Photography by: Brent Moss

REAL & GREEN

A fresh, clean approach to a livable family house.

There’s a deep bend in the river just downvalley from Woody Creek. Yet the Roaring Fork’s winding path stands in contrast to the house on a bluff above the water. This is a noteworthy home, in part because it was created without twists and turns—the torturous drama that often accompanies an ambitious building project. It proves the power of intention: When you are clear about your desires and goals, the right path seems to unfold straight ahead.
“When we approached building here, we had some very specific ideas,” says the homeowner and father of this appealing and accomplished family (who asked to remain private). “We wanted to be as green as possible, as energy-smart as possible, and to do this on a tight budget.” By all accounts, they’ve achieved that goal with this home, which radiates good energy—literally as well as symbolically. Unobtrusive solar thermal panels on the roof heat a 400-gallon hot water tank for in-floor radiant heat, and the house achieves something that many Rocky Mountain homes find unattainable: a just-right temperature in any season.
Materials, including the adobe floor (“basically sand, earth, and clay, and you can see the bits of straw mixed in,” the owner says), were chosen for three qualities. “We wanted to use materials that are energy-efficient to produce, nontoxic, and sustainable,” recalls the mother. “When you seek those three, the Venn diagram of available materials becomes quite small.” Clean-air devotees, the family took a strong stance against any substances that might outgas chemicals, installing a fresh-air exchange system for good measure.
The couple sought an architect and builder who understood their goals and quickly identified their...

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