Log-home buyers typically spend a year or two on construction and can’t wait for the often exhausting and time-consuming project to be completed. But Jeff Hermanson took a different approach to his log home in Crested Butte, Colorado. He has spent the past 35 years, on and off, updating it.
“The owner built the original house directly out of college in 1973. He and a few friends built it themselves — the style fit the area,” explains interior designer Priscila Banks of Studio West Design Center, who worked with Jeff on his most recent improvements. “It was a modest log house that has been enlarged and renovated several times over the last 35 years.”
The house, which features local pine logs ranging from 10 inches to 14 inches in diameter, is located in the heart of Crested Butte, which still recalls its turn-of-the-century mining heyday and is known as “The Last Great Colorado Ski Town.” The house sits on a 50-by-125-foot lot in a charming neighborhood and reflects the town’s character, although it has grown from a simple cabin to a sophisticated mountain home.
The latest renovation took place from 2002 to 2004. Improvements included new doors, a new staircase and fireplace, additions to the master bedroom and bath, a bar area in the kitchen and large decks. The 2,668-square-foot house features two bedrooms and a home office in the basement.
Denver-based architect Patricia A. Mueller was an integral part of the renovation. “We reworked the elements in the house,” she says. “We maxed out with zoning. We can’t add another square foot.”
Banks adds: “The latest remodel-addition significantly changed the quality and feel of the space. The architect utilized wood frames and drywall to soften the log walls and lighten the home.”
Originally, the house had red tile in the kitchen and carpeting throughout. It now boasts Carlisle wide-plank floors fashioned from old-growth eastern white pine. The 10-to-15-inch-wide planks were shipped from New Hampshire, cured for five weeks and then installed, distressed and finished. “The hardwood floors make a difference in the house,” Banks points out. “They give it such a larger appearance.”
In order to create a space ideal for entertaining, the living room was opened up and a new fireplace installed. “Originally a small fireplace was located opposite the windows that frame the view of Mount Crested Butte,” Banks explains. “Tricia floated a large fireplace in front of the existing windows to achieve a view-focal wall in one, opening up the living room significantly, so Jeff can entertain more guests comfortably.”
Another major project was redesigning the master bedroom loft area, which had railings and was very open to the living level. Since the bedroom space is in the eaves of the roof, Banks designed some half-height walls for the space. “There’s a little more privacy and acoustic absorption,” she notes.
Mueller says one of her favorite parts of the project was “pulling off the stair design.” The house originally had very thick timber stairs and railing, but she felt an open stairway would help enlarge the area. To create handrails, she designed a steel structure that melds with leather stretched over a wood form.
Although the house has gone through many transitions over the last three decades, the rooms now flow together seamlessly. “What I thought was most successful was the evolution,” Jeff says. “We finally brought the house back together.”
Home Details
Square footage: 2,668
Interior designer: Studio West Design Center
