Designing a home for one person can be hard; designing a home for two adults, three kids and six pets is a whole different ballgame. But, somehow, Alan Bernholtz pulled it off. The 2,700-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in Mancos, Colorado, that he shares with his wife, Rose, and the rest of the Bernholtz clan "is really comfortable," he says. "It fits us, and it fits our lifestyle."
The outdoorsy family makes good use of the home's central living area—providing open access to the living room, dining room and kitchen—and mudroom, which houses laundry and extra storage for frequent comings and goings. Alan, who owns Wind River Timberframes, even designed heightened ceilings and a special pulley system in the garage to easily remove kayaks from the top of his truck. Energy efficiency also played an important role in the home's design.
See also Timber Home Haven in a Hayfield
The house centers around the oak timber frame—which Alan chose because of the wood's character and strength—and a Temp-Cast masonry stove. Alan incorporated passive solar design into the home, exposing the southern facade to effectively use or block the sun's rays to control the temperature in the home. His design also involves passive solar flooring on the main level in the form of slab concrete, which was scored and grouted to look like tile, containing a hydraulic in-floor heating system for additional warmth underfoot.
Sited only 250 yards from Wind River Timberframe's main office, the home provides both a quick walk to work for Alan and a showcase for the company's craftsmanship. Such careful design deserves a good stage.
Tour the Energy Efficient Colorado Timber Home
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