Continental Divide House

Continental Divide House transforms a dated 1980s structure into a luminous, landscape-focused home. Expansive windows, reimagined spaces, and a dramatic exterior renewal create a modern retreat that celebrates panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the rolling hills below..  

 

Designing for the Views (The Issue)

Built in the 1980s, the existing builder-grade house did little to celebrate the remarkable landscape around it. Its architecture turned inward, limiting views and discouraging natural light from reaching the interior. Spaces felt closed-off and disconnected from the surrounding hills and mountains, missing the opportunity to frame nature as a daily experience.

 

Inviting the Mountains In (Client’s Request)

The homeowners wanted to transform the outdated structure into a home that lived in harmony with its setting. Their request was clear: open up the house and maximize its relationship with nature. They envisioned a space that felt bright and expansive, where every movement through the home offered a view outward and a connection to the landscape beyond.

 

Life Among the Views (Our Solution)

We began by welcoming the landscape back into the home. A new soaring roof over the entry draws in southern light and signals a refreshed architectural language. Inside, the main living area is reoriented to the views, with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the rolling hills and open directly onto an enlarged deck — a seamless extension of the living space into nature.

Upstairs, rooms were reconfigured to include a generous bank of windows capturing distant vistas to the north and west. In the primary suite, a new walk-in closet, private office, and spa-like bath with a soaking tub overlooking the southern hills elevate daily living.

A gracious turn-back stair leads to a rejuvenated lower level, where a new bedroom and enlarged windows bring the outside in. The exterior transformation is completed with a deep charcoal brick stain and a rich mix of stained cedar and shou sugi ban siding — a sophisticated palette that grounds the home in its setting while giving it new architectural presence.

The result is a luminous, nature-focused home that embraces the dramatic landscape on all sides — a place where inside and outside flow together and every window invites you to pause and look out over the horizon.