For The Love of a Pool

For these West Des Moines homeowners, their building project began with the desire to add a pool to their property. “There just wasn’t room at our previous home,” says the husband, “so we started looking for lots.”

His wife explains, “We really wanted a lot in the city but that felt as if we were in the country.” They found a 3¼-acre lot at Eldorado Point in West Des Moines, complete with the backdrop of a forested area, which showcases the stunning wooded setting of the executive lots of the neighbors, complete with a variety wildlife.

They picked their builder, K&V Homes, and then worked on the house plan with Plum Design Services in Waukee. “It’s good to work with a residential designer,” says Randy Milder, design manager at Plum. “We like to sit down with people and discuss room-by-room their thoughts, wishes, and needs for getting everything laid out in the way they live their everyday lives.”

He says some homeowners might bring photos or have ideas they have liked in other homes they have seen and others just know the rooms they want in their new home. “For this particular home, they wanted a timeless look. For that reason, as well as for the home’s setting, we added an eyebrow dormer and different details and materials to carry out that look. Inside the home, it takes on a classic look with two stairways.”

Dean Vogel, who, along with Colin King, owns K&V Homes, says, “Each home and each project are unique. Each one is tailored to the differences and choices that each homeowner brings to the project.”

He says the process is the same when it comes to home building. “There might be a few hiccups, often due to the lot itself. That can cause the process to take a little longer. This home was interesting because it has two stairways, and one is curved. It turned out beautifully.”

FULL OF STYLE

“We really liked K&V’s craftsmanship,” the wife explains. The home style is transitional, as in a “fresh traditional,” she says. It’s clean-cut with lots of subtle details.

Enter the huge double front door to the owners’ dream home. Immediately you feel the presence of size and space. The 19½-foot ceilings in the entry enhanced by the curved stairway showcase the airy feel. To the right is the husband’s office, illuminated by windows in the two-story space, which has a 16-foot ceiling.

Down the hall are a dramatic powder room with dark walls and white trim and the wife’s office.

As subtle as some of the details in the home are, there’s a lot of bling in the lighting. In the kitchen, for example, crystal chandeliers hang over the island. There are shiny lights in the front entryway and in several of the bathrooms. “I just love a little sparkle,” says the wife. “I had lots of fun adding it throughout our home.” For some of the design details, she used advice from Jillian Lare of Morris Lare Interior Design.

The wide-open great room showcases the living area with its centerpiece fireplace that is flanked by window seats on both sides. The dining room with its nearly 11-foot table is the gathering spot for meals. On either side of the doorway into the living room are two cabinets painted in French blue, the wife’s favorite color. That shade repeats on the base of the huge kitchen island, too, for a punchy spot of color.

The kitchen with its huge bank of cabinetry is a vision in white. “For each kitchen component, there’s a space designated in the cabinet wall,” according to the wife. For example, one opened cabinet has plug-ins for countertop appliances and bifold doors for a smooth surface when that area is in use. Behind the cabinet wall is the huge walk-in pantry. Nearby, under the front stairway, is a dog room, featuring a custom wrought iron door so the family’s pet can observe the action in the home.

DROP ZONES

Behind the pantry are the drop zones, one unit for two young children and another for the parents. That area opens onto two side-by-side garages.

The back hallway from the kitchen opens to a den and television-watching area with a 75-inch screen. The doorway to the room can be seen from the kitchen. This hallway also leads to the main floor laundry room. The whole area caters to the use of the pool, with towel storage, as well as a bathroom just inside the door that leads outside. Dark engineered hardwood flooring is waterproofed.

The stairway to the lower level leads to a huge playroom—the parents call it a Lego lab—and to two guest rooms, each with its own bath. The lower level also has a gym and a sauna. The home has 6,500-plus square feet, plus two double garages.

The second floor houses the children’s bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Also upstairs are the primary bedroom, a second-floor laundry, closets, and a spalike primary bath with a soaker tub. The primary bedroom features huge windows that overlook the backyard.

Out the kitchen door is a covered patio with a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and lots of seating. The centerpiece of the back area is the inviting 20- × 40-foot pool, which gently increases from 3 to 6 feet in depth.

For the homeowners, the home and its amenities are a dream come true. •