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2006 Best in American Living Awards

Custom Builder Magazine presents the winners of the 2006 Best in American Living Awards.

March 1, 2007
10 min read


Old World Architecture

BEST IN SOUTH CENTRAL REGION & GOLD AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND SPEC-BUILT HOME

Recalling the classical and old-world-inspired architecture of Texas, this custom home also draws upon modern features and openness. The interior and exterior feature traditional Texas styling complemented with straight corners, large massing and clean window and door designs.

The indoor and outdoor space carry through with the classical and old-world theme. A spherical fountain defines the main entry, representing the classic design. The outdoor living area displays a negative-edge pool with a water feature to further unify the classic influences.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: 9101 Camelback Drive, Seven Oaks Parade Home

Location: Austin, Texas

Designer/Architect: Jauregui Architecture Interiors Construction, Austin, Texas

Builder: Jauregui Architecture Interiors Construction, Austin, Texas

Interior Designer: Jauregui Architecture Interiors Construction, Austin, Texas

Coastal Custom

BEST IN SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION & GOLD AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOME

Located on Wadmalaw Island, this one-story custom home takes advantage of views and breezes from every room. The architect used traditional materials such as a copper roof; tumbled brick for the foundation piers, landscaping walls and chimney; and mahogany exterior doors. Wide porches, a gable-end roof and exposed rafter tails add to the rustic cottage design.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) up to and including 4,000 square feet

Project Name: Middleton Residence

Location: Wadmalaw Island, S.C.

Designer/Architect: Stephen Herlong & Associates Architects, Isle of Palms, S.C.

Builder: Phillip W. Smith, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Interior Designer: Designs Three, John's Island, S.C

Mountain Peninsula Home

BEST IN MOUNTAIN REGION & PLATINUM AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOME

This Montana-based second home was custom-built to reflect its natural surroundings. Extensive stone masonry connects the building to the site. Recycled wood timbers complement the stone to provide a sense of scale to the interior and exterior of the home.

The main entrance leads up to the house with detailed recycled timber trusses, which continue throughout the gathering spaces of the entire home. A combination of old-world plaster, wood and stone add warmth, color and comfort to the interior spaces.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: Spano Residence

Location: Big Sky, Mont.

Designer/Architect: Locati Architects, Bozeman, Mont.

Builder: Schlauch Bottcher Construction, Bozeman, Mont.

Interior Designer: Locati Interiors, Bozeman, Mont.

Developer: The Yellowstone Club, Big Sky, Mont.

Land Planner: The Yellowstone Club, Big Sky, Mont.

Shingle-Style Home

BEST IN MIDWEST REGION & GOLD AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM-BUILT HOME

This custom home represents a modern version of a 1920s shingle-style home. The composite slate roof, cement fiberboard shake siding and color clad windows make the exterior stand out amid the Midwestern landscape.

The interior has custom touches including a hand-crafted mahogany railed grand staircase, paneled walls and Brazilian cherry floors. A hideaway bookcase passage leads to the secret reading retreat. The kitchen features wide-beamed ceilings, hand-hewn Brazilian cherry flooring, hand-glazed tile and a large center island.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom-Built Home 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: Old Lake Court Residence

Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.

Designer/Architect: Visbeen Associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Builder: DeHaan Builders, Caledonia, Mich.

Interior Designer: Visbeen Associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Developer: Visbeen Associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Land Planner: Visbeen Associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Green Luxury Lodge

BEST IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The Built Green Home demonstrates a luxury lodge with the latest in energy-efficient technology. Built in Suncadia, a four-season resort community, this custom-built home comes equipped with durable, sustainable and low-maintenance materials. The house also demonstrates green building in a natural setting.

The builder recycled all construction waste. Insulated concrete forms and metal roofing helped cut down on the amount of raw lumber used. The use of pre-finished shingles and flooring reduced the amount of toxic chemicals released into the home.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) up to and Including 4,000 square feet

Project Name: The Built Green Home at Suncadia

Location: Cle Elum, Wash.

Designer/Architect: Richard Fisher Architects, Seattle

Builder: CMI Homes, Bellevue, Wash.

Small House, Big Idea

PLATINUM AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOME & HOME OF THE YEAR

A Tuscan-inspired custom home set in a Napa hillside, the Rivera Stone House extols the virtues of outdoor living. At 1,200 square feet, the home was to be used as a guest house amid a 65-acre vineyard; however, the owners felt the home was so delightful they put off plans to build a bigger home on the property.

The house was designed to look like a generational Tuscan home with intersecting additions and acute angles. Shed roofs and walls intersect at unique spots giving the roof an almost haphazard effect.

Perhaps no other feature makes this house feel more like a home than the large stone fireplace that serves as the focal point of the 300-square foot outdoor space. One needn't step inside the structure to feel at home; the outdoor living space feels equally comforting — a telltale sign of true outdoor living.

Category: Best One-of-A-Kind Custom Home up to and including 4,000 square feet

Project Name: Rivera Stone House

Location: Napa, Calif.

Designer/Architect: Dahlin Group Architecture Planning, Pleasanton, Calif.

Builder/Developer: Grassi Construction, Napa, Calif.

Interior Designer: Dahlin Group Architecture Planning, Pleasanton, Calif.

Square Footage: 1,200

Family Focus

PLATINUM AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOME

This custom-built second home in Scottsdale, Ariz., needed to accommodate a very large family, so a split plan became the solution. The master wing houses a master retreat consisting of a bedroom and sitting area. The guest wing contains three suites designed to sleep 10 family members. A living room/theater area and in-home gym reside in the guest living area.

Surrounding exterior views include the community golf course, mountain range and city lights. A huge rock outcropping provides a pool and spa area as well as comfortable outdoor living space for the entire family year-round.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: Private Residence

Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Designer/Architect: Urban Design Associates, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Builder: Manship Builders, Carefree, Ariz.

Interior Designer: Bess Jones Interiors, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Coastal Craftsman

PLATINUM AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOME

This custom-built second-home retreat near the emerald shores of Panama City Beach, Fla., caters to move-up buyers, empty nesters and families seeking a vacation home. Architect Bill Foley created the bungalow-style home with a Coastal Craftsman vision by taking key elements that shaped the Arts & Crafts movement and placing them within the home.

Exterior natural earth tones of cedar, brick and stone mix with authentic eave brackets, muntined windows, tapered columns and covered porches. Local craftsmen designed custom interiors with placement of cherry woodwork, chestnut floors, art-glass room separators and custom built-ins found throughout the home. A barrel-vaulted ceiling extends across the main living room to the entry porch, highlighting the open floor plan.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: Oak Cottage

Location: Panama City Beach, Fla.

Designer/Architect: Foley Design Associates, Architects, East Point, Ga.

Builder: Group VI Corp., Peachtree City, Ga.

Interior Designer: Foley Design Associates, Architects, East Point, Ga.

Developer: Medallist Development & Hillman Properties, Jupiter, Fla.

Land Planner: Foley Design Associates, Architects, East Point, Ga.

Victorian Beauty

PLATINUM AWARD FOR BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND SPEC HOME

The design of this spec-built Victorian farmhouse, located in a master-planned golf course community, is for multiple generations living together. The entry hall opens to the dining room, creating the feeling of an older home. A multi-purpose room serves as the center hub, located between the kitchen, dining room and laundry room.

In the quiet zone of the house resides the master bedroom, which is accessible to the back courtyard through his-and-her closets of the master bedroom; an early-rising spouse can leave quietly while the rest of the house sleeps. The guest room offers a private kitchenette, separate sitting area and storage space for the multi-generational family.

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home up to and including 4,000 square feet

Project Name: Kinsley Place

Location: DeLand, Fla.

Designer/Architect: Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, Memphis, Tenn.

Builder: The St. Joe Company, DeLand, Fla.

Interior Designer: Brooks Interior Design, Maitland, Fla.

Developer: The St. Joe Company, DeLand, Fla.

Land Planner: Glatting Jackson, Orlando, Fla.

 
Gold for Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: Reality House

Location: Artisan Park, Celebration, Fla.

Designer/Architect: Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, Memphis, Tenn.

Builder: Issa Homes, Celebration, Fla.

Interior Designer: The Interiors Group, Boca Raton, Fla.

Land Planner: Cooper Robertson & Partners, New York

Gold for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: Jamie's Place

Location: Sullivan's Island, S.C.

Designer/Architect: Stephen Herlong & Associates, Isle of Palms, S.C.

Builder: Buffington Homes L.P., Charleston, S.C.

Interior Designer: Daniel Island Designs, Charleston, S.C.

Land Planner: Kelly Messier ASLA, Sullivan's Island, S.C.

Gold for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client), 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: 3635 N. Bosworth Single-Family Home

Location: Chicago

Designer/Architect: Raino Ogden Architects, Chicago

Builder: Vertex Properties, Chicago

Developer: Vertex Properties, Chicago

Land Planner: Vertex Properties, Chicago

Gold for Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: HomeArama 2006

Location: Charlotte, N.C.

Designer/Architect: Carolina Design Group, Cornelius, N.C.

Builder: Provident Homes, Charlotte, N.C.

Interior Designer: Durham Designs & Consulting, Huntersville, N.C.

Developer: Crescent Communities, Charlotte, N.C.

Land Planner: Crescent Communities, Charlotte, N.C.

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) up to and including 4,000 square feet

Project Name: LivingHomes Model Home

Location: Santa Monica, Calif.

Designer/Architect: Ray Kappe Architects, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Builder: LivingHomes, Santa Monica, Calif.

Interior Designer: Heidi Toll Design, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Land Planner: Ray Kappe Architects, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: Private Residence

Location: Castle Rock, Colo.

Designer/Architect: Knudson Gloss Architects, Boulder, Colo.

Builder: Gray Construction, Castle Rock, Colo.

Interior Designer: Image Design Partnership

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: 19 Saratoga Farm Road

Location: Malta, N.Y.

Designer/Architect: Witt Construction, Saratoga, N.Y.

Builder: Witt Construction, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Interior Designer: Dorwin Dawson Associates, Clifton Park, N.Y.

Developer: Witt Construction, Saratoga, N.Y.

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: Chatham House

Location: Woodinville, Wash.

Designer/Architect: Architects Northwest, Woodinville, Wash.

Builder: Parmenter Homes, Woodinville, Wash.

Interior Designer: Ethan Allen Home Interiors, Redmond, Wash.

Developer: Parmenter Homes, Woodinville, Wash.

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (Built for a Client) 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: Russell Ranch

Location: Jupiter, Fla.

Designer/Architect: Kelly and Kelly Architects, Stuart, Fla.

Builder: Simmons Building Corp., Jupiter, Fla.

Interior Designer: Simmons and Saray Interiors Group, Jupiter, Fla.

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home 4,001 to 6,500 square feet

Project Name: Underwood

Location: Chevy Chase, Md.

Designer/Architect: GTM Architects, Bethesda, Md.

Builder: Block Builders, Bethesda, Md.

Silver for Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home

Category: Best One-of-a-Kind Spec-Built Home 6,501 square feet and over

Project Name: The Sanctuary

Location: Charlotte, N.C.

Designer/Architect: Carolina Design Group, Cornelius, N.C.

Builder: Dienst Custom Homes, Cornelius, N.C.

Interior Designer: Homestyles, Cornelius, N.C.

Developer: Crescent Resources, Charlotte, N.C.

Land Planner: Oldham Planning and Design, Charlotte, N.C.

About the Author

Laura Butalla, Senior Editor

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