How to Build a Custom Home in Taos to Fit Your Lifestyle
Whether you’re contemplating moving to Taos full-time or building a second home here, it’s essential that the designer you work with is intimately familiar with the intricacies of both Taos and your lifestyle. The people building homes in Taos are, after all, as diverse and multi-faceted as the county itself – so creating a perfect fit is never a small task.
Whereas most architecture firms will simply slide their clients an impersonal questionnaire and ask for a written response before moving forward with a build, Edelman Enterprises takes on a holistic approach to collaborating with clients from start to finish. Now more than ever, people are so deeply attuned to the contents of their home. It’s not just where we rest our heads at night – it’s where we cook, it’s where we work, it’s where we gather with loved ones and express ourselves. For a place to truly feel like home, it has to be able to serve all of these purposes at once. It’s our job to ensure that your vision and lifestyle are served by every element of the design.
We refer to the first stage of any custom build as the Programming Phase. During this period, we’ll sit down with you and get to know exactly what you need out of your custom home, taking every factor into account. Your budgetary constraints, the times of year when you’ll stay in Taos, and the activities you’re most devoted to will give us just some of the information we need to start sketching out your custom home.
As counter-intuitive as it might sound, the activities you’ll engage in outside of the home will often be some of the most defining factors for a custom design. If you intend to ski, for instance, it’s vital that there be a storage space that’s specifically devoted to your skiing supplies; or if you’re an avid boater, you’ll likely want to have an open area where you can put a raft without having to deflate it. Artists, on the other hand, typically need a number of amenities that enable them to work at home, such as an industrial slop sink for washing brushes or a studio space with inspiring views and excellent natural light.
The most vital consideration of all is where in the Taos valley your custom home will be built. More often than not, we’ll help clients find a plot of land that suits their profile: people inspired by the town’s culture will likely want to build close to downtown, whereas folks who are primarily here to ski should build near the mountain. The home’s location will then serve as the architectural and aesthetic foundation off of which we design a home that suits your needs. Windows will be arranged to frame the surrounding landscape as if it’s a painting, and trees will be planted to optimize sunlight during winter time.
When collaborating with clients to build a custom home, we strive to emulate Taos’s effortless harmony of culture and nature. Your hobbies and lifestyle should go hand-in-hand with the place you spend so much of your time. By working with Edelman Enterprises from start to finish, you’ll ensure that every element of the design – the location, the layout, the colors and trim – are considered with you in mind.
