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Pro Spotlight: How to Get a New Home With a Rustic Look
A custom home designer shares tips for creating a resort retreat that offers the best of both worlds
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Who: Allen Halcomb of MossCreek
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee
In his own words: “I love the blend of art and science, and applying them to create a person’s dream for a home.”
Building a custom home includes having specific details in mind. But building a new rustic home takes the number of details to another level. Allen Halcomb, the president of rustic-American-home designer MossCreek, helps clients achieve the authentic look they’re seeking. The company, based in Knoxville, works in resort areas around the country.
“People like that interesting historical mix of materials from all over the country,” Halcomb says. “The style is ageless, because the details and materials have stood the test of time.”
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee
In his own words: “I love the blend of art and science, and applying them to create a person’s dream for a home.”
Building a custom home includes having specific details in mind. But building a new rustic home takes the number of details to another level. Allen Halcomb, the president of rustic-American-home designer MossCreek, helps clients achieve the authentic look they’re seeking. The company, based in Knoxville, works in resort areas around the country.
“People like that interesting historical mix of materials from all over the country,” Halcomb says. “The style is ageless, because the details and materials have stood the test of time.”
Anything but standard. Rustic homes are not designed like traditional homes, Halcomb says. “To achieve a custom home that has the DNA of America’s past, the designer has to have a solid understanding of the pioneer-era and leisure-class architecture that shaped our country,” he says. “However, since modern society now uses indoor plumbing, electricity, central heat and the internet, the designer has to know how to blend a modern living style with historic architectural elements.”
Think beyond local. Most materials used for rustic homes come from specialty vendors across North America rather than big-box stores, Halcomb says. “A typical home may have stone from Oregon, birch bark from New Hampshire, antique logs from Kentucky, twig railings from Georgia, timber frame from Montana, reclaimed-wood flooring from North Carolina, hardware from New York and even cedar shingles from Canada.”
Ready to start designing? Read Halcomb’s tips below to get started on your rustic American design.
Ready to start designing? Read Halcomb’s tips below to get started on your rustic American design.
1. Look for Experts
When working with any kind of specialty style or design, you’ll want to avoid generalists and instead seek out true specialists, Halcomb advises. “This means that the designer is not learning as they go; rather, they are providing expert advice that results in a beautifully composed home.”
Clients in Cashiers, North Carolina, wanted a rustic home featuring natural elements in mixed materials. “We used a cedar shake roof, cedar shingle and board-and-batten siding, Tennessee fieldstone, copper shed roofing, reclaimed-timber framing and rooflines that mimic the mountains seen in the 15-mile vista from the great room,” he says of the home seen here.
See more of this project
When working with any kind of specialty style or design, you’ll want to avoid generalists and instead seek out true specialists, Halcomb advises. “This means that the designer is not learning as they go; rather, they are providing expert advice that results in a beautifully composed home.”
Clients in Cashiers, North Carolina, wanted a rustic home featuring natural elements in mixed materials. “We used a cedar shake roof, cedar shingle and board-and-batten siding, Tennessee fieldstone, copper shed roofing, reclaimed-timber framing and rooflines that mimic the mountains seen in the 15-mile vista from the great room,” he says of the home seen here.
See more of this project
2. Get Personal
Because designing a home is a personal experience, try to work with a designer who you feel will listen to you and understand the details of what you’re looking for in a home, Halcomb says. “We designed this home in Banner Elk, North Carolina, around the clients’ desire to have something unique, possibly something that had never been designed before.”
The clients wanted 360-degree views from their mountaintop residence, “so we designed a structural system using a log timber frame that allowed us to have large glass [areas] on all sides,” he says. “On the interior, we worked with the client to achieve an Adirondack style with a Native American aesthetic overlay.”
See more of this project
Because designing a home is a personal experience, try to work with a designer who you feel will listen to you and understand the details of what you’re looking for in a home, Halcomb says. “We designed this home in Banner Elk, North Carolina, around the clients’ desire to have something unique, possibly something that had never been designed before.”
The clients wanted 360-degree views from their mountaintop residence, “so we designed a structural system using a log timber frame that allowed us to have large glass [areas] on all sides,” he says. “On the interior, we worked with the client to achieve an Adirondack style with a Native American aesthetic overlay.”
See more of this project
3. Know Your Terrain
Natural settings, where rustic homes are often built, can be challenging sites. “Most have steep, sloping land or other natural features that suburban homes rarely need to address,” Halcomb says.
Clients in McCall, Idaho, wanted a home on the shores of Payette Lake with a blend of logs and timber frame. “The setting required the design to be responsive to the features of the site: lake views, setback requirements, large trees and boulder outcroppings,” he says. “The lot was narrow and sloped down quickly from the street to the lake, but the resulting home looks comfortably nestled into its site, as if it had been built decades earlier.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Allen Halcomb and examples of his work, visit MossCreek’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Natural settings, where rustic homes are often built, can be challenging sites. “Most have steep, sloping land or other natural features that suburban homes rarely need to address,” Halcomb says.
Clients in McCall, Idaho, wanted a home on the shores of Payette Lake with a blend of logs and timber frame. “The setting required the design to be responsive to the features of the site: lake views, setback requirements, large trees and boulder outcroppings,” he says. “The lot was narrow and sloped down quickly from the street to the lake, but the resulting home looks comfortably nestled into its site, as if it had been built decades earlier.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Allen Halcomb and examples of his work, visit MossCreek’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
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