Backcountry Abode

“We loved his design sensibilities,” the homeowner of the Telluride, Colorado, “Backcountry Abode” featured in Colorado Homes & Lifestyles tells the magazine about JLF Architects principal Paul Bertelli. Bertelli spent months studying snow and wind patterns before settling on the optimal site for a compound of the main residence, bunkhouse, and garage. “It’s a very harsh environment, and there were only a few spots where we could place the buildings,” he tells CH&L. “We tucked them into the edge of a forest where they would be protected and still have great views.” Heavily insulated and fashioned from reclaimed wood, stone, and steel, the house “can handle being buried under 10 feet of snow,” he says.