PORTFOLIO

Big Springs at Northstar-100

"In late 2003, I sent Kurt Reinkens, a senior partner at MWA, a 3 page letter describing the features that I wanted in a house on a lot in Northstar. Kurt and his team took the letter and went to the lot (numerous times) and designed a house that not only met but greatly exceeded my expectations.

There were already houses on each side so Kurt and his team designed my home so that I had total privacy even with 72 windows! I didn't need a single blind in any room I did put a few but they were not necessary for privacy.

No house can be done without modifications along the way. Kurt and I and the builder Jeff Cotton did these smoothly and with total cooperation among all three parties.

In addition, Kurt continued to always look for ways to make the design better. His unique placement and design of windows not only captured all the views but as I mentioned earlier kept the privacy.

I highly recommend Kurt and his firm to do any architectural project and I would use them again."

-Owner


Location:Northstar
Style:Lodge or Cabin/ Rustic
Architect:Kurt Reinkens - MWA, Inc.
Project Manager:Kristi Thompson - MWA, Inc.
Structural Engineer:Gabbart & Woods
Builder:Jeff Cotton Construction
Interior Designer:Terry Hurt Interior Design
Photographer:Nathanael Bennett





Kurt Reinkens designed our Truckee home in 2005. It is really a work of art, as much as it is a house. We continue to appreciate its many design features, and the compliments from visitors have never stopped to this day. The home is incredibly comfortable to live in. It is our mountain retreat, and we cherish the time we spend there.

The success of our project with Kurt began in the design programming stage. We provided him with a design philosophy comprising 6 elements: (1 ) Rustically Elegant, (2) Timelessness of Design, (3) Native to Place, (4) Uplifting to the Spirit, (S) Respect for Materials, and (6) Good Design More Important than Large Spaces. Our home's design embodies every one of these elements. Kurt took words on paper and made them into a physical reality.

Kurt worked very well with us throughout the iterative design process, as we went back and forth on alternatives for various parts of the house and as we finalized decisions right up to the end of the design phase. Some architects have a tendency to take pride in ownership of their design to the point that they resist changes to their work. That was not the case with Kurt. In Tact on several occasions, Kurt counseled junior architects on the project to listen to the clients' preferences and to be open to making design changes. Consequently, we felt very good about our working relationship with Kurt during this important phase of the project.

We would also like to compliment Kurt for his more subtle architectural skills, beginning with his understanding of light and its impact on the home. He talked about this point in early meetings, but we truly appreciated it after living in the home. Accordingly, he both positioned the house on the lot and designed rooms with light as a major consideration. He even identified which windows to have screens on and which to not have screens on, out of consideration for views out of the home. His design also carefully accounted for shedding of snow. In addition, we found Kurt to be very knowledgeable and experienced with respect to design details and construction materials.

Finally, Kurt worked extremely well with our contractor and interior designer during the construction phase. It was definitely a team project, and everyone involved felt great about working together when it was over. Designing and building a home is not easy, particularly when the owners are working full time. Therefore, the architect, interior designer, and builder are crucial to the effort. We couldn't be more happy than with those who worked on our project.

John and Kathy Glaub