain as much of the winter sun inside the home while maintaining views down the valley,” says Cayko. “At the same time, the large roof overhangs are positioned such that during the summer they block the unwanted sunrays from entering the home in order to keep it cool.”
In the winter at 8,200 feet of elevation, the location’s outside temperature hovers around freezing. With the addition of floor-to-ceiling windows on the home’s southeastern side paired with the exposed concrete slab floor and the internal brick wall, the home is able to maximize its passive solar heat gain. Hydronic in-floor heating was also installed to supplement when needed.
During the summer months, the sloped Douglas fir pine ceilings expel hot air through awning windows, while the roof overhang keeps the immediate perimeter and exterior deck in the cool shade.
Jason Buss
Longevity
Given the home’s Colorado location, which can experience wildfires to feet of snow, the clients wanted to make sure East Watch lasts well into the future with them. In order to resist the strain of high winds and snow, a steel post-and-beam system was added to support the roof. To mitigate the wildfire danger, the design team chose an exterior material palette of Corten steel, masonry, and glass, with Class A fire-rated thermoplastic polyolefin roofing and ipe decking.
“Materials that were important to the design were materials that would stand the test of time,” Cayko explains. “Wood was only used in select areas where it could be largely protected from the elements in order to procure its longevity as well as warm the building, contrasting with the colder feeling masonry, steel, and glass elements.”
Jason Buss
Without a front door, guests are received through the garage, but a traditional entry door was also added to prevent constant garage opening.
Without a traditional front door, guests are welcomed through the two-car garage. After traveling through the mudroom/laundry room, users walk into the open floor plan with the interior’s four primary materials: Douglas fir pine used for the cabinetry, window framing, and eye-catching ceiling; polished concrete floors; brick for the passive heating wall; and expansive amounts of glass used for the opposite window wall.
A one-story floor plan with no stairs will also allow the owners to age in place and can accommodate future lifestyle changes. F9 also added ADA-compliant doors and hallways and placed blocking within the walls if handrails are ever needed.
Functionality
In addition to energy efficiency and durable materials, the owners opted for a simple layout where every room and feature would have a purpose. As a result, the home only encompasses 2,116 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths.
Jason Buss
In the gallery, the sun enters the home and heats the interior brick wall and concrete floors, storing and releasing heat throughout the night.
The U-shaped kitchen includes copious amounts of counter and cabinet space, with a break in the upper cabinets for a window over the sink. The centralized island houses the cooktop range and provides seating for two, while the double oven and refrigerator—and adjacent beverage fridge—sit across from each other, creating separate hot and cold zones. A nearby pantry keeps food and other kitchen items out of sight.
East Watch Project Details
Location: Jefferson County, Colorado
Architect: F9 Productions
Builder: Tinker Homes
Project Size: 2,116 square feet
Site Size: 10 acres
Completion Date: June 2019
Located next to the kitchen are the two additional bedrooms, but one can function as an office and the other as a media room if needed.
A double-door provides access to the long deck, also known as the engawa. In traditional Japanese architecture, the engawa is a hallway-like strip that surrounds a suite of rooms. For East Watch, the exterior deck, protected by the roof overhang, runs the full length of the back of the home and wraps around the master bedroom at the far end.
The home also includes its own onsen, or Japanese soaking tub. After a short walk down the main interior hallway with the brick wall, guests will find the onsen room.
Jason Buss
To add warmth to the open living space, the architects balanced the hard masonry materials with Douglas fir pine cabinetry, window framing, and ceilings.
“While most consider the kitchen to be the heart of a home, F9 Productions says this room is the heart of this home,” says Ken Shallcross, vice president at the Modern Architecture + Design Society. “The entire house radiates around this room.”
The large stainless-steel Japanese onsen is nestled into the foundation and sits on its own supports. The continuous polished concrete floors were shaped to allow the tub’s inset, and decorative rocks were placed between the end of the floor and the tub. Although the room lies behind that inner brick wall, a strategic window has been placed to allow tub users to witness the mountain views while soaking.
Jason Buss
The Japanese onsen, or soaking tub, sits in its own room in the center of the floor plan and has views of the mountains, too.
“We merged today’s mountain modern design with Japanese principles by designing every square foot of the home to have no more or no less space than needed in order to function properly,” says Cayko. “Each space, its materials, and mass versus void relationships are a direct reflection of their uses.”
Beyond the onsen room, guests will reach the master suite. Located at one of the home’s corners, two intersecting walls in the room include expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, creating the ideal spot to take in a panoramic view. An inner window over the bedroom door provides constant ventilation, even if the door is closed.
The suite also includes a generously sized walk-in closet, an additional linen closet, a floating double vanity, and a large walk-in shower lined with marble tiles.
Jason Buss
“F9 Productions has designed an amazing home nestled into the Rocky Mountains that blends into its environment and embodies simplicity, elegance, efficiency, functionality, and endurance,” says Shallcross. “This home meets every design goal set forth and is sure to provide the owners a lifetime of comfort, privacy, and amazing views.”
