entertainmentspacesandgreatestates
builton largely inaccessible landscapes.
Onehomebuilder inRollingHills,Califor-
nia,madenewsrecently forconstructing
fivestories— includingnine lavishbed-
rooms,aMoroccan-styleTurkishbathand
evenatenniscourt—allundergroundto
staywithinthesingle-storyhomeparam-
etersdictatedbythecity,designedtonot
obstructtheoceanviews.
However, fewcanmatchthehoops
TaconicwentthroughtohaveoneMan-
hattancouple’sHamptonsbeachhouse
constructedduringthewinterso itwould
be livable intimeforsummer.“Becauseof
thefamily’sdesiretobe intheresidence
byMemorialDay,wehadtocomeupwith
aschemesothatweatherwouldn’taect
thebuildingschedule,”Tyersays.Toac-
complishthetask, theMamaroneck,New
York-basedbuilderacquiredamassive
pressurizeddomeonceusedtohousefour
tenniscourtsataprivatecountryclub in
Virginiaandhad it installedaroundthe
perimeterofthefoundationofoneofthe
beachfrontproperty’stwo14,000-square-
foothousestoprovideprotectivecoverfor
thebuild.“Wehadthebubblemodifiedtofit
thesite, thenwewereableto inflate itwith
heatersand lightssowecouldbuild ina
conditionedspacethroughthewinter,”says
Tyer,notingthatthedomewasconstructed
likeagaragewithanair-lockdoorsystem
sothatvehiclescarryingsuppliescouldgo
inandoutwithoutdeflatingthetentand
exposingthe jobsitetotheoutsideelements.
Morerecently, thesamecompany
painstakinglyconstructedasubterranean
indoorswimmingpoolbyburrowingunder
mountainsofrockandsoilextracted from
the former low-ceilingedbasementofa
19th-centuryManhattanbrownstone.And
onyetanotherproject,Taconicwascalled
upontoconvertaNewYorkpenthouse
balcony intoaglass-enclosedbreakfast
room,aprocessthatrequiredthecon-
structioncrewtobuildcantileveredscaf-
foldinghighabovethecitytoaccommodate
themassive,danglingsheetsofglass.
ForScottWallace, theresidentialdivi-
sionmanagerofAgstenConstruction,one
of the fewcontractorssanctionedbythe
Greenbrierarchitecturalreviewboard
tobuildattheexclusiveWestVirginia
sportingclub, thechallengeof luxury-
homebuilding isoften,quite literally,an
uphillbattle. “Oneofourbiggestchal-
lenges isbuildingupthesideofGreenbrier
Mountain,whereyoutypicallyhaveavery
smallareatomaneuver,”saysWallace,a
nine-yearveteranof theCharleston,West
Virginia-basedconstructionfirm.Build-
ing large-scale foundationsandmoving
insupersizedseptic
systemsonsteepslopes
—especially inwinter
rainsandsnowyconditions—requires
ingenuityandaseriouscan-doattitude.
“We’renostrangertotemptingprojects,”
addsWallace,notingsomeofthehomes
hehasbuiltslope-sideatGreenbrierareas
largeas12,000square feet. “Westartby
buildingretainingwallsand levelingupthe
ground justtobuildadrivewaytogetto
thebuildingsite,”hesays.BecauseofGreen-
brier’sstrictbuildingregulations,Wallace
saysthehomesitestypicallyhavea limited
buildingenvelope“totakeadvantageofthe
viewsandstillhidethehouse fromsight.”
What’smore,Greenbrierregulations
preventcontractors fromusingman-made
materials—suchas lightweight,manufac-
turedwood; lick-and-stickcaststone
andveneers;orcement-fibertrimsand
moldings—designedtomakethe jobeasier.
Meanwhile,Paskoskiwent to
greatheights, literally, tocreatea
FROMTOP:
This Long Island
Soundwaterfront estate
inRye, NewYork (shown
finishedaboveandas awork
inprogress at left), proved
especially challenging for
TaconicBuildersbecause
of the small amount of
propertyon the leeward side
of thehouse;workers and
subcontractorshad topark
half amileawayandbe fer-
ried to the job site invans.
MANYAREGOINGTOARCHITEC
TURALEXTREMESTOCREATE
THEHOUSEOFTHEIRDREAMS.
WINTER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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