House on Waking Sky Road

I like the Sunflower model on Waking Sky Road, and the price is really right. It backs up to open land and views, and has a nice small fenced back yard with a simple concrete pad for a patio. It's territorial style, which I don't like as well as the pueblo style, but it's okay. It has all Saltillo tiles, no carpets.

However, if we bought the house on Waking Sky, there are two things I'd immediately want upgraded:
  • add a portal in back
  • replace fireplace surrounds
The back of the house looks like this now:

It needs to look like this, although there are no gridlines in the windows (interior wood slat blinds can alleviate that look somewhat):

I'd want the rounded trunk vigas, wood ceiling, and simple posts just like this model. The model is the same one as Waking Sky, but it is pueblo style, not territorial, so the exterior shape is more rounded with accents, rather than starkly square.

Even so, the portal positioned in the recessed area where the patio is would add a lot to the look, and be a useful, shaded area to sit under. It faces east.

The fireplace surrounds also need to be replaced. I don't even know what that artwork above the living room fireplace is. That has to go. But the white Colonial looking dental molding around the fireplace has to go too. It needs to be more rustic looking to fit the house.

The new portal we would add would shade the big open slider, sidelights ,and transoms nicely. The fireplace needs to have the dental molding replaced with something more rustic, maybe a big rough hewn beam for a mantel. The artwork needs to be painted over.

i'm not at all sure about the mixed light and dark Saltillo tiles on the floor. I like a more consistent color, not so checkered, but it is what it is and tile throughout this house is a plus. No carpet.

The second fireplace in the kitchen / family room has the same issue with white formal molding that looks out of place to my eye and needs to come off and be replaced with a wood beam mantel.

Tearing off the moldings, patching and painting the area and adding a beam for a mantel won't be that expensive. In the Waking Sky house the brick around the opening would be darker terra cotta, but it could look like this:

Or how about completely redoing the kitchen fireplace and adding a hand finished plaster kiva? Most kivas are corner fireplaces, but they can be built on a flat wall too, like this:

Now we're talking expense -- a hand crafted plaster build, probably relocating the firebox, and building a small hearth. . . .

Dream on.

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