One-of-a-kind
opportunity to own a spacious [approximately 5,000 sq. ft.], Portuguese
colonial
style home within a forested estate on 35 acres in a private
setting, nestled on a ridge to the west side of South Boulder
Mountain. Three bedrooms [two master suites], three bathrooms, two
half-bathrooms, dining room, gourmet kitchen with large adjacent
larder, living room, studio, atrium, laundry, cinema-media room, huge
art studio, large wine cellar cum radiation blast shelter, entrance
hallway, and spacious office. Abundant storage space. Architectural
elements are built in throughout this desirable
estate. With unobstructed 360 degree spectacular mountain views
the property lies adjacent to Boulder Mountain Park and Walker Ranch
and is near to numerous hiking trails, South Boulder
Creek waterfall, Eldorado Canyon State Park, Gross Dam fishing area,
Chautauqua
Park cultural area and downtown Boulder. In winter, residents can cross
country ski
on the property or visit the world class Colorado ski slopes
for the day.
A large flower meadow and three ponds lie to the south
of the house and to the west is a small south facing valley suitable
for horticulture or an orchard. A small steam runs through the east
side of the property. Adjunct buildings include a separate two car
garage - workshop, pump-house and a woodshed. The house is equipped
with underfloor heating, a sub-slab radon mitigation system,
commercial grade air-conditioning, a central vacuum system, a
monitored security system, high-speed internet, a dumb-waiter and
numerous other desirable features. The estate is situated in the Rocky
Mountain Front Range, 20 minutes from the center of
Boulder, and 60 minutes from Denver International Airport. Boulder,
with a population of
approximately 100,000, is regularly ranked as one of the best places
to live in the United States. There are on average 245 sunny days and
93 days with precipitation.
THE
WINTER ELK RUN
The
Elk herd
migrates through the acreage in winter and spring.
The herd is approximately 350 strong, and they wander through
the
Front Range as they migrate to their summer pastures in the higher
Rocky Mountains. Abutting Boulder Mountain Parks the location is
frequented by abundant wildlife: from a wild turkey flock, to
fox, deer, elk, coyote and the rare bear or mountain cougar. The house
surroundings and the riparian Harmon Gulch running though the property
provide a sanctuary for myriad bird species. Eagles regularly
glide over the house and adjacent south meadow as they hunt for prey.
Forbes
Magazine, 2008 noted. One of these sought-after settings is Boulder,
Colorado, the city claiming the top spot in our rankings. Boulder is a
draw for many reasons, but undeniably because so much of its population
is connected in some way to the University of Colorado. But Boulder
also has a draw
outside the university. As far as environmental awareness goes, Boulder
is one of the greenest cities in the United States, and the residents
take advantage of the many outdoor recreational activities available.
USA
Today in 2010 noted 'Feeling down? You might consider a move to
Boulder, Colorado. A massive
new study of Americans' attitudes
concludes that the city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains is home to
the
happiest, healthiest people in the United States.'
This unique mountain
home is situated on a ridge below South Boulder Mountain.
The home comprises the main building, an
external two-car garage-workshop with an attached wood shed, and a
pump-house mechanical building.
Running through the east side of the property is Harmon Gulch, a
perennial stream
traversing a small gorge, and emptying into South Boulder Creek. The
valley bottom is a lush vegetation that provides a corridor for
wildlife movement. In the middle image above, all the land to the
right
of the road is part of the property and shows about
two-thirds of the acreage. Harmon Gulch is seen traversing
north to south on the right hand side of the image. Open space
recognizes the value of the property as an important natural resource
because it maintains: a contiguous forested habitat within
the Boulder Mountain Park system; a winter range for mule deer;
a severe winter range for elk; a winter concentration area for
wild turkey. a high quality black bear habitat and movement
corridor and a diverse songbird habitat along Harmon Gulch.
The 35-acre estate abuts Boulder Mountain Park to the east and open
space
land to the north. South Boulder Mountain lies to the east, and
mountain ridges to the north and south. These create a unique
experience during the occasional summer thunder-storm when one can
sit outside in sunlight and watch a storm passing to the south, along
the ridge, whilst remaining safe and dry in a high air-pressure pocket.
The slope with a southeastern
aspect is open grassland and Ponderosa pine savannah. The
western and northwestern facing slopes are higher density forests
dominated by both Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir with an understory
of fescue, mountain muhly and pine dropseed. Native grass
vegetation is bluestem, sandreed grass, blue gama, and
needle-and-thread grass.
Prior to locating the house site,
the acreage was walked over by the owners who completed an initial
video and audio survey to determine the local topographic
features and a suitable house location that maximized the views and
provided easy access. The site chosen for the house
offered views of the main range of the Rocky Mountains and provided
an entirely south-facing slope. It was sufficiently sheltered
by a hill to protect the area from most winds. Once the
location of the house was determined a geological report on the
proposed site was completed and a location specified for
drilling a water well. The well successfully found drinking
water and the land was purchased in November 1992. The acerage
permits a second well for
horticultural/agricultural purposes and a suitably large south facing
valley was located close to the house where an orchard could be
planted in the future. There are spaces close to the
house suitable for a full-sized tennis court and a swimming pool. The estate has both
mountain and meadow land and
has elk, deer, turkey, and numerous bird species. Occasionally seen
are coyote, bear, and on one occasion mountain lion. The vegetation,
immediately surrounding the house, is pine, spruce and cedar
interspersed with wild flowersblooming
throughout spring, summer and autumn.
A
survey of the critical boundary points was completed by Mr. Bill.
Stengel, licensed surveyor in Boulder County, who determined
that the proposed location of the house, well and septic system were
well within the property boundaries. The property immediately
surrounding the proposed house site was topographically mapped by the
owners, using Sokkia electronic surveying equipment, at a one foot
contour interval. This map included information on the rough location
of the proposed excavation site, the location of the pump house, the
two access driveways, buried lines and water storage cistern.
The
initial house design was by a New Orleans architect modified
by the owners to fit the building site. A preferred building
footprint orientation was selected and approved by Boulder County and
modification of the house design was accomplished by taking
approximately 60 still photographs in all compass directions from the
proposed house site. This allowed the position of the windows
to be determined so that they maximized the scenic view. Next
the building outline was staked and roped-out. At this point
the final positions of the front and rear doors were determined and
the location of the garage finalized. The future position of the
water septic tank and drain field were approximately located.
The location of the 2,500 gallon water storage system and pump house,
was pre-determined by the location of the well. Finally the area was
over-flown in a small plane and aerial photographs were taken of the
entire property concentrating on the location of the proposed
building site and how it would fit into the topography.
The
external landscape is
spectacular, providing views of the main range of the Rocky
Mountains. From the doorstep it is possible to make numerous
mountain walks - either up Green Mountain and South Boulder Mountain,
down the valley to South Boulder Creek and over to Eldorado Canyon
Park, or around Walker Ranch trails. Colorado's major ski slopes are
a couple of hours away, and trout fishing is available at South
Boulder Creek and Gross Dam. An intra-mountain dirt road connects the
area to Coal Creek Canyon, via Gross Dam, and onward to Nederland.
The peak of South Boulder Mountain lies approximately 1
mile to the east, and mountain ridges
are to the north and south.
south view from rock patio
west view from high patio
south view from rock patio
east view from high patio
THE LANDSCAPING
The land is a long linear tract extending
essentially east to west, crossing Harmon Gulch and abutting Boulder
Mountain Park to the south and east, and conservation easement land
to the north. The area surrounding the house is extensively
landscaped with an east patio, south patio and west patio. The
west patio has three adjacent ponds and provides the main area for
outside entertaining. The Colorado Forestry Department was
engaged to
provide a fire mitigation and general forestry plan, and the ponds were
installed
as part of their suggested fire mitigation plan. The concept for
the ponds
was that they could be utilized to stem a grass-fire in
the meadow. Each pond is connected by waterfalls and fed by a central
circulatory system.
Other fire mitigation features included
the clearing of all slash within 300 feet of the house, the use of
gravel around the base of the house and the installation of home fire
stations on the main and basement floors.
The south patio has a portico and is commonly used as a breakfast and
dining area during
summer. The south side of the walkway between the house and the
garage has
an old wooden fence removed from a local farm and installed in 2008.
THE
HOUSE
The house is
highly secured with 11' French gates at the entrance to the main
driveway and the external garage
blocking direct access to the rear entrance. The external walls
are built from Thastyron [Rastra] - a fire resistant, bullet proof,
material that has high insulation value. The Garrard roof is metal
tiled, rated to 180-mph wind speed. The external walls are covered
with Perma-Crete [a high impact resistant cementatious material used
on airport runways] and painted 'sandstone tan'. The chimney stack
has three independent chimneys connecting to the wood-burning master
bedroom, cinema and main floor fireplaces. There is a chimney
cleaning unit in the access area of the master wood burning stove.
The general design of the house is Colonial Portuguese and is in
superior condition with
an annual inspection and maintenance performed by the owners.
It is regarded as a low maintenance house. The main structure
was occupied in 1999 and the East Suite in 2009. The external
two car garage was completed in 2008.
A unique
feature of the house is that in addition to a dual security system
the large wine cellar was blasted 21' below the initial surface and
forms a safe room. It is surrounded by concrete and the floor above
has Thastyron concrete walls. It is an emergency shelter
capable of withstanding a 20 megaton nuclear/radiation explosion on
Denver!
The house is
hard-wired for 5 different communication systems: triple-cat5, RS232,
Ethernet, audio, and dual
phone lines. Internet access is supplied via a 5.7 GHz broad-band
wireless
server, located 3 miles [line-of-sight] away.
It is the Canopy by Motorola and the antenna feeds directly
into the house Ethernet system. It supplies all rooms with internet
access:
both hard wired and wireless.
THE ROOFING
For
the site location Boulder County's
wind pressure map indicates a basic wind speed load of 110 m.p.h.
and 31 lbs / square foot rating. The snow loads are 45 lbs/
square foot. The roof design for the house far exceeds these values.
The basic truss system was built according to an engineered schedule
with a 44 foot span, firmly anchored on the
east and west concrete walls. The trusses are covered with 3/4-inch
roofing plywood with a neoprene layer of Snow-and-Rain covering the
periphery from the guttering for approximately 3 feet. The rest of
the roof is covered with heavy duty tar sheeting, and 2 x 2-inch slats
spaced approximately every 8 inches to accommodate
the steel roofing tiles that form the final fire-resistant
outer sheath of the roof. The exposed patio on the south western
corner of the top floor [effectively a small roof] is underlain
with cement and a continuous sheet of neoprene rubber below the final
deck finish.
GROSS LIVING AREA
Approximately 4,500 square feet 800 square feet of outbuildings
Approximately 5,000 sq. ft. with a 200 sq.
ft. two-car garage / workshop, a 120 sq. ft. pump house / flammable
materials storage area, a small wood shed, an enclosed garden tool
storage area and patio areas to the west, south and east. There
are four levels to the house: a cellar, basement floor, main floor
and top floor.
THE TOP FLOOR
[308 square feet]
The uppermost
floor of the house is designed
as a large office 22 feet by 14 feet, and is accessed from the
main floor via an oak circular staircase. It opens out
onto the upper veranda which overlooks the main range of the Rocky
Mountains to the west and two peaks of the Front Range to the east
[South Boulder Mountain, and Bear Mountain] and Eldorado Canyon Park
and Walker Ranch to the south. Access to the veranda is through a
dual pane glass door.
The railings at the top of the stairs
and flanking the main veranda are part of the collection from the
Maharaja of Thanjavur Palace, Tamil Nadu, India. The floor of
the office is covered with rubberized panels, with a small area
adjacent to the veranda door that is Sri Lanka siltstone.
In
addition to 120-volt electrical receptacles there is dual lighting
system, an overhead fan, sprinkler head, an air vent, built-in
speaker, and a 6-wire communications receptacle [for Ethernet, dual
coax, phone, cat-5 and cat-3] in addition to an RS232 outlet. Heating
is supplied by a large 120 volt radiant panel on the east wall.
THE MAIN FLOOR
[1,936 square feet]
The main floor contains the entrance hall,
half-bathroom, living room, kitchen, larder, and dining room to the
west side; and, the upper studio, master bedroom, with reading loft,
clothes closet, Jacuzzi and bathroom forming the master suite to the
east side. There are cathedral ceilings extending from the 10
foot outer walls to the 14 foot central wall. The small patio extends
from the studio and overlooks South Boulder Mountain and Eldorado
Canyon Park.
Each room on the main floor has
independently controlled sub-floor electric heating of Norwegian
design: this is a very energy efficient system. The heating
elements are embedded in 2 inches of concrete and covered with 3/4
inch #1 red oak. All walls were plastered by a team of 17
professional plasterers from Tri-Brothers, Denver.
ENTRANCE
HALL
[13'
6" by 7' 6"]
The entrance hall is a cold room although 120-volt receptacles are
available if needed for
supplemental heating. The floor of the entrance hall continues into
the entrance way half-bathroom and beyond the front door and is
covered with 16-inch square Sri Lanka siltstone. The front door is an
excellent example of Indian colonial architecture.
The entire frame and door was slotted
together using wedges and contains no nails. The two side pieces were
from a single Burmese
teak tree trunk and in section have matching tree rings. The surface
is the original lacquer overlain with a modern colorless stain. The
original lock was removed because the key was very large, and the
door is locked only from the inside although it can be fitted with an
electronic lock.
The
cloakroom [5' 8" by 5'] leading
off from the entrance hall has a central Indian Burmese teak door
from Bangalore. This door is a valuable piece of Indian colonial
architecture. The cloakroom contains a commode, a wash basin, and a
home fireman water hose system that will reach all areas of the main
floor. In addition to the 120-volt receptacles there is an exhaust
fan and to the right hand side of the door exterior a security system
control box. The wash basin is a custom made ceramic piece by the
sculptor Casey Willems of New Orleans, Louisiana. The overhead
cupboard has doors that are the upper part of Harem doors from Muslim
North India. These are shutter doors in which the upper part of the
door opens for the ladies to look out but the lower part is solid and
sealed so that their lower half cannot be observed. This door is a
valuable piece of Indian colonial architecture.
LIVING ROOM
[21'4" by 17' + a 8' by 8' triangular alcove]
The living room overlooks the atrium and has
a triangular alcove made from 10-inch stud walls. This
alcove has two radiant heating panels connected in series to 120
volts. To increase the heat output they can easily be reconnected in
parallel although experience has indicated that this is not needed.
The main supplementary heating to the
electrical floors is the large Danish wooden stove. This is a Rais 3 from Rais and Witttus
Inc., N. Y. This particular stove was regarded as the top-of-the-line
when installed and is capable of heating the entire main floor and
atrium.
In addition to normal 120-volt
outlets there are two floor outlets next to the railings. The
reversible overhead fan can be used to push air into the atrium for
heating and cooling. Controls for the under floor heating are on the
north wall. The living room opens up into the kitchen. There is a
steel-lined
dumb-waiter hatch between the dining room and kitchen that
connects to the east suite below. The dumb-waiter has kill-switches
at the top and bottom levels and can be controlled from top and
bottom motion switches. The hoist capacity is rated at 220 lbs,
although this is inadvisable as this would probably rip the hoist
from its foundation.
DINING ROOM
[14'6" by 14'2" to 9']
The dining room is an unheated area in the
south-west corner of the main floor. It overlooks the main range of
the Rocky Mountains to the west and the Eldorado Canyon area to
the south. The walls are 10-inch stud walls tied into the 10-inch
insulated Rastra walls. The 6 x 6- foot windows have 4-inch, hand
made, Burmese teak frames. There are standard 120-volt receptacles, and
a 6-box communications receptacle [for
Ethernet, dual coax, phone, cat-5 and cat-3] in addition to an RS232
outlet.
The ceiling of the dining room has an access hatch
that allows large items to be hoisted into the office above. The
hatch is permanently locked but can be unlocked by removing the cover
that is in the floor of the office [the door will fall freely once
the bolts are undone so care must be taken to lower it with an
attached cord].
A red oak spiral staircase connects the dining
room to the office on the top floor. The dining room overlooks the
atrium and the railings at the edge extend around the edge of the
dining room and sitting room. These railings were purchased from the
estate of the Maharaja of Thanjavur and were originally part of his
guest house. They are made from Burmese teak and ironwork. They are
valuable examples of architectural art.
KITCHEN AND LARDER
[kitchen 18'8" by 9'6" to 12'; Larder 9' by 7'9" to 4'10"]
The center piece of the kitchen is the
Vulcan professional electric stove. The stove is flanked by
lower cupboards with chopping block tops and upper storage cupboards.
The sink is steel and flanked with counter-tops covered with Kashmiri
granite
[it is actually a garnet rich metamorphic rock not granite].
Other kitchen utilities
include the dishwasher, garbage compactor, and refrigerator. A
disposal is not installed because it is not recommended for use with
septic systems. A long wooden bench top supported by wine shelves
occupies the east wall of the kitchen. The floor of the kitchen is
12-inch Mexican tile: currently some of these tiles have
developed cracks and need to be replaced.
The east and west walls of the kitchen are supplied by two independent
120-volt
electrical lines and a 6-box communications receptacle [for Ethernet,
dual coax, phone, cat-5 and cat-3] in addition to an RS232
outlet. An outlet for
the central vacuum is situated between the east wooden counter-top and
the
dumb-waiter.
The entrance to the large larder is from the
north east part of the kitchen. The door is an antique house door
from Kerala, South India. The central part of the door depicts the
Indian goddess Kali. Kali is normally represented with her tongue
sticking out and the central part of the door represents her tongue.
This door is a valuable example of architectural art.
The larder is
not heated and is placed in
the coldest part of the house. It has an air vent, 120 volt
receptacles and a single 240 volt receptacle for a floor polisher or
other heavy duty piece of equipment.
UPPER STUDIO
[25'4" by 20'9"]
The carved
door separating the living room
from the studio is the central architectural piece of the house.
The house was actually designed around these doors which are over 350
years old external fortress doors from Central India [circa
1650].
This door was purchased from India's top antiquarian at
his main warehouse in Bangalore [Mr. Natesan] in 1983, and is a
certified antique exported with special permission from the
government of India. The door is 11.5-feet high and
8 feet wide and is dual leafed. This is a very valuable piece of
architectural history. The passageway between the living room and the
studio is a cold area and does not contain any heating elements in
order to avoid any heat damage to the door.
As with all of the main rooms the
studio
is independently heated with under floor electric heating
controlled by a switch on the north east wall. In addition to
the 120 volt electrical receptacles there is an overhead fan,
sprinkler heads, air vents, built-in speaker jacks, and two 6-box
communications receptacle [for Ethernet, dual coax, phone, cat-5 and
cat-3] in addition to an RS232 outlet.
In the south east corner of the Studio is a small patio accessed by a
dual pane glass
door. The patio has pull-down shades and antique railings
similar to those used overlooking the atrium. The flooring is Sri
Lanka siltstone.
The door leading from the studio into the
bedroom is a old [circa 1800] front door from a town house in central
Madras, South India. The remnants of the original house numbers
can still be seen on the door. It is raised so that it conforms to
code. This is a valuable piece of architectural art.
MASTER BEDROOM
[20'5" by 13'10" plus 8' by 8' triangular jacuzzi alcove]
As with the entire main level the flooring is
3/4-inch red oak overlaying the sub-floor heating elements which
are embedded
in 2-inches of concrete. The walls are hand plastered. The west
wall is a
10-inch stud wall, and the south wall a 6-inch stud wall with a 4-inch
bathroom
internal stud wall. The Jacuzzi bath alcove is a 10-inch stud walls
connected to the external Thastyron [Rastra] walls. The Jacuzzi bath is
physically part of
the triangular alcove of the master bedroom and access to the toilet
is through a separate conventional door. The dual windows in the
Jacuzzi area have 4-inch Burmese teak frames hand made from old
beams.
Two radiant heating panels are located above
the Jacuzzi bath. These are presently connected in series to a 120-volt
supply and produce a low 60-volt output, however they can be
easily altered to a parallel connection that will make each panel a
120-volt unit. Experience has shown that the present configuration is
sufficient for supplemental heating needs when bathing in winter.
Additional heating is supplied by a Danish stove [Rais from Rais and
Witttus Inc, N. Y.]. At the time of purchase this was one of the
best
small units on the market, it is EPA-approved and produces a lot of
heat from a small amount of wood. The area around this stove
and the area around the bath are covered with Sri Lanka siltstone.
There are standard 120-volt
receptacles, controller for the sub-floor heating, controller
for the radiant heating, air outlet vents, an overhead fan, an
overhead lazy switch for the bed location, three built-in speakers
and a 6-box communications receptacle [for ethernet, dual coax,
phone, cat-5 and cat-3] in addition to an RS232 outlet.
There is a small open reading loft [9' by 8' to 5'] on the north west
corner of the master bedroom that is reached by antique stairs.
The stairs are solid rosewood obtained from a British Raj colonial
home [circa 1800] in Madras, South India. The railings surrounding
the reading loft are solid rosewood. This is a valuable piece of
architectural art. The loft contains a long sloping cupboard and
access to the truss space.
BATHROOM
[6'10" by 7'10"]
The
walls are covered by smooth
plaster done
by the master plasterer of Tri-Brothers plastering company. The small
window is made from antique Burmese teak. The master bathroom does
not have under floor heating but heat is supplied by an overhead
120-volt radiant panel. The floor and cabinet covering are Sri Lanka
siltstone tiles. There are two wash basins, a bidet, and a commode.
In addition to the conventional GFI 120-volt receptacles there is an
exhaust fan. The wash basins are custom made ceramic pieces by
the sculptor Casey Willems of New Orleans, Louisiana.
CLOSET
[12' by 5']
The large walk-in closet is on the
north wall
and acts as an insulation barrier for the bedroom. The outer
walls are Thastyron [Rastra] and the inner walls are 4-inch stud
walls. The hanging areas and the shelves are made of red
oak. The door into the closet is standard solid fir. The closet
contains a
drop shoot directly to the laundry, 120-volt receptacles, a sprinkler
head and an air vent.
BASEMENT FLOOR
[2,027 square feet]
The basement floor contains the guest suite
comprising the guest bedroom, bathroom, and mechanical room/closet,
the theater and media room, the atrium with an under-stair
half-bathroom, the spacious east room, small bedroom, laundry and
east wing bathroom. The entire east wall of the east room is a four
panel dual paned window-door entrance that leads to the south patio
and connecting walkway to the garage. The east room is currently used
as an art studio. A stairwell leads from the west of the basement
floor to the wine cellar.
Walls on the lower floor are solid Thastyron [Rastra], except part
of the
cellar stairway which has a 4-inch section of stud wall built to
contain the audio-video
and communications hardware. Additional cross rebar's were used
in
these walls to provide protection against any ground lateral shear
movement. This is the design used for earthquake prone locations but
serves very well to give the house maximum strength. All of the
communication lines for the basement floor are
embedded within the concrete of the walls, as is the vacuum
hose.
The western half of the basement floor has plastered
walls [atrium, theater, and guest bedroom area], whereas the eastern
half has stucco covered walls [east room, laundry and bathroom].
THE ATRIUM
[17' by 14'4" plus 8' by 3' under-stairs toilet]
The atrium connects to the east wing through
a fire door and to the theater through a short passageway. The
main stairs are on the east wall and lead upwards to the main
floor. The room has a foot print of approximately 21-feet, eight
inches by 19 feet, including the under-the-stair
bathroom [412 square feet]. The patio doors on the south wall
were built in 1996 and are made from old Burmese teak beams salvaged
from homes in Tamil Nadu. The beveled glass windows are single
pane. An outer storm door, that was custom made to size, provides
protection for the patio doors and acts as a thermal barrier. A
massive carved Burmese teak beam spans the entire north wall of the
atrium. This was obtained from an old colonial home in
Madras by the antiquarian, Mr. Subramaniam, and is pre-1850 in age.
This is a valuable piece of architectural art.
The entire
atrium is surrounded by antique iron railings from the guest house of
the Maharaja of Thanjavure's Palace.
The floor of the atrium is covered
with
3/4-inch thick, 24 x 24-inch square Turkish marble, surrounded by
3/4-inch 24
x 24-inch square pink granite.
The windows are double paned, 6 x 6 -foot Burmese teak, with
frames
built from old beams from homes in Madras, South India. The
stairs to the main floor are made of #1 common red oak and were built
in place. The under-the-stair toilet has stucco walls and Sri Lanka
siltstone tiles. In addition to the commode there is a small basin,
a shelf, sprinkler system head, 120-volt outlet, ceiling exhaust fan,
and access to a small storage area. The control box for the
atrium sub-floor heating system is on the south wall. A passage-way
leads from the atrium to the theater, wine cellar and guest bedroom.
The atrium contains a single audio
speaker, a motion detector, controls for the electrical floor heating
system, standard 120-volt electrical receptacles, a ceiling fan, and
air vents.
THE THEATRE
[17'10" by 10'5"]
The theater has a projector that
throws
approximately a 10-foot image onto the
pull-down screen mounted on the west wall.
The theater walls are plaster covered
Thastyron except for a small 4-inch stud wall that houses the
audio-video equipment. The floor is covered with a center-piece of
3/4-inch thick, 24 x 24-inch square, Turkish marble surrounded by
3/4-inch thick, 24 x
24-inch square pink granite.
The fireplace is an EPA-approved unit with its own external air supply.
In addition to the standard 120-volt
electrical receptacles there is the controller for the 240-volt
under floor heating system, an air vent, a motion detector, a
separate speaker system for the theatre [three front, two rear and
one boom box], and six communications lines [built into the top
of the mantle piece]. A built-in red oak shelving holds the
double audio-video equipment: one system for the whole house audio
and the other for the theatre.
THE GUEST BEDROOM
[16'6" by 15' 1" to 11'8"]
The main door leading into the guest
bedroom
is a 10-foot, dual leaf, mahogany, bar-room door recycled from
a New Orleans French Quarter restaurant. The individual leaves have
high impact cut glass panes.
The 6 x 6-foot teak window
has
a central opening that acts as a fire escape. The frame of this
window is heavy duty hand made with 6-inch square Burmese teak. The
flooring is
12 x 12-inch limestone.
There are two 6-box communication line receptacles [for Ethernet, dual
coax, phone, cat-5 and cat-3] in addition to two RS232 outlets.
The main central air return duct is on the north wall of the guest
bedroom. The room contains the normal 120-volt electrical
receptacles, a controller for the under floor heating, an audio
speaker, a sprinkler head, an overhead fan, and a motion detector.
THE GUEST BATHROOM
[8'1" by 14'9" to 11'9"]
A conventional hollow door leads from
the guest bedroom into the guest bathroom. The
walls are plaster covered Thastyron and the floors are limestone. The
heating for the floors is part of the guest bedroom sub-floor heating
system. There is an exhaust fan, 120-volt electrical receptacles and
an access door into the laundry to drop-shoot dirty clothes.
There are two wash basins and a raised rough pine floor area that has
the commode. The large shower was custom built and is tiled with
glass blocks and Italian marble and contains 8 shower heads.
THE CLOSET - MECHANICAL ROOM
[9'10" by 7'3"]
The closet - mechanical room is at the end of
the external, 7-foot, utilities trench. The mechanical room contains
the input electrical line, water main and communications lines from
the pump house. It is tiled with a travertine marble. The entire
structure is water proof and is accessed through the door in the guest
bathroom. The concrete floor is constructed in the same
manner as were the foundation floors and has both water and radon
drainage pipes that connect to the main sub-foundation water and
radon drainage systems. It serves as a walk-in closet for the
guest bedroom. It is tiled with a travertine identical to that
of the guest bedroom and guest bathroom.
The main house electrical circuits originate in the mechanical room,
through a 200-amp
circuit box. The mechanical room also contains the central
vacuum system
unit [installed in 2011], two hot water heaters [installed in
1998], and a 240-volt outlet.
THE EAST ROOM
[21' 8" by 31 feet, including 8' by 11' east bedroom]
The
entire
east wall of the east room is a four panel dual paned
window-door
entrance that leads to the south patio and connecting walkway to the
garage.
The heating is provided by a 240-volt baseboard unit but the area is
essentially solar
heated because the concrete walls and floor retain heat. The flooring
is high grade travertine marble. The doors between the east room
and the atrium, the east room and laundry and the dumb-waiter
are all fire doors. The east room is currently used as an art
studio but is designed to be used as a separate living area, with a
dining space, cooking space, living room and a bedroom.
There is a 3 x 8-foot alcove on the wall adjacent to the east
bedroom.
The east bedroom overlooks the east garden. It has a
sleeping loft and a storage cupboard which is above the east room
alcove.
THE LAUNDRY
[10' by 12']
The laundry is accessed from the east room
and has Thastyron walls except for an interior 4-inch stud wall
separating it from the bathroom. There are plenty of work spaces and
folding areas, built-in cupboards, a hanging rail, and shelf storage.
The floor and counter tops are tiled with Italian marble and there
are two tiled clothes-drop boxes. One drop box is accessed from
the master bedroom through a ceiling shoot and the second from the
guest bedroom through a swinging door. In addition to washer and
dryer outlets and hot and cold water lines there is an antique
commercial soaking sink.
THE EAST WING BATHROOM
[12' by 5' 2"]
The east wing bathroom has Thastyron walls except for an interior
4-inch stud
wall separating it from the laundry room. There is a shower, sink,
special
high-flush toilet, and a [currently sealed off] 240-volt receptacle at
the base of the west
wall, that
can be permitted and installed after the required installation of an
external
GFI breaker switch [as required by electrical code]. The bathroom is
tiled with Italian marble.
THE
CELLAR
[228 square feet]
The antique carved cellar doors are 2-inch thick Burmese teak
that can be barred
from the inside. They are from an old colonial home wine cellar from
Kerala, India. The age is uncertain but is older than 1850s,
perhaps a lot older. Special permission was obtained from Boulder
County for its installation as an antique. This is a valuable piece
of architectural art.
The floor of the main cellar is covered with 3/4-inch thick, 24 x
24-inch square Turkish marble with white
marble
surround. The tile covering the floor of the under-the-stair area also
is a
marble. The internal floor is 19 x 12-feet, and will
hold a few thousand bottles of wine. Currently there are wine racks
for 720 bottles.
The walls of the cellar are stucco, painted with a water-based paint.
There are
electrical receptacles along all walls, a vacuum cleaner outlet, two
sprinkler heads, a
speaker connected to the home audio system, and a home fireman water
hose with a small fire extinguisher.
The door to the under-the-stair storage area is part of a veranda
purchased from the
estate of the Maharaja of Thanjavur, India. It is made from Burmese
teak and ironwork, and is part of the railing complex used throughout
the house. The stairs are tiled with siltstone from Sri Lanka.
This cellar was built with the idea of serving also as a secure
room or radiation shelter should the need arise. The foundation
is located at approximately 21-feet underground, has
Thastyron [Rastra] walls and a rebar reinforced concrete ceiling
supported by beams. In the 1960s the owner had an
idea to build and sell nuclear blast bomb shelters and looked at many
available designs. The cellar is based on one of these designs. The
south wall of the cellar can easily have a periscope punched through
one of the solid Thastyron parts of the wall and then tunneled
upwards, about 18-inches, to the outside. The central vacuum hose is
already in place and connects to the outside on the north wall and
can be used as an air vent. There is a water hose in the cellar, on
the south wall of the stairwell and a lockable under-the-stairs room
that can be used for supplies. In addition, there is space for a gun
closet. In an emergency the cellar can be turned into a survival
structure within an hour.
On the walls of the stairwell are accesses to the house security system
and the
zero-nodes of the audio-video, telephone and all other communication
systems.
THE
GARAGE
[648
square feet]
The 27 x
24-feet two-car garage contains a long workshop bench, a professional
compressor and an
adjacent wood-shed [12 x 10-feet]. It has two access doors to
the truss space. There are motion activated security lights on the
external front and back walls and adequate internal lighting.
The garage door is remote controlled.
The
Utilities
The
house has a 400-amp farm-style electrical service, divided into
200-amps that serves the main structure and 200-amp that serves the
garage,
AC unit and peripherals. The wood burning EPA-approved stoves are
in
excellent condition and the chimneys were cleaned in September 2010.
The ancillary baseboard heating units in the east wing and pump house
were all installed in 2010 and have been little used.
The dual hot water heaters in the mechanical room were installed in
1998 and
have never presented any problem.
The dishwasher is an older unit, used most days and works perfectly.
The microwave is approximately 4 years old and has not presented any
problems.
The refrigerator is an older unit and has never presented any problems.
The trash compactor was installed in 1998 but has never been used.
The washer and dryer are about 6 years old. The dryer is in need of
servicing but the washer is working well.
The Air conditioning unit is quiet and is a commercial YORK unit.
All duct
work is of heavy duty commercial grade, as are the vent covers.
The system was designed by
Dr. Clifford Shut, an engineer, formerly of Denver, Colorado, and
provides a
unique air circulation
specific for the house. The air flow originates primarily on the main
floor and flows down the atrium to the lower floor where it is
returned through a major vent in the guest bedroom. The method not
only provides cold air circulation when needed but also acts as a
whole house ventilation system when only the fan is running. In
addition, the system is quiet. The AC has had very little use as the
normal method of ventilation is to open the windows and AC is only
needed
about 5 days per year.
The central vacuum unit was newly installed
in 2011. The vacuum hose system reaches all parts of the main house.
The security system was checked in 2011 and a new
modern unit put in place. There is a low premium 24-hour
monitoring system in place.
The smoke and fire detection system is a dual system. One
is the
standard county required hard wired system, and the other system is
connected to the
security system.
There are two home fireman systems, located in
the entrance hall bathroom and the cellar stairwell: each has
approximately a
50-foot reach.
There is a large professional compressor located in the garage/workshop
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Property tax for 2010 was $4,423.
Monthly energy costs for the past 12 months were:
[note the house is
ALL electrical so these bills reflect the total energy cost.]
08/11
$145
07/11 $243
06/11 $243
05/11 $257
04/11 $356
03/11 $376
02/11 $356
01/11 $331
12/10 $308
11/10 $196
10/10 $126
09/10 $135
Roadway: Flagstaff road is tarred and a short county maintained road
leads to Bison Drive which is a short un-paved road leading to the
house. As part of the Boulder county land agreement this short private
road is graded annually by a professional road grading
company and the Pine Needle East Notch land-owners divide the cost
equally amongst the group. The annual cost varies between $90-130.
Schools: The Boulder school system is regarded as excellent at all
levels.
THE WILDLIFE
The property provides habitat for a variety of wildlife species that
are typical
of the forested system in the Boulder Moutain Park and the wildlife of
the area
includes all species that inhabit the Front Range of the Rocky
Mountains.
Mule deer are a regular visitor and during the elk runs those
magnificant creatures abound. A local family of wild turkey frequent
the acerage and at times mountain cottontail rabbits are
plentiful.
Occasional but rare sightings of a cougar, a bear,
and grass snakes occur, along with bobcats, Abert's squirrel,
chipmunk, foxes and once in a while a western spotted skunk.
Harmon Gulch, running through the property, and the ponds are
regularly swarming with dragonflies and songbirds, such as the
mountain bluebird, Stellar's jay and evening grosbeak, mountain
chickadee and red-nape sapsucker. Common raptors are the red-tailed
hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and flammulated owl. Eagles are regular
visitors to the property where they hunt for prey in the evenings.
Harmon Gulch is a
movement corridor for bears in the area although they are rarely
sighted.
THE VEGETATION
The land around the house is dotted with
both planted exotics and indigenous wildflowers. It is an area
where roses grow particularly well and numerous zone 1-4 plants can
be cultivated. The show of daffodils in early spring,
sunflowers during the summer and poppies throughout the spring,
summer and fall can often be spectacular. Wild flowers abound
in spring and summer. At 7,300 feet elevation, the natural forest
vegetation
of the Front Range is pine, fir and cedar but numerous exotic
species will grow. Around the house are flowering crab-apple,
flowering cherry, tree and bush lavender and lilac, linden and
other planted trees.
The riparian area around Harmon Gulch has its own flora and the hills
and valleys
on the property include some beautiful examples of wildflowers and
rare indigenous plants. The list of plant species identified by
Boulder County in the local area is given here. The main vegetation
communities identified by a survey of the adjacent properties are
described below.
PONDEROSA PINE DOUGLAS FIR WOODLAND ALLIANCE
"The upper slopes on the east and west
sides of Harmon Gulch are dominated by the ponderosa pine -
Douglas fir woodland alliance. The dominant over-story species in
this community type are ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa ssp.
scopulorum), Rocky Mountain juniper (Sabinascopulorum),
and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga
menziesii). Dominant understory species includeintroduced grasses such as smooth brome
(Bromopsis inermis),
cheatgrass (Anisantha tectorum),and orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata);
native perennial forbs such as little sunflower(Helianthus
pumilus), Rocky Mountain
penstemon (Penstemon strictus),
and pale bastardtoadflax (Comandra umbellate ssp.
pallida); native grasses such as needle-and-thread(Hesperostipa
comata), green
needlegrass (Nassella viridula)
and mountain muhly(Muhlenbergia
montana); and native
shrubs/sub-shrubs such as black chokecherry (Padusvirginiana
ssp. scopulorum) and fringed
sage (Artemisia frigida)."
DOUGLAS FIR FOREST ALLIANCE
"This community type is dominated by Douglas fir. Common understory
species include
native forbs such as Britton's skullcap (Scutellaria brittonii),
prairie bluebells (Mertensia lanceolata),
and maiden blue eyed Mary
(Collinsia parviflora). Native
grass or grass like plants included
Geyer's sedge (Carex geyeri)
and muttongrass (
Poa pendleriana). Native shrubs such as kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi) are common."
PONDEROSA PINE DOUGLAS FIR FOREST ALLIANCE
In the southeastern portion of the
property "and on west facing slopes, a ponderosa pine
Douglas fir forest alliance is present. The dominant overstory
species in this community type are ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain
juniper, and Douglas fir. Dominant understory species include
introduced grasses such as smooth brome, cheatgrass, and orchard
grass; native perennial forbs such as little sunflower, Rocky
Mountain penstemon, and pale bastard toadflax; native grasses such
mountain brome, needle-and-thread, green needlegrass and mountain
muhly; and native shrubs/sub-shrubs such as black choke-cherry and
fringed sage."
DOUGLAS FIR WOODLAND ALLIANCE
"This community type is dominated by
Douglas fir but ponderosa pine is common. Common understory
species include hairy false goldenaster, Geyer's
sedge, and kinnikinnick."
SMOOTH BROME SEMI-NATURAL HERBACEOUS ALLIANCE
The southeastern slopes consist of a smooth
brome semi-natural herbaceous alliance. "This community is
dominated by smooth brome, an introduced pasture grass. Other
dominant species include cheatgrass, cereal rye, and orchard grass."
QUAKING ASPEN TEMPORARILY FLOODED FOREST ALLIANCE
"A quaking aspen temporary flooded forest alliance occurs along Harmon
Gulch.
This community type is dominated by quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
and has a relatively closed canopy. Common understory species include
native shrubs such
as willow (Salix sp.) (Rubus idaeus ssp. melanolasius),
Wood's
rose (Rosa woodsii), and wax
currant (Ribes cereum)."
THE CITY OF BOULDER
Boulder is one of the highest-rated
cities in the United States for life-style, and the surrounding area
as one of the best regions for out-door activities in the world. The
Boulder Mountain Park, which adjoins the property, and the nearby
Walker Ranch trails provide wonderful hiking and wildlife viewing.
The Chautauqua Park is a local walking and cultural center with a
national reputation for the quality of its events. Boulder is noted
for is music and its healthy living. The Flagstaff Restaurant, one of
the nations finest, is the closest eating establishment to the
property and is a short 8 miles from the front door. The wine list at
this restaurant is exceptional and the chef has satisfied the palate
of the Emperor of Japan amongst other dignitaries.
It is impossible to list the value of living close to the city of
Boulder,
we can only suggest reading the numerous articles on 'the best areas
in the United States to live' that have been presented over the
decades: Boulder regularly ranks high on these lists and in
some areas at the very top.
Thank you for visiting www.BisonEstate.com
Please view the following short video for a quick
summary of 800, Bison Drive.
