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High Style Residence

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High Style Residence

Cutting-edge technology meets high country living in this contemporary residence designed to appeal to metropolitan Seattle's upscale, tech-savvy home buyers drawn to the area by a lucrative employment market, scenery and outdoor lifestyle.


By By Ann Matesi, Contributing Editor December 31, 2006
This article first appeared in the CB January 2007 issue of Custom Builder.

Sidebars:
Show Off the Curves
LUXURY Showcase Home

Cutting-edge technology meets high country living in this contemporary residence designed to appeal to metropolitan Seattle's upscale, tech-savvy home buyers drawn to the area by a lucrative employment market, scenery and outdoor lifestyle.

Constructed by Kirkland, Wash.-based builder Lochwood-Lozier Homes for the 2004 Quality Street Showcase of Exceptional Homes in Newcastle, Wash., this 5,694-square foot luxury home has every bell and whistle, says executive vice president Patricia Lochwood-Lozier.

 
A dramatic radius staircase serves as the hub for the main floor living space in this contemporary Washington state show home.

This home's design blends materials typically associated with commercial construction — such as concrete floors, exposed steel and glass block — with a curvilinear floor plan, free-form ceiling details and a natural color palette that complements its Pacific Northwest location.

Design Concept

Because this project was intended to be a builder's showcase home, it was critical that the house have exceptional drama inside and out, says residential designer Ben Mulder of 4D Architects.

One of the most exciting elements of this project, says Mulder, was working with a builder who was willing to embrace the curvilinear nature of his design concept — and one who was up for the challenge of executing it.

The home's opening statement — a three-story floating staircase in the foyer that cantilevers off a 6-inch steel column that also supports the roof — is both exciting and practical. "This central spine is intended to be the single unifying element that connects all three levels of living space visually, functionally and fluidly," says Mulder. "It also serves as the focal point for the main floor's gently curved gallery, which promotes the flow of traffic throughout the living space without creating clearly defined transitions between the rooms."

Todd Lozier, president of Lochwood-Lozier, agrees the home's flow is one of the best features. "With all of its curves it literally has no dead ends. Instead, the hallways just seem to bend and connect from one area to the next."

The open floor plan is designed to make entertaining easy and includes a spacious central kitchen with a large island adjoining a great room. A well-equipped caterer's kitchen features an out-of-sight location ideal for large-scale events the homeowner hosts.

The second floor houses the master suite, secondary bedrooms and a large play room. Although this particular home was not designed to include an elevator, Lochwood-Lozier says buyers in the area often choose to include one.

The home's walk-out lower level includes recreation, game and media rooms; a wine cellar; and a guest suite. 

Location Challenges

All residential construction throughout the Pacific Northwest must be designed and engineered to meet seismic and wind-load criteria, says Mulder. That includes earthquake strapping and heavy duty hold downs.

 
Don't judge a house by its front elevation. The front of the Newcastle, Wash., home gives the impression it has standard square rooms. Instead, visitors find each room has unique angles and curves.

Excavation expenses can also have an effect on the construction budget in this area, Lozier says. Excess dirt on the construction site can mean an extra $20,000 in removal costs for big projects because disposal sites are often more than an hour away.

The home's location at the end of single-access road with an 18-degree grade makes fire response time an issue. Building codes call for the home to have its own residential fire protection sprinkler system. "We use zoned systems, which are activated by high temperatures (150 degrees or higher) directly under the individual sprinkler head rather than by smoke, so they are very safe and are not set off accidentally," says Lozier. Such systems typically add between $2.50 and $3 per square foot, but homeowners often get a discount on their homeowners' insurance, Lozier says.

Back to the Outdoors
 
The kitchen island's high-tech glass block base is backlit by fiber-optic lighting connected to a color wheel that can be altered to change the mood in the room when entertaining.

The home is a natural offshoot of the outdoor-lifestyle that people in this region embrace, Mulder adds. "Even if they can't use (outdoor space) all the time, they still want to feel as though they can. The challenge is to create space that gets the right balance of sunlight and protection from the elements in order to maximize its potential for use."

Each of the three levels offers outdoor living space. The multi-level deck offers a spa, which adjoins the great room and breakfast nook. Overhead heating systems, such as those incorporated into the overhangs above the decks in this project, allows homeowners to use outdoor living space longer throughout the year.

This $2.3 million project sold before completion.

 

Show Off the Curves
 
The builder took advantage of the home's sloped site to create a bright and inviting walk-out lower level.

The home's curvilinear floor plan presented an interesting challenge when it came to selecting a floor finish for its main level living and entertaining areas, says residential designer Ben Mulder of 4D Architects: "Linear materials such as wood or tile did not seem to lend themselves to this application." The solution: a multi-hued, stained concrete floor that simulates irregular stone slabs. It became one of the home's most striking design features.

The 3 ½-inch-thick floor was carefully created in multiple pours using conventional concrete on a 34-inch tongue-in-groove wood floor system, says Todd Lozier, president of Lochwood-Lozier Homes, which built the home. The weight of the material required extensive planning in terms of structural engineering, including using steel I-beams for support and 8-inch-on-center joists. "This was really an ambitious project," Lozier says. "Every element was critical because we wanted to avoid any chance of settlement or cracking on the finished surface."

The height of the concrete was deliberately varied so that when the surface received its burnished finish the high spots would be partially exposed, revealing a portion of the aggregate that was used in the mix. "We wanted to get the look of having two separate materials in some spots," says Lozier. The floor has radiant heat.

"This was the first time that we had used standard concrete for something like this," says Lozier. "It was a big hit with everyone who toured the home. Since this project, we have done this same type of floor in several others."

LUXURY Showcase Home

Style of Home: Northwest Contemporary Location: Newcastle, Wash.

Total Square Footage: 5,694 square feet

Architect/Residential Design: 4D Architects, Kirkland, Wash.

Builder/Interior Design: Lochwood-Lozier Homes, Kirkland, Wash.

Major Products Used: APPLIANCES: Viking CABINETRY: Benchmark Custom Cabinets COUNTERTOPS: Dal-Tile (granite), Summit Tile & Stone PLUMBING FIXTURES: Toto, Stone Forest, Blanco, BainUltra CERAMIC TILE: Dal-Tile, Statements, Oregon Tile & Marble HOME CONTROLS/AUTOMATION: Broan-NuTone, Honeywell, Leviton, Elan Home Systems HVAC: Carrier LIGHTING: Juno Tech Lighting FIREPLACES: Heatilator WINDOWS & DOORS: Jeld-Wen LOCKSETS/HARDWARE: Valli & Valli PAINTS & STAINS: Benjamin Moore ROOFING: MonierLifetile WINE ROOM: Wine Cellar Innovations (custom)

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