Sometimes it takes going away to realize that what you wanted all along was right there in front of you.
Beau and Marty Langfitt had a happy life in Mount Vernon, Ohio…family, friends, and a great church community. They also had an urge to try out western living as they approached their retirement years. Colorado, in particular, seemed to beckon them and so, in 2007 they packed up their car for a road trip adventure. Passing through Buena Vista, Colorado, they decided to stay a spell and soon found employment in post-construction cleanup, during a period when Colorado was booming with the design and building of secondary and vacation homes.
“It seemed to be a statewide boom,” says Marty, “providing a great job for us. It kept us physically fit and it was rewarding to provide a service that we knew would be appreciated by the owners when they walked in the door of their new home.” There was an extra perk: the couple was privy to all types of architectural design and construction, from modest cabins to grand lodges. The industry was bursting with creative energy-saving building solutions and exciting design trends.
Years prior to moving to Colorado, Beau and Marty had purchased some acreage outside of Columbus, in farm country. After seven years in Colorado, the couple got the itch to return to Ohio and explore the possibility of building a retirement home on their property. “Our siblings were all still in Columbus,” says Marty, “and not getting any younger. Nor were we! We decided it was time to go home.”
When they returned, their rural property had never looked so beautiful to them. One of the homes they had cleaned not long before leaving Colorado seemed a perfect fit for the type of dwelling they envisioned for themselves. “We went so far as to obtain the floor plans for the home from the builder,” recalls Beau. “It was a simple design, with an open floor plan, all on one level. We felt it made sense for us to build a house we could live in for as long as possible. We wanted to only do this once!”
Beau and Marty went to visit OakBridge Timber Framing in nearby Loudonville, Ohio to explore the possibilities of building a timber frame home on their property. “We had visited their shop previously,” says Beau, “when we first bought our land, but weren’t ready yet to build.” The company had since relocated to a larger facility, where general contractor Joseph Schrock shared space with them. Both businesses had stellar reputations for craftsmanship and service. It didn’t take long for the Langfitts to enlist the the two companies for their retirement home project.
An architect that OakBridge occasionally used for engineering plans was brought into the project at the onset to convert the Colorado blueprints to Ohio building requirements. “In addition to that floor plan we brought from Colorado,” says Beau, “we incorporated some other features we had seen out there into our house. We went with a geothermal heating system, with radiant heat in stained concrete flooring, novel for this area of Ohio ten years ago.”
The entire design/build process took just one year to complete. Marty and Beau had come to develop similar design aesthetics in the process of working together in the building trade. They were very hands-on during the project as they were living in a home they owned near Kenyan College, just twenty minutes away. “We are so glad we were close by to be able to make decisions as they came up,” says Beau, “oftentimes on the spot. I still find it difficult to wrap my head around how many decisions there were to make, and that we actually did it.”
“Beau will tell you,” says Marty, “that the entire home was designed around my bathroom. It’s actually the guest bath, but I wanted a bathtub for soaking, which required a modification of the Colorado home plans.” There were other modifications as well.
To start with, the home is handicap accessible. Extra wide interior and exterior doorways and hallways, as well as a slab walkway around the entire house, makes for easy wheelchair maneuvering, should that day come for either of the twosome. The house layout incorporates a loft area (also different from the Colorado floor plan) open to the great room below. It is not handicap accessible, but serves as extra office space and media entertainment, not essential for daily living.
“We like white,” Marty explains the color scheme. They used Behr’s “Clear Moon” interior white paint from Home Depot for all the walls. Minimalist furnishings are upholstered in white. The Langfitts found an Amish cabinetry specialist, Daniel Zook, who crafted all the cabinetry throughout the home, and it is painted white. They wanted granite countertops so contracted with Konkus Marble & Granite out of Columbus. A creamy gray stone was chosen, complimented with white subway tiles that grace the kitchen backsplash. The exterior vinyl siding is also a shade of off-white, with white trim.
The timber frame is white oak, left unstained. The Langfitts chose to retain the wood’s natural color, with a simple protective coating, and let the timbers age in place. “Sort of like what Marty and I plan to do here,” says Beau. The tawny white oak posts and beams offer a subtle contrast to the white interiors, and draw one’s attention upwards and outwards, through the massive windows they frame.
Pella windows were used throughout the home, with simple Bali blinds installed in just a few rooms for privacy. Otherwise, no window treatments interfere with the abundance of light that washes the interiors of the home, or the 360 degree views the windows offer from inside. “The windows and light were of huge importance to us,” says Marty, “and, since Beau has window cleaning duty, he might say the windows aren’t exactly low maintenance.”
When possible the couple did select low maintenance materials, such as the metal roof, which was one of the biggest decisions they made. “We were originally going with a standard architectural shingle,” says Beau, “but decided to invest in the more costly metal roof for its longer life span and less overall maintenance.” The vertical vinyl siding is also a low maintenance feature. It actually costs less than wood or Hardie Plank siding, but cleans up easier, paramount to a house in the middle of windy, dusty farm country.
“We love the fact that our house is surrounded by farms, despite the dust,” says Marty. “We enjoy the privacy, the peace and quiet. We can grow amazing food on this wonderful fertile soil. And our family is grateful that they have a country place they can come to visit.”
Small family gatherings work extremely well in the two-bedroom, two-bathroom 2,100 square foot home. Beau is a chef, so much of the visiting time is spent in the kitchen, open to the dining and great room areas. “We also enjoy entertaining our church family here,” says Beau. “They have christened it ‘Sanctuary Hill’ because it is such a quiet place, and feels worlds away from their busy daily lives.”
When the house was completed, the Langfitts were happy to show their home to many of OakBridge’s prospective clients, to help them get ideas for their own projects. The one thing they always share with people considering a timber frame home is the reality of having to clean the soaring timbers and windows.
Beau says, “For these past ten years I’ve used a window cleaning kit for inside and outside. This year the top window exteriors are going to be power washed. In addition to window washing, people need to realize the challenges inherent in reaching up to dust the soaring interior timbers. You might have to get creative to clean them at such heights. But they are worth every minute of problem solving, and labor.”
- Timber Producer: OakBridge Timber Frames, Loudonville, Ohio
- General Contractor: Joseph Schrock Premier Building,
- Loudonville, Ohio
- Two-story home m Square footage: 2,100
- Bedrooms: 2
- Bathrooms: 2