Terra Firma

Photo by Matt Rose
Photo by Matt Rose

Naturally, custom-designed house plans can never be set in stone. Whims ebb and flow, hipped roofs go gambrel, patio space sprouts walls and morphs into a pottery studio. But when the future homeowners are career geologists with an extensive gem collection to display, a certain rock-solidness is suggested in the very blueprints.

Although slated for a prominent lot on Town Mountain Road, Fred and Marianne Weaver’s 3,700-square-foot Asheville retreat will meld into the landscape like moss on a boulder. Jim Samsel of Samsel Architects (working with project manager Duncan McPherson and architect Scott Huebner) notes that the Weavers “will be active in the community — Marianne has a passion for interesting girls in careers involving science and math.”

On-The-Boards-Weaver-House-Photo

He describes the structure-in-progress as “a 21st-century interpretation of a Southern Appalachian traditional home.” Color models showing a steeply gabled metal roof answer to that assessment, as does the Tennessee fieldstone that will distinguish the exterior, complemented by olive-moss-stained shingles.

And yet the overall design evokes a strong note of pragmatism. Understated, tiptoeing toward utilitarian, the building’s lines suggest the aridity of another chain of hills altogether. Before discovering Asheville, the Weavers — who work in the oil and gas industry in Houston — faced west, to the Rockies, for inspiration. “As geologists, we’ve always loved the mountains,” says Marianne. (The couple also keeps an apartment in the Italian Alps.) “For a long time, we had property in southwestern Colorado where we were planning to build.” The couple has two grown daughters and envisioned their transition-to-retirement home as a family gathering place. “And then, several years ago, because of the remoteness of the area, we started to have second thoughts.”

The arts and sports enthusiasts wanted a place where they could have their view and their season tickets, too, not having to travel an hour or more to reach civilization. “I didn’t think such a place existed,” says Weaver. Then they visited Asheville and were zapped with the requisite “eureka” moment.

“We stepped out of the car, and the air felt cool. The mountains were lovely. We said, ‘This is it.’ It was that immediate.” She cites a childhood connection to the area, when her grandparents took her to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but admits, “I had forgotten how beautiful it was.” A willingness to embrace her new town on its own terms permeates the scientist’s tone when she adds: “We didn’t need to have the best view, just a nice view — one that inspires you throughout the day. And it’s less than a 10-minute drive to downtown. It’s just perfect.”

Using native flora, the Weavers plan to gradually reforest the Town Mountain lot, which was cleared long before they came on the scene. Additional eco-forward features will include cisterns for rainwater collection, a solar hot-water heater, a green roof planted on the garage and a bark-tight building envelope that Samsel says will “exceed North Carolina Energy Code requirements by a minimum of 30 percent.”

All consciousness and restraint aside, though, the secret pride of the Weaver estate is a mineral collection accumulated over a span of three decades. Fred and Marianne have gathered spectacular zeolites from India, amethyst tubes from Brazil and countless other dazzling specimens from China to Arkansas. Advantageous display of these gems will inform the house’s interior, customized with gallery lighting and built-in wooden cabinets in nearly every room.

In Houston, the collection is arranged in one space. “And I always said, in our next place, I want the minerals to be shown all through the house, especially in the dining room,” says Weaver. Smaller versions of the main cabinets are planned for various other rooms, and similar corner pieces will anchor the hallways. She envisions a sitting area with four leather chairs and a vibrant view at every turn: “People can relax there with a glass of wine and enjoy the mountains outside while surrounded by all of these beautiful minerals.”

Achieving that alchemy of sustainability and aesthetics isn’t always easy. Remembering less-than-satisfactory experiences they had with earlier home-construction projects, the Weavers did quite a bit of prospecting before finding Samsel Architects.

She praises the firm’s well-rounded approach. “The creativity is there, as well as the attention to detail. They gave us the whole package: ‘Here’s what you can do, but in an environmentally sensitive way.’”

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