Lemon Gulch Residence

Tim and Helen bought thirty-five acres between Castle Rock and Denver, out in the middle of a big open field.

They’d found a plan by a well-known Texas architect and bought the rights to use it. We didn’t build it off the page. We started from scratch in a new file, kept what they loved, and made it a Colorado house.

Out on open grassland, that meant building for wildfire: ignition-resistant materials, and the same soffit, vent, and flashing details Andy has talked through in the Journal of Light Construction.

Andy’s favorite detail is under the staircase: a little water and food station for the dog.

We build every house for the family to live in for good. Life had other plans — Tim and Helen have since retired and sold it, and another family is enjoying it now. A house built to last is a good investment, whoever ends up living in it.

“That is a gorgeous house,” Andy says. “I love that house.”