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Beyond Common Written on October 25, 2010, by admin.

The average house would not be buildable, sustainable, or maintainable at 10,000 feet elevation. Take into consideration the climatic issues of extreme winter cold & 8-10 feet of snow, and summer high-mountain ultraviolet, and it would not be livable by modern standards. The New York

Lode is not the average house. The stunning Aspen, Colorado setting also demanded a stunning and luxurious home. All of these issues were taken into account during the design and construction of the New York Lode. The result is a durable, comfortable, beautiful and luxurious home, 25 minutes from Aspen, Colorado, and set in the heart of the White River National Forest. This vacation retreat offers a vast wilderness of recreation in a pristine & private location, with top-of-the-world Rocky Mountain views. All of this in a house that comes with it’s own utilities. It makes it’s own power, heat, water, septic, fire suppression, security and telecommunications. Please visit the New York Lode website to learn more.

Timber Frame Journey Written on July 23, 2010, by admin.

The roof snow loads are 125 lbs./square foot and the wind loads are so dramatic at 10,000 ft. elevation you need to design a structure like a bomb shelter. That’s what we did. The engineering told us we needed massive columns and beams, as big as 8 x 20 inches. We wanted the wood species to be Douglas Fir, and we wanted it to be what is called “standing dead”. We didn’t want to cut down live trees, and dead can sometimes be stronger than newly cut timber. Standing dead trees are dryer than live, and a fallen tree can have rot from lying on the ground. Well, right off the bat we couldn’t find the particular timbers here in Colorado or even in the western U.S. But, we did find them in British Columbia. Really nice family from Switzerland operating a timber business in Canada. We emailed them drawings. They came back with a price, and we were in business. NAFTA regulations created an issue, they prevented us from importing raw, undressed timber from Canada. So, the raw timber would have to be dressed, turned into posts and beams, and pre-assembled to make sure each piece fit together. A job made more difficult for two reasons; the designers were 1,300 miles from the fabricators, and no two pieces are the same in this contemporary structure. Digital coordination of drawings and ideas saved the day. The timber folks milled all the material, fashioned all the joints and pre-assembled the frame in a big shed, sent us photos, we approved, and they packed it up on trailers.

Meanwhile, we are nervously waiting because the short construction season on top of the mountain was about to end. The call finally came, the truck drivers had arrived at the bottom of the mountain. Now the job was to haul the timbers, one by one, up the three miles of mountain road. We had staged a crane small enough to navigate the road, but big enough to lift the heaviest timber, and erection started. One day it was sunny and warm, the next a blizzard. But, each piece fit beautifully and in no time we were installing the roof and wall panels. So, someday in the distant future, a scientist might try to match the DNA of one of these beams to that of a Douglas Fir that once lived in Colorado, and discover these are Canadian timbers instead. Quite the journey.

Snowcapped Mountain Views Written on July 6, 2010, by admin.

Located on the sunny side of Aspen Mountain at an elevation of 10,000 feet, New York Lode is pristine, secluded, and rugged, yet only minutes away from downtown Aspen. Forested with Fir, Spruce and Aspen, the historic mining property is entirely surrounded on all sides by the White River National Forest and commands expansive views of Castle Creek and Conundrum Valley. Snowcapped mountains — Hayden, Keefe, and Hunter Peaks, together with the Highlands Ski area serve as the bookends to the valleys below.

Legally described as New York Lode – MS 1608, the property is a former patented mining claim. The Midnight Mine Road and a .7 mile private drive provide access to the Lode. In winter, as with other secluded properties in the area, snowcat and snowmobile access is preferred. Winter access to downtown Aspen can also be by a 15-minute snowmobile ride to the mountaintop gondola and directly into town. The property can easily accommodate a helicopter landing site. Flying in for your vacation retreat? The Pitkin County Airport is just five miles away from this luxury lodge.

Ultimate Gateway or Ultimate Getaway Written on July 2, 2010, by admin.

Imagine a private lodge tucked away on top of a mountain, without another house in sight. Imagine a garage full of recreational toys - skis, snowmobiles, ATV’s, dirt bikes, etc. Now think of miles of trails and thousands of acres of National Forest. Now dream of hunting and fishing if that’s your thing. Sounds remote? Feels remote, but it is not. Five miles to the Aspen airport and six miles to downtown shopping and dining. By the way, ski-in from the famous Aspen Sundeck. And, if none of this is your thing, it is certified heaven for the hardcore recluse.

History of the New York Lode Written on June 29, 2010, by admin.

“We read the story of man etched in mountain roads across mountainsides, in mine tunnels plumbing the depths of the earth, and in forlorn ghost towns that echo the voices of the past.” Paul Andersen, Aspen’s Rugged Splendor

Mining Heritage

All places have their unique histories. While New York Lode is valued today for its pristine seclusion and awe-inspiring setting, it was once coveted for the tantalizing prospect of riches. The history of New York Lode is inextricably linked to that of Aspen and its mining heritage. The Lode’s official address is 2000 Midnight Mine Road. The 9.5 acre property sits at the head of a .75 mile private driveway that takes off from the Midnight Mine Road on what is popularly known as “the back side” of Aspen Mountain. The Midnight Mine Road’s namesake is the “Midnight Mine”, which boasted a longer history than most Aspen mines. First patented as a mining claim in 1883, the Midnight Mine produced silver, lead and zinc through the 1960s. At the height of its seven decades of operation, it employed 60 men and produced 100 tons of ore daily. Traces of the mine can be found below Richmond Ridge in what is known today as Little Annie Basin. New York Lode itself also originated as a patented mineral claim during Aspen’s mining heydays. But, while most of the hundreds of claims that once existed on Aspen Mountain have reverted to U.S. Forest Service ownership, New York Lode survived as private land.

The New York Lode project got underway in 1996 with the vesting of entitlements. In Pitkin County, Colorado, as in other beautiful places that deserve protection, this is an arduous task. Vesting was completed in 2004. Partnering with Eagle County in 1994, Pitkin County traded 267 patented mining claims, many of which surrounded the Lode, to the U.S. Forest Service for the 125-acre tree farm near El Jebel. The counties had obtained the mining claims for non-payment of property taxes. The Lode, with its taxes always paid, is now surrounded by the White River National Forest. Pitkin County later realized a number of large homes could still be developed in the high reaches of Aspen Mountain. Undertaking a “down-zoning” process to safeguard its remote mountain areas from inappropriate, large home development, the county down-zoned the right to build a 5,000-square-foot house to a 1,000-square-foot “cabin”. The 4,800-square-foot Lode is the only project permitted prior to the down-zoning and thus was exempt. It remains one of a handful of larger homes on the mountain.

“Ethics aside, the pioneers of Aspen were heroic. Their decisive actions and risk-laden adventures forged communities in the wilderness. They stopped at nothing — neither privation nor personal risk — to seek their fortunes on the American frontier.” Paul Andersen, Aspen’s Rugged Splendor

Respectful of History

Adventurers and settlers alike often named their new homes for those they had left behind. No one recalls the origin of “New York” in New York Lode, but even today it conjures up superlatives. Mining claims fall into two broad categories—“lode” or “placer”. Deposits subject to lode claims include classic veins or “lodes” having well-defined boundaries or broad zones of mineralized rock. Mineral deposits subject to placer claims include deposits of unconsolidated materials, such as sand and gravel, containing free gold or other minerals, and many nonmetallic deposits such as gypsum and high calcium limestone. Respecting its history, New York Lode has retained its name.

“We are urban people. We make periodic pilgrimages to the country . . . If we align ourselves with the spirit of place we will find humility fused with joy. The land holds stories.” Terry Tempest Williams, Pieces of White Shell

Architects of the New York Lode Written on June 24, 2010, by admin.

Sundesigns Architects, PC

With over 700 projects, Sundesigns Architects, PC has been practicing architecture in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1972. We specialize in design that is sensitive to the specific site and its surroundings. Our individual clients and their goals, dreams, and budgets, drive the design process.  No two designs are alike.

Our clients can attest to their integral and pleasurable involvement in the process. Our design and production tools include computer imaging and modeling. Our clients view and walk through 3-dimensional concepts long before finalization. Services can be limited to design and construction documents or can be augmented with construction administration, interior design, landscape design, and land planning.

Our tenure in western Colorado assures our clients the best in construction systems and techniques, energy conservation systems, and knowledge of local construction and contracting methods. Our document and specification formats have been finely tuned to optimize construction industry performance. This translates to cost effective architecture without reducing quality.

Of possible interest to some prospective clients: ENERGY CONSERVATION – We are well experienced in commercial and residential applications of geothermal systems using ground source heat pumps. This, linked with our 38 years of passive solar design achieves maximum energy savings and also makes possible remote, off-grid projects. AESTHETICS – Our Integration of green, sustainable technology does not compromise comfort and style. Be it mountain eclectic, contemporary or modern, earth friendly and energy saving strategies are implemented seamlessly into your design. RESALE – The residences we have designed over the years that have been placed on the market consistently sell for nearly double their original construction cost.

The experiences of the team members at Sundesigns give us a rich blend of traditional architectural processes combined with state-of-the-art design and production technology. Many projects begin with loose, hand drawn sketches where conceptual thought originates and many variations are studied. Once an optimal solution begins to emerge, a project is moved to the computer where it is modeled, designed, and developed on ARCHICAD, a comprehensive design and drafting software that is fully compatible with all other .dwg and .dxf based software programs.

Dean K. Moffatt, AIA, Owner, Principal

University of California at Berkeley, Bachelor of Architecture, 1966
(Colorado License B-1186)
Certified GeoExchange Designer, 2007.
Dean has 43 years of experience in design, planning, construction and project administration.  He has worked internationally and has now focused his practice on projects in western Colorado.  He is knowledgeable with all aspects of the built environment. Dean has been engaged in renewable and sustainable technologies since the early 70’s.

Randall J. Henrie, Architect

University of New Mexico, Master of Architecture, 1996
(Colorado License 203431)
L.E.E.D. Accredited, 2007.
Randy was born and raised in western Colorado and enrolled in architecture school after a four year enlistment in the military.  He has 18 years of diverse experience in design, project coordination, construction document production, site analysis and construction administration. Randy has worked on multiple project types that include: healthcare, recreation, hospitality, religious, detention, retail, manufacturing and residential architecture.  He is one of the lead designers at SDA and heads up the CAD services.

Superior Insulation Written on June 21, 2010, by admin.

Staying warm high on a mountain with no utilities of any kind can be a challenge. How do you achieve reliable, perfect comfort in a home when it is a winter wonderland outside, with literally tons of snow? You do the same thing for a home that you would do for yourself, start with wrapping up in a high quality superior insulation. The structure is heavy timber. The coat is a high R-value structural insulated panel system (SIPs). SIPs are typically a sandwich of rigid foam plastic insulation between two structural panels of oriented strand board (OSB). They are manufactured under factory controlled conditions and often custom designed for each home. Both the timber skeleton and the SIP walls and roof of this home were pre-made off site and shipped in ready for assembly. The result is a building system that is extremely strong, high R-value, low air infiltration, and cost effective. The glass can’t be ordinary either. For this job the kind of curtain wall system common to skyscrapers was used. Thick, coated and tinted, double wall glass filled with argon gas. It lets sunny thermal gain inside to heat up concrete and masonry floors, but won’t let heat back out. Lastly, the earth is used to heat this house via a ground source heat pump system. Reliable heat from mother earth and the sun, and a warm coat to hold it all in.

Tradition Meets Modern Written on June 18, 2010, by admin.

Dramatic contemporary architecture and a timber frame inspired by local mine shafts, nestled into the top of the mountain; all overlaid with a warm and rich palette of durable materials and colors. This 4,800-square-foot structure includes three bedroom suites clustered around a Great Room featuring a large wood-burning fireplace. Designed for entertaining, the kitchen is an integral part of the Great Room. These living spaces open to a southern deck, terraced patio, and views that look to the far horizon over the top the Colorado Rockies. Interior finishes include stone and travertine masonry, cast concrete counters, heavy timber beamery, and rich woods. Exterior finishes include copper cladding, high performance glazing, stucco, metal roofing, and stone masonry. Additional amenities include lounge areas, a loft, an office/pantry, laundry, and a 2-car garage with additional carport & gear storage rooms.

Retreat Written on June 17, 2010, by admin.

An exquisite setting with no power line strung down the mountain or utility bill in the mail. Many people see this place as the gateway to extreme mountain experiences - skiing, hiking, biking, etc., which it is. But there is something else - pristine seclusion in an awe-inspiring setting. It can be a Zen or spiritual retreat, a wellness or therapy retreat, a corporate or conference retreat, or maybe a meditation retreat. Sitting by the fire looking out or standing on the deck hits you with strong emotions; the same experience as on a high cliff looking at the surf, or on warm sand looking out over Walden Pond. You want to get outside yourself, to cease to think and just be. This is a special place that inspires absolute presence, and gently nudges you to give your ego a rest. This is a retreat with a sense of space that fosters and inspires creativity.

Wildlife Written on June 16, 2010, by admin.

When you are done recreating, or conferencing, or celebrating, you can take a break and hang with the animals. This Aspen home is in the middle of the Rocky Mountain wilderness. The wildlife comes to you. Deer, elk, fox, coyotes, rabbits and an occasional mountain lion or bear. Big birds are everywhere. Eagles, hawks, ravens and crows. Pairs will play and perform acrobatics right in front of you while riding thermal winds from the valley below. It is so quiet that you can hear the flap of a bird’s wings. This house is a sanctuary, a truly introspective getaway, and the flora and fauna will keep you company.

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