After purchasing a ten acre wooded lot overlooking Beaverdam Creek outside of Middleburg, Virginia, our clients met with us about building their dream home. Their vision was of a large timber frame home which would blend with and take advantage of the beautiful setting. Working with building plans from Architect Tim Diener of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and with selection and kitchen design assistance from Interior Designer Cathleen Gruver, M.A., Gruver Cooley helped the owners fulfill their dream.
The Douglas fir timber frame is the dominant architectural theme of the house, with hand framed mortised and pegged trusses, tongue and groove pine ceilings in the great room and hallway and expansive windows to enhance the front and rear views. To personalize the framing, one beam was engraved with a Biblical verse which has a special meaning to the couple. Pulley style, custom paddle fans from Colorado were installed in this area, along with Italian oak flooring, stained pine doors, simple stained trim and a two story, double faced stone fireplace to create a rustic feeling. The adjacent kitchen features a leathered granite counter with an irregular hand-chipped edge, custom tiles, a Blue Star gas range, oil rubbed bronze fixtures and a tiled dog shower in the nearby mud room.
Field-built custom open-riser stairs from reclaimed oak beams lead from the great room to a second floor home office, which overlooks the great room. The second floor also features two guest bedrooms with in-suite baths. Guests can also be accommodated in the walk-out lower level where a finished suite allows for apartment style living, and a larger bunk room can handle visiting grandchildren and extended family.
In addition to offering comfortable rustic elegance, the home is ADA compliant. It includes an elevator, three foot wide doors and a first floor master bedroom with a large curb-less shower stall.
The low maintenance exterior of the home stays true to the timber frame theme of the interior. The Douglas fir beams are carried into the exterior, which has ColorPlus Hardiplank siding with stone accents. Anderson high efficiency clad casement windows were used along with structural insulated sheathing to reduce energy costs. A breezeway connects the home to a three bay carport, which is next to a multifunction barn. The barn structure, built by an Amish subcontractor, has a loft and provides ample space for a welding hobby, ATV and other storage.
At the completion of this highly customized project the happy owners wrote, "Chip Gruver was continuously available for questions and details and communicated frequently. Cathleen Gruver was most helpful during the lengthy selection process. Mike Reid, the Superintendent, was available every day to oversee each step. He asked many questions to verify our preferences and always made sure we were included in the smallest of details. The entire process was expertly supervised on a daily basis ensuring timeliness and efficiency. Choosing Gruver Cooley to build our home was the best decision we have ever made."
