tailor made
Total Systems Construction creates a welcoming foothills home for an Albuquerque couple planning for the next stage in their lives.
Carved doors provide privacy within the front courtyard.
Arched doorways and striking floor and ceiling treatments define the dramatic circular entryway.
Wooden posts and beams frame the formal dining area while keeping the room open and versatile. The French doors open to the courtyard.
Wherever possible, mature vegetation was left untouched during construction.
In the living room, the entertainment system tucks conveniently behind cabinet doors along the fireplace wall, keeping the attention on the intricate wooden ceiling and unobscured views of the Sandia Mountains.
The curved island, complete with a sink, provides excellent workspace and offers plenty of seating for family dining and for guests who congregate in the kitchen.
Variations of curved and sharp-edged walls echo the lines of the Sandia Mountains that tower nearby.
A private entrance to a small inner courtyard hides between the three-bay garage and the double-door garage designed for easy conversion into a separate living area.
This article first appeared in Spring II 2008 Su Casa
Web-exclusive photos
Nestled in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, the perfect lot for Ron and Chris Escudero’s dream home beckoned. With expansive mountain views from most rooms and many environment-friendly features, their Southwestern style home brims with distinctive wood and clay accents. Ceilings in the kitchen and living areas have split cedar latillas laid in a herringbone pattern over vigas overhead. Massive beams and intricately carved woodwork frames doorways. Natural hues grace the walls. The house projects an inviting warmth from the circular entryway to the back patio overlooking a foothills trail. The design was modeled after the personal residence of builders Al and Jan Baker of Total Systems Construction.
“I didn’t really know what I was looking for until we walked into their home during a tour,” says Chris Escudero. “We walked in and just knew that this is what we were looking for; we fell in love with it. When we found this lot, we told them that we wanted our home’s design to be as close to theirs as possible.”
While the Escudero residence has its own unique plan, the Bakers managed to capture the essence that attracted their clients. “What they liked most was all the wood and the open feeling between the living, kitchen, and dining areas,” Jan says. “We made sure their home had that same appeal. That is where people spend most of their time, so an open plan allows for a really spacious feeling.”
As the award-winning design-build team behind Total Systems Construction, Al Baker manages the construction end of projects while Jan works with clients and helps design the houses. “My husband was already working for himself building custom homes when we decided to become a team and work together in 1994,” Jan says. “We build about three or four homes a year. We started out in Rio Rancho and in Placitas, but we build all over.”
When the Escuderos first decided on a plan for their northeast Albuquerque home, its square footage concerned the builder and friends alike. “I remember people telling us that it was a real mistake not to put a bathroom in every bedroom,” Chris says. “But that isn’t what we wanted in this home. We want this to be our last, because it’s our dream home. We didn’t want it so oversized.”
At 3,407 square feet, the house is exactly what the couple wanted in a home for retirement. The front entry area greets visitors with squared beams on the ceiling, a tiled mosaic medallion of tumbled marble on the floor, and an arched entry into the Escuderos’ expansive living room. Huge windows facing the Sandia Mountains line the far wall. Wooden cabinets interspersed with nichos fill another wall, providing the perfect place for a concealed entertainment center.
“She wanted the television to be hidden when we have guests,” Ron Escudero says with a laugh as he explains his wife’s design strategy. “So we compromised on it with the cabinets.”
An eating area beyond the living room segues into the kitchen, complete with Wolf appliances, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and wine cooler, Asko dishwasher, and a massive island with high, plush stools, plus unique touches like a copper sink and an icebox. Antiqued doors hide the pantry while another arched doorway leads to the formal dining room. The nearby mudroom and laundry room allow for easy cleanup after entertaining.
Beyond the kitchen, the Escuderos’ spacious master bedroom features a corner kiva fireplace with a sitting area and a master bath with a garden jetted tub and a Roman shower. A doorway leads from the bedroom to a private patio area in the back, where a short wall separates the yard from the wild vegetation beyond.
The home’s design allows maximum privacy in the master suite—the living and dining areas separate this space from the guest rooms. Ron Escudero, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, maintains a home study that shares space along the guest hall. A dedicated media closet and a guest bath decorated with brilliant tiles of tumbled onyx and a carved wooden sink front complete the east wing.
In a practical move, the Escuderos added heating and plumbing to their fully insulated stand-alone drive-through garage, which they access through a small courtyard next to their three-car garage. “It will be easy to renovate into an independent living area if we ever need to care for a parent,” Chris says. Their larger epoxy-lined garage features a lighted and heated area where Ron often works on his instruments and electrical gadgets.
Beneath the surface, the couple’s home incorporates many upgrades and environmentally friendly features. Icynene foam insulation and insulation under the slab minimize air leakage and increase energy efficiency along with the home’s solar water heater, Pella low-E wood/aluminum-clad windows, and an air exchanger. A Jeld-Wen recycled wood composite entry door and recycled wood composite garage doors add environmentally conscious beauty to the home’s exterior.
“Some things haven’t become cost-effective yet,” Jan says, “but we always go green wherever we can.” The added cost of incorporating green-building features can be worth the lifetime benefits, she explains. Other times, she adds, these choices are about doing something for the environment. “Using the recycled wood in the entry door doubled the cost, whereas the garage doors were three times as expensive as regular garage doors.”
Solamente Clay Walls applied American Clay plaster to several walls and surfaces in the home, including the fireplaces and the kitchen’s vent hood cover. “Our natural clay finish actually absorbs pollens and impurities in the air,” says owner Kent Gurley. “Not only is it gorgeous and durable, it is great for the air in the house.”
Outside, the Escuderos’ multiple outdoor living areas incorporate the beautiful landscape almost as part of the home. The front entry features a lovely sitting area accessible from both the main entrance and the French doors to the dining room, allowing for more entertaining options as guests mingle inside and outside. The back patio incorporates an outdoor kitchen, grill, and fireplace. Here a running water feature evokes the sensation of a small stream in the foothills, a fitting accent for this home’s place in the shadows of the Sandia Mountains.
Lisa Abeyta is an award-winning writer and columnist. Learn more about her current projects at lisaabeyta.com.
Resources
Unless otherwise noted, businesses below are in Albuquerque, the area code is 505, and the prefix for websites is www.
Builder: Al Baker, Total Systems Construction, Placitas, NM, 771-0643, totalsystemsconst.com. Designer: Jan Baker, Total Systems Construction, Placitas, NM, 771-0643, totalsystemsconst.com. Interior decorator: Total Systems Construction. Appliances: Wolf cooktop, microwave, oven, and warming drawer, wolfappliance.com; Sub-Zero refrigerator and wine cooler, subzero.com; Asko dishwasher, askousa.com; Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer, whirlpool.com; U-Line outdoor refrigerator, u-line.com; Page’s Appliances, 888-3355, pagesappliances.com. Artwork: DINING ROOM oil painting from Cargo Club, 217-0456. ENTRYWAY print by Mary Silverwood, framed at Hobby Lobby, hobbylobby.com. Buffet: DINING ROOM Jackalope, Santa Fe, 471-8539, jackalope.com. Cabinetry: knotty alder custom cabinetry by Horizon Custom Cabinets, 265-1285. Carved posts: New Mexico Timber & Viga, 765-1777, nmtimber.com. Ceilings: wood, pine vigas, beams, custom corbels, split cedar from New Mexico Timber & Viga, 765-1777, nmtimber.com. Chairs: DINING ROOM custom Spanish Colonial chairs, Perfect Furnishings for You, 280-3685, perfectfurnishings4u.com; parsons chairs, The Bombay Company, 881-5310. Closet systems: Not Just Closets, Tijeras, NM, 281-9435, njclosets.com. Concrete: Pyramid Concrete Contractors, 830-4300. Countertops: POWDER ROOM marble, Rocky Mountain Stone, 345-8518, rmstone.com. GUEST BATH tumbled onyx, Architectural Surfaces, 889-0124, asitileandstone.com. Courtyard doors: front courtyard doors, Jackalope, Santa Fe, 471-8539, jackalope.com; side courtyard gates, Jackalope, 349-0955, jackalope.com. Credenza: ENTRYWAY Jackalope, Santa Fe, 471-8539, jackalope.com. Dining table: Terra Bella Artful Interiors, 897-3200, terrabellaartfulinteriors.com. Doors: entry door, Jeld-Wen Aurora series, jeld-wen.com; Williams Window & Door, 242-7707, williamswindow.com; French doors, Pella Windows & Doors, 345-3502, pella.com; pantry door, custom by Mad Mule Door Company, 822-3711, madmuledoors.com; interior doors by Pat’s Doors, 877-7524. Drapes: Pottery Barn, potterybarn.com; Linens-n-Things, lnt.com. Electrical: Stone Creek Electric, Edgewood, NM, 249-0211. Fireplaces: GREAT ROOM custom all masonry with gas log lighter, All-Star Masonry, Santa Fe, 670-5382. MASTER SUITE & OUTDOOR Southwest Firebird, 884-1361, southwestfirebird.com. Flooring: porcelain floor tile from Architectural
Surfaces, 889-0124, asitileandstone.com; hickory wood flooring and carpet from ProSource, 761-4076, prosourcefloors.com; medallion and 2 x 2 Rosa Verona tile from Arizona Tile, 883-6076, arizonatile.com. Framing: Kimcon, 620-4993. Furnishings: LIVING ROOM oil painting, couch, loveseat, chair, candelabra, and ottoman from American Home, 883-2211, americanhome.com. Garage doors: Jeld-Wen, Overhead Door Co. of Albuquerque, 344-3667, overheaddoor.com. Granite: Rocky Mountain Stone, 345-8518, rmstone.com. Hardware: sand-cast bronze door hardware by Emtek, Cape Cod Brass, South Yarmouth, MA, 877/560-2818, capecodbrass.com; toilet accessories by Dimestore Cowboys, 244-1493, dimestorecowboys.com. Heating & cooling: radiant floor heat by Gallipoli Radiant, 298-8560; air conditioning and fresh air exchanger by Active Refrigeration Air Conditioning & Heating, 265-5376, activerefrigeration.com. Insulation: Icynene, Miller’s Insulation & Fireproofing, 924-2214, millersinsulation.com. Island: countertops by Rocky Mountain Stone, 345-8518, rmstone.com; cabinets by Horizon Custom Cabinets, 265-1285. Lamps: LIVING ROOM Jackalope, Bernalillo, NM, 867-9813, jackalope.com. Landscaping: fountain and landscaping, John Dugan’s Landscaping, 275-6634. Lighting: Albuquerque Lighting, 345-2727, albuquerquelighting.com. Lumber: Raks Building Supply, 842-1103, raks.com. Paint: North Hill Painting, Rio Rancho, NM, 934-9700; Sherwin-Williams paint and stain, sherwin-williams.com. Plaster: Solamente Clay Walls, Placitas, NM, 771-2731, solamenteclaywalls.com. Plumbing: Silverado Plumbing & Heating Co., 792-0511. Plumbing fixtures & hardware: Kohler, Moen, and Delta; Ferguson Plumbing Supply, 345-0171, ferguson.com; jetted tub by Sodeco Modern Water Systems, 883-5061, sodecowater.com. Pottery: American Home, 883-2211, americanhome.com; Bed, Bath & Beyond, bedbathand
beyond.com; Jackalope, jackalope.com. Roofing: Kenneco Roofing, 345-1184, kennecoroofing.com. Rugs: American Home, 883-2211, american
home.com; Jackalope, jackalope.com. Sinks: Blanco and Kohler, from Ferguson Plumbing Supply, 345-0171, ferguson.com; copper sinks from Rocky Mountain Stone, 345-8518, rmstone.com. Sofa table: LIVING ROOM Albuquerque Lighting, 345-2727, albuquerquelighting.com. Solar hot water heater: Gallipoli Radiant, 298-8560. Stools: custom-made by Terra Bella Artful Interiors, 897-3200, terrabellaartfulinteriors.com. Stucco: SonoWall by Montano Lath & Plaster, 344-3783. Tile: porcelain floor, wall tile, onyx counter and wall, tumbled marble, counter, floor, and wall by Architectural Surfaces, 889-0124, asitileandstone.com; tile installation by Smith & Sons Flooring, 867-0063, smithandsonsllc.com. Trunk & end tables: LIVING ROOM Cargo Club, 217-0456. Vigas: New Mexico Timber & Viga, 765-1777, nmtimber.com. Wall system: 2 x 6 wood construction. Windows: architect series and designer series, Pella Windows & Doors, 345-3502, pella.com.