RENDEZVOUS HOME PROVIDES A HEALTHY HAPPY RETREAT
OPENING THE DOOR TO HEALTH BENEFITS
By Cyndi McCoy / Photos by Carter Photographics

Balancing mountain vernacular with the owner’s contemporary sensibilities led to a dynamic fusion.

An unconscious patient lies on an operating table, his breathing shallow. Heart monitor reads normal and he is on his way to recovery. His knees were pretty torn up, but thanks to the expertise of his veterinarian, he’ll be walking in no time.

Things were pretty hectic there for a while for Scott and Tonya Munn, owners of a rare white German shepherd named Paper who desperately needed a TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy). The dog, whose name honors a fallen canine Vietnam soldier, now has new plates in both knees thanks to Michael Bauer, veterinary orthopedic surgeon.

Bauer, along with his wife Kim, a cardiac nurse, see crucial medical repair cases like that almost every day; but when they look out their living room window, their visions of tense surgical rooms are replaced with peaceful trees, mountains, and the splendor of the Fraser Valley. They had been searching a long time for that feeling of balance and they’ve found it in their new Rendezvous home, thanks in part, coincidentally enough, to the expertise of Scott Munn, design principal of Munn Architecture, LLC.

Crisp lines and varied ceiling heights inspired by the pie-shaped lot become luminous, thanks to an abundance of light from the south face, whose highlight is a 20-foot vaulted window wall.

A graceful enlightenment hugs the quirky angles of the home and invites guests to stay awhile. Adventure abounds just outside where they and the Bauers can jump on their bikes, roam the forest to backpack, snowboard and telemark, and escape into nature.

“How lucky are we?” Kim asks. “There’s nothing like it,” she says, describing the sorbet swab of alpenglow color that brushes over Byers Peak and reflects onto the Continental Divide. “I love the town lights and I love mountain towns. I definitely belong in one.” The two, who are also musicians, searched high and low for a quaint mountain town to call home. It just so happened that as they enjoyed a blues festival in Telluride, a Fraser Valley local told them about the real estate opportunities in Grand County.

Not long after they arrived, the Bauers found the perfect spot on a humble .88 acres with inspirational views in every direction. The price and promise of the lot, which backs up to the old Idlewild ski area, was music to their ears. To keep in harmony with the mountain environment they had chosen for their new home, it was important for the couple to hire locals to work on the project. Contractor, craftsman, and family-man Hal Simmons of Neversummer Construction was brought in for the build, along with his daughters Mackenzie and Whitney, and son-in-law Matt Chisum.

The natural lighting and pigmented red clay color on the living room walls promotes passion and happiness within the home.

Unlike much of the overkill of cabin-like structures hugging the hillsides, the architecturally-savvy couple wanted their 3,386-square-foot home to be modern and yet feel both loved and lived-in. With Munn and friend/designer Ellie Jeffers, the Bauers used natural elements throughout, from the large stacked slab sandstone front steps to an American red clay application on several of the walls – a product reputed to absorb moisture in the home and exude positive energy. Its rich reddish brown color, from which Colorado got its name, is carried out among cream colors throughout the second floor as well. In Feng Shui, the color is believed to promote passion and happiness within the home.

Munn took all of their ideas (“Lord knows we’re full of ‘em,” Kim says) and combined them to make a sanctuary which reflects the gracious nature of the Bauers. Crisp lines and varied ceiling heights inspired by the pie-shaped lot become luminous, thanks to an abundance of light from the south face, whose highlight is a 20-foot vaulted window wall. As the sun rises, its rays bounce off the kitchen wall and add to the warmth of the living areas, laid out in porcelain tiles made to look like wood which absorb and release the heat. A gas fireplace and in-floor radiant heat, which extends into the garage, also keep everyone toasty throughout Colorado’s seasons.

The kitchen’s crisp lines, simplicity and natural lighting make it the heart of the home, perfect to entertain guests.

Jason McConathy of New Mountain Design in Granby fashioned custom birds-eye maple cabinets to compliment several modern elements in the heart of the home, the kitchen. Because the Bauers love to cook and to entertain guests in high style, they included in their ample kitchen: generous storage space, a downdraft hood at the island stove, retractable drawers and plenty of space to move around. Music pours out from the great room and its cozy seating area, furnished either by the state-of-the-art in-wall iPod dock stereo system or simply by the Bauers and their many talented friends.

“Oscar’s Room” is just one of three guest rooms in the home. It is located downstairs where an Oriental block print of its namesake graces the wall. The remaining two guest rooms await upstairs and share two half baths, so visitors can get ready at the same time for whatever their next mountain adventure might be.

The views outside and the social serenity captured inside, seduce one’s attention away from the day-to-day stress. The Bauers couldn’t be more pleased to call the Fraser Valley their new home.

Michael Bauer enjoys playing music in the living room, where the outdoors becomes an extension of the room.

GREEN SOLUTIONS
Insulation:
Spray foam and spider system insulation

Heating/Air Conditioning:
• Radiant in-floor heat
• Solar photovoltaic panels
• Compact-design hot-water distribution system
• Cross ventilation and windows for passive cooling
• Central mechanical room

Lighting:
South-facing window wall, dimmers on all switches

Water Conservation:
Low-flow faucets and plumbing fixtures

Other Green Solutions:
• ENERGY STAR appliances
• Beetle-kill wood ceiling, baseboard, and trim
• Trex® recycled decking

READ MORE STORIES FROM THIS ISSUE:
• Green Parade: Smart Growth at Grand Park
• Green Parade: A Brighter Shade Of Grassroots Green
• Green Parade: Consider an Energy Audit
• Restaurant: Morales Farms on the Menu
• Summer 2010 Articles