Antler 1

This house contains 2700 heated square footage with an exterior breezeway that provides shelter from wind, rain, or snow and that also connects a detached double car garage. The exterior finish is synthetic stucco with an IB membrane roof that is continuous and covers the entire roof area within the parapet walls of this "Santa Fe" style house. Many believe that a "flat roof" may become faulty or is not as weatherproof as typical roofs; however with proper installation, the stucco overlaps the IB roofing creating a fully protected and weatherized roof system. The "Santa Fe" style roof in this house actually has a 2/12 pitch within the parapet walls that channel the rainwater into roof "scuppers" or spouts that allow the water to exit the roof. The IB membrane roofing carries a transferable warranty from a highly reputable and statewide roofing contractor allowing any home owner to rest assured. This "Santa Fe" style was chosen for my family simply because we liked the look and wanted to recreate the old southwestern adobe homes.

The windows in the house are wood, stained and applied with multiple coats of polyurethane, chosen for insulation quality and aesthetics. We installed many windows throughout this house and wanted them to be user friendly; easy to open, shut, and clean; and we wanted them to match the red stained glass exterior doors along with the main theme of our home. These windows come in a variety of colors and finishes making them distinctive and unproblematic for matching a variety of different color schemes. These windows are all double hung, casement, or fixed throughout the house.

A terra cotta tiled "lean-to" roof covers the main entrance, finished with tongue and groove wood-ceilings, that provides shade from the sun and shelter from seasonal weather that touches this beautiful mountainous terrain. The deck floor is finished with redwood and Feeney steel cable rails for unobstructed views of sunsets, native flowers, and Ruidoso wildlife or for watching our children play in the yard. Two additional decks exist off the master bedroom and living room for easy access to the outdoors and family activities. The deck from the living room ran the entire length of the living room. It provided access to the front of the house and to the garage as well as the common area we typically used for barbeques, the trampoline, and family games.

The master bedroom deck is quaint, 15 feet from the backyard's meandering creek and perfect serenity for evenings alone when the kids were asleep, with a glass of wine. The living room and kitchen contain 12' ceilings and faux painted walls with a clear acrylic finish that adds a lustrous sheen. The high ceilings provided the possibility of additional high set windows, flooding our home with natural light, allowing us to view the birds fly by, the beautiful colors of the ever changing skies, along with the moon and stars at night. The main living area, dining, and kitchen floors are finished with 3/4" red oak flooring, chosen for beauty and ease of cleaning and maintenance for our family. They are finished with three coats of polyurethane for a high gloss finish and stain resistance. A wood burning fireplace in the living room contains a rock veneer and hearth along with a 6"x12" custom cedar mantle, stained with our choice of color. The hearth was built large enough for us to sit by the fire, roasting marshmallows together after dinner. The kitchen has multiple faux painted surfaces and custom ceiling framework to create indirect lighting. A custom faux accent exists around the kitchen ceiling, providing contrast and color, with other finishing details consisting of 3 cm granite harvested from the forests of Brazil, custom maple cabinetry with a dark glaze and stain, and a custom tile backsplash in the kitchen. This house includes a formal dining room for family meals and entertaining along with an informal breakfast area and bar for light conversation and meals on the go. The bathrooms contain tile flooring, 3 cm granite countertops, under mount porcelain sinks, Delta Victorian style oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, Jacuzzi tub in the master, cast-iron tubs in the guest rooms, with custom wall tile, and a tiled master shower.

The laundry and mud room contains a deep sink with a pull-down spray faucet and granite countertops for quick stops when children enter the house with muddy feet and dirty hands. This area allowed us to contain messes without trailing it throughout the house. The bedrooms have carpet flooring, solid-core interior pine doors, and custom closet work which made organization a snap. The closets had several shoe boxes, high shelves for sweaters or blankets, many clothing rods for hanging, and longer shelving from floor to ceiling for everyday items. This home is comfortable, open, full of light, cozy, and perfect for entertaining and family gatherings. We moved from this home in 2007, selling it to a second growing family that ultimately enjoyed this home as much as we did.