Asheville-based builder Jim Selmensberger has a favorite saying: “Bigger is not better — better is better.” That expression is a good description of his latest project-in-the-works, a 4,400-square-foot English-cottage-style home slated for construction in The Ramble Biltmore Forest. Its sharply pitched roof and prominent clay chimney harken to a traditional cottage style, but it features modern updates — an open, modern layout inside and hand-painted stucco on the outside.
“The intent is to offer something with a distinctiveness of design that’s a little outside the norm, yet have a project which fits seamlessly within its intended development — not an easy task,” Selmensberger says.
Palladium Builders, Selmensberger’s custom-home building business, has sometimes tackled projects that push the conceptual envelope for this usually residential-focused builder: to wit, interior renovations for Ambrozia, a high-end restaurant that opened earlier this year in North Asheville and interior design for the Fletcher manufacturer Meritor, whose executives had seen some of the bathrooms in Palladium’s fine homes, and approached him about tailored design work at their offices. Selmensberger likes a challenge, it seems, as long as it’s stimulating and engaging.
The Edwards cottage was that sort of challenge. “It’s really a bit daunting, if you think about it, to design a home that fits optimally on a lot — fully taking advantage of the features and character of the natural hills and canopy, yet with an interior that isn’t ‘compartmentalized,’” Selmensberger says.
Architect Edward White worked steadily on the project, and together they came up with a design that used every square inch of the space. “There’s an emphasis on fine finishes, and not excessive square footage,” says Selmensberger.
The street on which the Edwards cottage will be built already had some English-style architecture in place. But, “I like to be a little different,” Selmensberger says. “The vision was to make it not so different that it only suits a small percent of the population, but different enough where it’s absolutely gorgeous, where it has an appeal and detail to it that nobody else would do.” That hand-mixed stucco, for example, will age and mottle and give the exterior a natural look.
For months, Selmensberger and White went back and forth with the design, finally settling on something they liked. Then they handed it over to a realtor. The realtor called the next day with prospective clients. While the buyers wanted to make some changes, they were excited about the original intent. “Our visions were very closely aligned,” Selmensberger says.
Selmensberger has an engineering background, and it comes out in his meticulous approach. He used to work on large-scale automation projects. “The things you do in industrial automation, it’s very particular,” Selmensberger says. “If you make any mistake, it’s catastrophic. That attention to detail has to be there.”
Attention to detail is abundant in the plans for the Edwards cottage: in the clean lines, hardwood floors and custom millwork of the main floor, and the masonry fireplace in the living room, for example.
The main floor layout encourages entertaining — while the kitchen and living rooms are defined spaces, they flow into each other. In good weather, the living room doors open to the outside, so the space offers a continuous flow. “It really is a lot more fun, a lot more open,” Selmensberger explains. And Western North Carolina is a region of foodies who want to cook at home. Enter a professional grade 48-inch gas range with a set of built-in double ovens.
The master suite is “designed like that of a fine hotel,” says Sulsenberger, “with reading and sleeping areas, walk-in closets and a master bath with separate vanities, a large bath and a steam shower.” The lower level offers an entertainment room, a bar with a kitchenette, two guest bedrooms with private bathrooms, a second office and covered outdoor patio with a spa. The Edwards cottage will utilize geothermal heating and cooling, high efficiency insulation, windows and efficient light fixtures.
Other design factors are ergonomic: key features include a four-inch step from the garage to the house, grab bars masquerading as towel bars, kitchen counters of varying heights for wheelchair access, wider halls and doors and a future elevator. The homeowners will be able to stay a while.
And that works for Selmensberger, who’s not going anywhere.
“The key to this business is, Number 1, you have to build something that’s great, that’s comfortable and that people love,” Selmensberger says. “And Number 2, you can’t disappear afterwards.”
He chuckles. “If there’s one fault I have, it may be that I don’t disappear soon enough,” he admits. “These people become my friends.”
Visit www.palladiumbuilders.com or call 828-713-0900 to learn more about Palladium Builders.