ON THE WATER

Photo by Lucy Call

As we put it in our book Foundations: Houses by JLF Architects, water is an important “arrow in our quiver of creativity at JLF. The opportunity to bring water into a design when it’s natural and fits the site gives us more options … It can be driven by a client who has asked for the sound of running water while they are sleeping or the freshness of a stream on the dining patio outside.” We enjoy working with clients both to maximize the connection to the natural water they may have on their property and/or to incorporate water features. Ongoing research confirms the health benefits of living near and around water, linking proximity to these “blue spaces” to reduced stress, lower risk of depression and improved well-being. So it’s no surprise that clients creating their dream homes love to bring water into the mix – and we are always ready to go with the flow.

Water features offering the sight and sounds of water provide tranquility and emphasize the idea of a house as respite or sanctuary, as seen in the Park City Modern house, above, where ponds, infinity pools and waterfalls – including a series of mining sluice box-style drops that travel down the property to flow under the dining room – were created by JLF in design-build collaboration with Big-D Signature construction and Verdone Landscape Architects.

Photos by Audrey Hall

Simply said, water attracts life, so living with water in an immediate environment can bring you closer to a thriving ecosystem. Water invites birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects into your garden – and in our mountain communities, perhaps larger visitors, including deer, elk and even moose. And the beauty of moonlight on the water, and sunrises and sunsets reflected in water, bring nature’s art to life. The inviting boathouse pictured above, built adjacent to the main house, known as the Creamery, on a sprawling Wilson, Wyoming, property, continues the use of rustic stone and reclaimed wood to feel at one with its setting. The stone floor of the boathouse fluently extends from the indoors to outside where a platform deck offers a peaceful place for enjoying nature’s activity around the pond, as well as the Teton views beyond a built-in waterfall.

Photos by Audrey Hall

Built on a stunning Jackson Hole site between the forest and the Snake River, the True North house was designed in concert with a pond feeding into a stream that runs through the property so that while the homeowners are in the hot tub, water runs by on one side while the other side offers a swimming hole. With the echo of falling or flowing water creating a meditative sound, this house embraces both existing and added water elements to reap the benefits of water from nearly every perspective.   

Photos by Audrey Hall

In another Park City house, where we worked with Big-D Signature on a radical remodel to transform a dated original log home, a swimming pool was part of the new plan requested by the couple. They specifically asked us to site the feature so they wouldn’t have to see an unsightly cover over an unused pool from the house in winter. The design solution – again created with a design-build team including Verdone Landscape Architects – was to place the pool above eye level, resting atop an attractive wood-plank retaining wall that also serves to define the outdoor entertaining space, marked with spillways that offer patio guests the pleasing sight and sounds of water splashing into a pond-like channel below.

Photos by Audrey Hall

For a home literally on the water, we turn to this project for Tennessee clients. In order to turn their long-time dream of a private house on a 50-acre spring-fed lake into a reality, we made the most of the water’s-edge placement, devising a clever proprietary solution to meet strict local regulations. Working with Big-D Signature, our team drove steel piles into the lake bed using a barge-based crane, then placed precast stone-faced concrete sleeves over them. The finished “floating” porch structure, built atop the pilings and connected to the house via a series of footbridges, is usable during all four seasons thanks to summer screens that can be swapped for windows, and interior heating in colder weather. A small structure to the side of the main house offers storage for lake gear as well as an outdoor shower, while a stone patio on the opposite side offers swimming access, a fire pit and Adirondack seating for the ultimate engagement with this peaceful “blue space” environment.