AFrames Making a Comeback in Colorado’s Mountain Towns
The modern iteration of the classic mountain style has pretty much eradicated its downsides
By Shauna Farnell
Certain styles of home hold a special place in everyone’s heart and memories. Afterall, who doesn’t love a log cabin? When it comes to classic A-frames, however, they tend to appeal to a more specialized taste. Some people have always wanted one, cherish memories of a childhood vacation involving an A-frame. Meanwhile others, say, someone who grew up in an A-frame, might regard them with contempt, a home in which you can never hang wall art and where there is only a single line available for humans to walk without bumping their heads on the sloped ceiling.
Well, Aframes appear to be making a comeback and with their modern design, there isn’t much not to love.
“A traditional Aframe is the pitched canvas tent. It’s novel in the sense that you’re occupying the space of the immediate shape of the roof. You’re bringing in that camping spirit, the comfort and coziness of being in the wilderness,” says Mike Thompson, owner and designer of the newly built home at 297 Robertson Lane, North Star neighborhood on Hoosier Pass about 10 miles south of Breckenridge. “The nice thing about this home is you can get both environments, the spatial feel of a normal home, but with the Aframe in the top, you get that classic retreat feeling.”
With three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and covering 2,516 square feet, Thompson’s home certainly looks like an A-frame from the outside, but inside, it does indeed offer the space of a streamlined home, its triangular exterior roof poised atop regular vertical walls. The vaulted ceilings with the A-frame roof not only make it feel spacious and airy, but with a massive wall of windows and skylights, it is much brighter than a classic A-frame, the inside of which can feel like being under an upside-down book, the only light coming in through small openings at either end.
“You can see the artistic qualities of the home, but it’s still practical,” says Taryn Brooke of RE/MAX Properties of the Summit and listing agent for 297 Robertson Lane. “You don’t have unusable space. You have head space. You can push the chair against the wall. The windows are amazing. It’s light and bright, but it still feels intimate, like you’re in that mountain oasis.”
Built on a small lot amid pine and fir trees with views of the surrounding 13,000-foot peaks and access to neighborhood trails, the home’s exterior features fiber cement and corrugated metal siding, a flat patio and garden area. The covered balcony outside the master bedroom gives one the distinct feeling of taking in the views from a cozy pup tent. Inside, Douglas fir exposed timber beams create a functional geometric art piece in the vaulted ceiling, Thompson’s favorite feature of the home.
“I love the architectural style, the real dramatic pop it adds to a space,” Thompson says. “There was some talk about flushing everything and wrapping it in dry wall. I said no, no, no, I want these exposed.”
The property is comprised of two A-frames put together in an L shape to accommodate the shape of the lot, the spiral-like subalpine flora surrounding it inspiring Thompson’s design. The harmony of this pointy shape continues inside with the sleek black hardware in the railings, doorknobs and chandeliers.
A structural engineer who also studied architecture, Thompon was also inspired by his father, a fellow structural engineer, who took the family on trips to an A-frame in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., when Thompson was growing up.
“He taught me at a young age that the most structurally stable shape is the triangle,” Thompson says. “You’re creating a shell-like structure that’s stable for high winds. Also, having the walls and roof be one and the same allows you to put more insulation in to have a more energy efficient, cozier home. It holds the heat in.”
The home is zero net ready, ideal seamlessly adding solar and going off-grid. A pet project of Thompson’s, who lives in Colorado Springs with his family, the North Star property is currently listed at $1,490,000 million by Taryn Brooke, the lowest priced new construction in Summit County.
DESIGN ENGINEER Mike Thompson
INTERIOR DESIGN Studio 8 Decor
PHOTOS Elizabeth & Rich Devenney, Alan Stenback
CONSTRUCTION Travis Construction
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