When the owners of this home were looking for a spot to ultimately settle down in Steamboat Springs, they knew they wanted to be in Old Town. The cozy 1,300-square-foot cottage had good bones, but needed a lot of TLC. It was dark and cramped – and happened to be inhabited by five young ski bums who preferred sleeping bags to beds at the time the owners embarked on their remodel.

To start, they removed an old narrow stairway and added a master bedroom and bath. They blew out a few walls to open the floor plan, leveled the floors, and added new windows. Making an exterior alteration that dramatically enhanced the interior atmosphere, a new dormer not only created room for the master bedroom, but allowed for better light and views, and transformed the space into a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home. The kitchen got an overhaul along with a new mudroom, and the wiring and plumbing made a leap to modern standards. The cottage got new hardwood floors on the main level, but original pine floors were left in place upstairs. Local carpenters used as much of the existing woodwork as possible, then matched the historic profiles where they had to replace any trim. They also managed to keep all of the original stained glass in place. Outside, they installed a lot of new siding, re-built the front porch and put on a new layer of barn-red paint with white trim, keeping the old farmhouse theme intact.

On the property were two crumbling out buildings which were in such sad shape they could not be saved. In their place, the owners gained an office and a two-car garage. Situated together, the buildings form a small, intimate compound surrounding the cozy red cottage.

Architect & General Contractor
Jonathan Faulkner, JFA Architects

Photography
Rod Hanna