This custom home sits atop forty acres of rock outcroppings with unencumbered views of the National Forest. MAAD Peak is a part of the Bonner Peak Ranch subdivision. At 6,800 feet among hogbacks, mesas, and foothills, this neighborhood differentiates itself from other nearby developments in the northern reaches of the Denver metro area by offering owners privacy, space, and access to the National Forest. This part of Larimer County just northwest of Fort Collins is home to many large expanses of preserved land and working ranches where residents and tourists hike, bike, and explore the Rocky Mountain foothills and is within the Poudre High School district. Bonner Peak Ranch sits between the small hamlets of Laporte and Livermore to the west of US Hwy 287, the road between Laramie WY, and Fort Collins. Gas and supplies are in both towns, with everything else being available in Fort Collins, just twenty-five minutes down the road. Dispersed subdivisions, horse properties, estates and farms, and ranches dot the landscape here and there. For some folks these are summer residences, for residents, they are primary homes and they commute to work at nearby tech jobs or at CSU. The Bonner Peak Ranch subdivision is one of the larger developments in this area, well-run and well-designed, where a family can build a secondary residence, guest house, barns, and other structures like this family has done in a magnificent setting.
Improvements
The design elements of the MAAD Peak are what makes this a unique legacy property. The ranch owners designed and built the home and studio from the ground up. Marc Gerritsen was trained at the Academy of Industrial Design in the Netherlands and has an extensive portfolio of homes he has built around the world. His wife Adria Lake is a prominent wellness industry insider who has worked with well-known and distinguished brands like Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, and Aman Resorts to name a few. Their combined backgrounds in design, luxury, and hospitality are seen in every aspect of the home.
The home was built intelligently and artfully with the goal of minimalism stripped of ornamentation and integrated furniture elements that connect each space seamlessly to the other. The large windows and floor-to-ceiling doors blur the lines between the inside and outside and allow light and nature to saturate the space. The home welcomes nature into the space while simultaneously striking a contrast to vegetation and wildlife with its angular shape.
Marc opted for a home that adapts to its surroundings and will continue to function in all types of elements. Take the monolithic, ark-like shape of the main building, for example: “Having spent time in the Alps, I knew a massive mansard roof with large panoramic windows would allow the sunlight to heat the building in the winter and give it a slight aerodynamic form that will allow 150 miles an hour winds to glide over it,” he continues. In addition to the shape of the home, the exterior is steel and mahogany, which protects against wildfire, sun, moisture, or any other element that typically ages a home.
In addition to the home, the owner-architect has built custom craftsman furniture that fits into the overall aesthetic of the home and will be included in the sale.
To learn more about what went into the home and furniture, you can check out the property’s website here. You can also download the floor plans for the house here.
Locale
Some of the fastest-growing communities in the nation are located in the busy I-25 corridor north of Denver. However, the MAAD Peak property and Bonner Peak Ranch is an oasis in the hustle and bustle and is unmatched if one is interested in a stunning, recreationally-oriented, mountain escape close to a metro area. The area is largely rural, with some dispersed subdivisions and some large horse and cattle ranches and irrigated farms in the lower valleys and cabins up high to take in the views. The Laramie Hills area where MAAD Peak sits is a priority for Larimer County Open Space and private landowners and recreationists benefit from this investment, with viewsheds and quiet largely preserved. The property is situated only an hour and a half from Rocky Mountain National Park and an hour and a half from Denver International Airport.
Climate
Although this property is located in the Laramie Foothills at 6,800 feet, a higher elevation than down in the valley at Fort Collins, this region of northern Colorado is still sometimes known as a “banana belt” within Colorado’s populated Front Range, as its lands are situated in the leeward side of some of the largest peaks in the Rockies (such as 14’er Longs Peak in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park), which means it can be milder and drier than other parts of Colorado. As a result, the property experiences a very comfortable four-season climate with an estimated 250-300 days of sunshine a year and snows that typically melt quickly in the winter.
Fort Collins Weather Highlights:
- Summer High: the July high is around 87 degrees
- Winter Low: the January low is 15
- Rain: averages 16 inches of rain a year
- Snow: averages 48 inches of snow a year
