No one talks about the specific challenges of building in mountain areas. Not only are the slopes and valleys notoriously cold, but they have very short building seasons, low access to water and water rights, and are remote from the epicenters of construction crews. Thus a build day is short in an already short season. We had a client with dreams of building on the side of a mountain in the Evergreen Estates development near Causey Reservoir in Hunstville, Utah. On our first site visit, which took us up steep unpaved dirt and boulder roads, it became quickly apparent that both the client and we as the architect/designer should completely change our approach. How do you get excavators or concrete trucks up those roads? How do you make sure contractors have adequate vehicles to access the site? And what about water, power, or gas lines? How do the owners even access their home in the winter snow season? You don’t need to wait until you purchase land before having us walk it with you. We can tell you in ten minutes, what it may take owners a year to figure out on their own. And we’re different than just bringing a general contractor with you, because we design. Or if you don’t have a builder, we can bring one with us (our sister company, High Desert Structures). We know mountain sun patterns (how quickly the sun sets next to a mountain!), we know where there will be snow load issues, water runoff and ice problems. We worked with the amazing Mackay Lyons Sweetapple Architects on a project in Eden Utah. Their knowledge runs deep in Nova Scotian specific climate patterns, but being aware of Utah/Rocky Mountain terrain and climate needs was still very much necessary. Almost more important than the architect being aware, is the builder. Many general contractors are based in Salt Lake City and get a very rude awakening when they start building on this rural terrain. We’ve seen crews quit after a couple of weeks because the commuting costs and site management losses were more than potential profits. Further, in heavy snow years, keeping the access ways free of snow can be a 2 hour delay when the light of the build day is short. These are things very few home owners consider when they are hoping for quick turnarounds and Christmas holiday move-ins.

We work with clients throughout Park City and the Ogden Valley, including Powder Haven, Wasatch Peaks, Snowbasin, Nordic Valley and surrounding mountain communities. One of the distinct challenges in these areas is understaffed county permitting agents and local inspectors. Many people think after they buy their luxury mountain property that they’ll be able to start building right away. This is not the case. We have seen permitting take more than 6 months, and this is after you have your construction documents stamped and ready to go. Not to mention distinct architectural details that could slow a project down. For instance, in this project, Weber county had never confronted an overhead glass door in a living space. This required constant back and forth between the county, the door manufacturers, the HVAC contractors, the insulation contractor and the radiant floor installers. Our RESchecks had to close out well above normal homes because of this unique architectural addition.

We help speed things up significantly by lessening unfamiliarity within challenging mountain areas and providing actual construction blueprints. If an architect is on board, they will provide detailed construction documents for the exteriors, but who provides them for the interiors? We do. Every material in a home (think flooring, tile, countertops, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, paint, millwork/cabinetry details, etc) are not only sourced, and detailed, but placed and dimensioned in the actual construction floor plan and elevation blueprints by us. Not every design studio provides this. BEWARE IF THEY DON’T, or you will encounter major headaches.

As a local Utah interior designer we pride ourselves in quick and regular access to difficult sites in the Ogden Valley, can refer local contractors and builders, and provide sources and access to local manufacturers of architectural and design materials. You can see with this project in the Ogden Valley, that 3D models and renders were drafted well before the site location was even staked. We knew almost exactly how the home would look, be positioned and gain solar passivity.

We quicken the construction document phase by providing all of this – blueprints, accurate 3d renders, passive solar and insulation analyses, walk-through floor plan videos and detailed interior call-outs. All of these elements help cut down costs significantly over time. We’re known for these attributes now, but also how to make them aesthetically pleasing architecturally. There’s no disconnect from the beautiful mountain exterior to the warm inviting interiors. Even Architectural Digest noted this about our studio.

And then we come to the interiors. A few decades ago, home owners wanted all of the rustic vibes to go with their ski chalets or mountain cabins. Think, deer antlers and pine forest textiles. But it quickly became kitsch and cliche. Luxury buyers and owners wanted nothing to do with this, thus they turned to architects like Olson Kundig to create incredibly modern architectural masterpieces on the mountain. But now we are seeing another shift. Clients are wanting to bring the cozy warmth of the age old ski chalet back. Instead of antlers they’re thinking rustic hand hewn furnishings juxtaposed against statement modern art pieces. Instead of pine and bear textiles, they’re thinking warm Navajo or old-world patterns and weaves. Robert Redford had it right with his Sundance chic. But now we take it a step beyond, by implementing post-modern sculptural elements, which take the whole look up a notch in high-end luxury design and detail. Architectural Digest is just starting to catch on and we’re definitely here for it! Let us bring these elements to your project. Because when you design on the edge of traditional classic sources (Scandinavian, Swiss ski chalet, rustic pioneer cabin) your home will last a lifetime (not a season).

Welch Studio is featured in Architectural Digest and specializes in design for high-end mountain homes in Northern Utah.