Secluded in the forested mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, Fairview Oasis offers a contemporary, globally inspired, hospitality-driven residential retreat. Blending expansive, seamless indoor-outdoor living, the home serves dual purposes: a private space to reflect, and a gathering place to entertain friends.
The homeowner collaborated with Shamburger Architectural Group and Bluestone Construction to reinvent an existing, traditionally designed home into a uniquely personal, modern estate. Nearly doubling the living space from 6,300 to 11,000 square feet, the renovation team opened up the home's mountain-facing side with Kolbe's Ultra Series windows and doors to capture outdoor views from almost every room.
"The home's design reflects the various destinations the owner has found intriguing," observed Kevin Reed, luxury homebuilder and owner of Bluestone Construction. "Drawing inspiration from resorts in New York, Croatia and Denmark, we were able to take their vision and create a home that features many architecturally unique concepts suited to displaying various pieces of art they have collected throughout their travels," he adds.
The new owner… wanted a modern, industrial-inspired look… with clean lines and a lot more openness. The new Kolbe windows and doors were a big part of that change.
"Good design is a unique synthesis of client input, site to climate details, and an understanding of structure, materials, space and light," added Wayland Shamburger, president and namesake of Shamburger Architectural Group. The firm specializes in high-end custom residential creations that provide comfort, give security, and foster the idea of renewal and conservation.
"Working from the inside out and in response to the client, I develop and nurture the growth of an idea, the site and surroundings. The completed design is the culmination of the clients' dreams and desires," stated Shamburger. "In essence, it is a portrait of the client and results in comfortable spaces that reinforce its owners' values. Each project is designed so that clients can settle effortlessly into their retreat, entertain their guests, enjoy their families, and allow for a time and place for private moments together."
Renovating this home to include resort-style amenities allows for entertaining and relaxing without the need to leave. The gourmet-quality indoor kitchen is paired with a catering-quality outdoor grill zone. Guests are invited to spend the night and make use of the indoor spa and steam room, and the outdoor infinity pool and hot tub.
Bridging these entertainment spaces, a massive Kolbe TerraSpan® lift & slide door opens onto generously sized, covered decks overlooking the 23-acre lot. Entire walls seem nearly transparent with the vast expanses of glass from multiple windows and doors. The home's flowing floorplan and high ceilings accentuate the boundless, airy interior.
Floor-to-ceiling windows span the home's private spaces. Daylight and views of the mountains can be enjoyed from bed, soaking tubs, and even the walk-in closet.
The entirely new lower-level expansion serves as an entertainment area with a top-shelf bar, billiards room, theater screening room and private art gallery. Artwork and artifacts reminiscent of the owner's travels are displayed throughout the residence.
"Great design doesn't just happen," emphasized Reed. "It's a product of work, thought and exploration. Our part was to take these ideas and actually build them."
Shamburger acknowledged that, "The new owner had a very different approach and a very definitive idea for changing the whole look of the house. He wanted a modern, industrial-inspired look. He preferred a style with clean lines and a lot more openness. The new Kolbe windows and doors were a big part of that change."
As the architect on the original home, Shamburger understood the scope of this change better than anyone. He explained that the previous owner was a professional golfer and his wife preferred a mountain lodge-meets-Tuscan villa style.
"The original home was much more closed in with smaller rooms," said Reed. Reflecting the new homeowner's vision, he added, "The driving force behind our work was creating a home that captured the look and feel of faraway places in an attempt to replicate their travels. The design was once described by the owner as ‘industrial chic meets cabaret glamour.'"
Shamburger elaborated on how the team helped accomplish this vision: "We removed almost all of the identifiers of the original design. We changed the exterior stone, siding and finishes. We removed many interior walls and installed steel beams to carry loads, giving it the contemporary, industrial look the owner wanted. We eliminated the rustic stone interior finishes, and replaced the arched windows and their heavy wood trim. The arched windows dated the house. We went with all square and rectangular windows."
"When we began, we talked about replacing two windows with larger units on the mountain-view side of the home," remembered Shamburger. "We ended up replacing and enlarging almost all of the windows to give it that clean-lined, low-profile, sleek look."
Most notably, three 8-foot-tall French doors and arched transoms were replaced with rectangular clerestory windows above a 4-panel lift & slide door that opened up the entire living room wall.
Working together, the architect and builder ensured a uniform appearance across the dozens of fixed, awning and casement windows, and swinging, sliding and lift & slide doors. The products' quality construction and insulated glass support the home's climate, code and performance requirements for wind and solar heat gain. For added convenience, the glass on the new windows and doors also features a special Neat+™ coating that harnesses the sun's UV rays to loosen dirt so water can rinse it away, leaving windows cleaner, longer.
Completed in 2019, the total renovation costs are estimated at $4+ million. "This project was a complete transformation, both structurally and cosmetically. I wouldn't call it a once-in-a-lifetime project, but it's rare to have such an unlimited client," summarized Reed. Honoring this transformational project, the home has earned three 2019 Star Awards from the North Carolina Home Builders Association.
"Assembling both a great design and construction team was the fundamental reason for the success of this project," praised Reed. "Working collaboratively with the architects, as well as the construction team, allowed us to solve the design and construction challenges (of which there were many) with minimal setbacks to the overall timeline and vision."
…it's a pretty awesome feeling to open the lift & slide door, stand on the deck, and take it all in.
"The end result is a home that is comfortable, easy to maintain, yet inspirational. Most importantly, we created an environment where the owner feels he has a place of privacy and seclusion, yet can entertain groups of friends and family of almost any size," Reed concluded. "And, it's a pretty awesome feeling to open the lift & slide door, stand on the deck, and take it all in."