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Introducing: Ultra Home

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Feb 2, 2022

Introducing: Ultra Home

 

In the world of motorsports, there are sports cars and supercars, and then there are hypercars. Vehicles so rare and exotic, they’re owned by an affluent few, and reign as the top speed machines on the planet.

 

For more than 35 years, Pyramid Builders has been crafting a rare breed of custom home. The Ultra Home. Each exquisitely different, each designed with an exact purpose, and like hypercars, each built with extreme engineering and skilled craftsmanship.

 

Our partners in architecture, design, and landscape architecture, all subscribe to the same exacting standards. We’re honored to be aligned with such talent, and felt it was time to chronicle our work.

 

Join us on this Ultra Home journey that will venture to the urban homes and condos and the waterfront estates that we’ve built for hardworking Americans who wish to reside where boundaries don’t exist.

 

Check back often for building and design inspiration, and join our VIP list that subscribes you to our emailed content.

Written by: Jenny Burkett

A home enthusiast through and through, Jenny is quick to study a space & find the story behind each build. Her personal approach to producing an inspired environment inside and out, is a matter of being specific about the property’s intended experience & picky over material selections. And, in terms of style, to strike a careful balance between current & collected. “Go a ‘tish’ modern to keep up with the style of the times, but add a ‘smidge’ of old-fashioned charm to stay timeless.”

 

A Modern Manse

After 18 years in a traditionally appointed home, our client was now an empty nester and was ready for a modern makeover. The original house and furnishings had seen years of its warm, country French aesthetic help them create a comfortable nest to raise their three children. With the children having moved out, it was time to reimagine the home in a more streamlined, modern way.

The largest challenge of this project was the short time span that it was completed in. The entire project from start to finish was completed in seven months. The fact that the floor systems are all constructed of poured concrete, posed a challenge in installing the new mechanical and electrical rough-ins for the new layout. However, we were able to get our clients moved back into their home with minimum impact and time away. The kitchen was completely redesigned and boasts a custom Rift White Oak specifically designed and crafted with a unique layered finishing process to provide a warm yet modern feel. Certain floors were completely updated with European White Oak flooring while existing reclaimed parquet floors were carefully restored to showcase their original beauty while retaining the history and patina developed over more than a century.

Specialty wall finishes were also a large undertaking throughout the home and both faux limestone and Venetian Plaster were used to create this beautiful texture. Another item that created an air of sophistication in the home was all of the stone elements that were sourced specifically for this project. Castille Grey Limestone floor tile from Romania, a floating vanity sink carved from a single block of Belgium Bluestone, Pyrolave Volcanic Lava island tops, and Statuary Marble counters and trim elements. Handcrafted fixtures and decorative furnishings were used throughout the home, including the specialty antique mirrors that we had handcrafted in England to create a dramatic backdrop at the breakfast room bar. We also worked with a lighting team to brighten the house throughout. In collaboration with Renfro Lighting Design out of New York, we incorporated customized mud-in recess fixtures, lighted closet rods, integrated cabinet lighting, and custom art lights. While not as visible, but just as important, we outfitted this home with a fully customized home automation and control system to allow for seamless use of lighting, audio, video, security, and heating and cooling systems.

We were able to realize both the client’s and interior designer’s vision and keep the beautiful bones intact while giving the home a fresh feel. We elevated this tired home and allowed it to reach its true potential as only a classic beauty can.

Photographer: Richard Powers

Interior Designer: Patrick Sutton

Lighting Designer: Renfro Design Group

Stone: Marmi Stone

Home Automation/Controls/AV/Security: Electronic Home Environments

Venetian Plaster and Specialty Finishes: Kelly Walker & ArtStar Baltimore

Kitchen Cabinetry, breakfast room bar and other furniture elements: Duncan Cabinetry

Original Architect (not involved in this renovation): Harpole Architects

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New Chapter: Historic Remodel

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With their children grown and out of the house, our clients were ready to declutter and begin a new chapter of their lives; one which focused on clarity, simplicity, and serenity. This whole house makeover marked their new beginning. For this project, we brought new life to a historic home in the Guilford neighborhood. Having raised their children in this home, our clients wanted to create a new home for their grandchildren to enjoy. Our role as their builder was to bring their vision into reality in a very short time frame to minimize the impact and time away from the house for the family. This created the biggest challenge, but we were able to indeed deliver within the time allotted.

While this was a complete interior renovation, our goal was to preserve the original historic finishes inside the home such as on the staircase, trim detailing, and fireplace mantels. We installed new structural members to create a new large open kitchen and dining space by eliminating the existing unused dining room. In the existing attic, we were able to create new living spaces including guest bedrooms, bathrooms, and a sitting area. Existing wood floors were salvaged to keep their historic charm and then refinished with a custom site-mixed finish. Specialty finishes including faux limestone and Venetian plaster were used on walls to communicate a sense of sophistication. The kitchen combines both classic and modern elements. The cabinets, beams, and ceiling planks, were all constructed and fabricated from salvaged white oak based on a custom design. We also outfitted this home with a fully customized home automation and control system to allow for seamless use of lighting, audio, video, security, and heating and cooling systems.

This renovation successfully integrated state of the art technology, exquisite finishes, and one-of-a-kind design elements, yet preserved a number of the architectural elements that made this home so special in the first place. The clients are truly thrilled with the outcome, and enjoy sharing their home with their next generation.

 

Photographer: Roger Davies

Interior Designer: Patrick Sutton

Home Automation Controls/Security/Home Theater: Electronic Home Environments

Venetian Plaster and Specialty Finishes: Kelly Walker & ArtStar Baltimore

Stone Countertops: Rock Tops Fabrication

Kitchen Cabinet, Beams, and Oak Ceiling in Kitchen: Duncan Cabinetry

Health, Wellness & Hospitality

Among the many wooded acres of our clients’ property is a respite designed to welcome guests alongside a pavilion dedicated to health and wellness. A gorgeous gym, spa, and pool are sited to take advantage of valley views and provide gathering places for friends and family and an airy guest house serves as a light-filled getaway for our clients or their guests.

This project was a unique undertaking. The original site was extremely sloped which not only required an enhanced design for the structure of the foundation walls but also required the removal of a significant amount of earth. Dump trucks hauled dirt for weeks straight, tirelessly transforming the site. During this process the trees from the property were saved and processed into lumber and were integrated into the finishing details, seamlessly tying the new home to the historical site it now rests on. Particular attention was paid to the detailing of the waterproofing for the structure and drainage of the tennis courts over the service garage and finished living spaces. The construction of the green roof area over the garage provides an elevated walkable green space tying the multiple elevations of the property together. The site flows effortlessly through multiple structures and required an extensive amount of stonework, crafted from local Maryland fieldstone, for the retaining walls and base of the structures. We constructed a serpentine stone staircase that allows the family to easily traverse from the terrace surrounding the upper gym roof down to the wet edge pool and pool cabana below.

One of the largest challenges we faced was forming and pouring the board-formed concrete which served as the foundation of the gym. Integrating utilities into the concrete was complicated, as these items had to be planned for and installed before the pouring of the concrete. We constructed temporary roof systems to protect the board-formed concrete from damage and staining due to the weather until we were able to install the finished copper roof, which was a ten-month process. Fabrication and installation of the iron truss roof for the gym, provided by Gutierrez Studios, are seamlessly integrated with the installation of the gorgeous walnut planked ceilings, steel, and walnut decorative frieze band and soffits giving this world-class gym a sophisticated industrial vibe.

The interior of the home boasts beautiful antique white oak timber elements as well as an extensive amount of millwork that was fabricated and installed on-site. Specialty finishes were applied throughout the home including faux limestone and Venetian plaster as well as the lighted onyx accent wall within the massage room adjacent to a barber room. We also integrated a fully customized home automation and control system as well as a professional home theater. This epicenter of health, wellness, and hospitality came together beautifully despite its challenges and is the perfect retreat nestled in the woods.

 

Architect: Ike Kligerman Barkley

Photographer: Richard Powers

Styled by: Anita Sarsidi

Interior Designer: Patrick Sutton

Landscape Architect: Hollander Design, but their design was not fully realized.

Structural Engineer: MCC1200 Architectural Engineers

Lighting Designer: WALD Studios

Iron Truss Roof, Walnut Frieze Panels and Soffits in the Gym: Gutierrez Studios

Home Automation Controls/Security/Home Theater: Electronic Home Environments

Venetian Plaster and Specialty Finishes: Kelly Walker & ArtStar Baltimore

Kitchen Cabinets and Built-ins: Gaston & Wyatt