The Grove at Harper Lake – Whole House Renovation

As livable as this spacious house was at the time of purchase, it simply didn’t reflect our clients’ personalities or taste.  And with one of the most desirable locations in Louisville, backing up to Harper Lake with a stunning view of Long’s Peak and the Rockies, they were excited to put their personal stamp on the house.

So before they even moved in, we were brought on board to update and upgrade nearly every surface of this 6,000 SF home; ultimately transforming it into, what my clients liked to term, “Lake House Elegant”.

From the outset, one of the most important design intentions was to maximize the unique view their home possesses.  To accomplish this, we re-framed the entire 2-story Great Room wall with structural steel in order to maximize the amount of glass through which they can enjoy their gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountains.

While work was moving forward on the wall of windows, we had a moment of inspiration and suggested the idea of creating an interior balcony on the 2^nd floor that would allow them to take full advantage of their expanded view from upstairs as well.  This element proved to be one of our clients’ favorite additions to their home.

Beyond reframing most of the partition walls in the Master Suite and Basement, to create more functional spaces and better flow, the majority of our work was focused on the finishes and fixtures.  In addition to updating all the cabinets, countertops, tiles, interior doors, flooring, and plumbing and light fixtures, we also replaced all the interior trim elements, while adding new custom trim elements – including wainscoting, tray-ceiling crown molding, newel posts, and window valences – all site-crafted with richly finished alder.

And though we were not involved with the new pool or landscaping, we did create a lofty, private Master Suite Balcony – with its priceless view – along with their new spacious garden-level deck, complete with a state-of-the-art BBQ/kitchen area.

We also replaced all the siding with fiber cement shingles and clapboards, accented by natural buffstone ledgestone.  Finally, we made the house more energy efficient by installing 2 new, zoned high-efficiency furnace and AC systems, upgrading all the windows and doors, as well as replacing all exterior wall insulation with closed cell spray foam.

The result is a home of great comfort, but with an unpretentious elegance – characteristics that truly are reflective of our clients’ personalities.  Not all of us get to live in such a magnificent home.  But we can always aspire…