“We bought the house for the lot,“ says Billy, who had spent 18 years living on the mountain before making the transition downtown. The building was one of many miner’s homes located at Mount Harris in the early 1900s. When a catastrophic explosion closed the mine in the 1940s, most of the buildings that formed the surrounding town were auctioned off and relocated. 

Oliver Dalzell races down the staircase, where a customized metal railing replaces the original wall. Photo by Suzi Mitchell. 

The Dalzells’ house was one of several bound for Steamboat. “It was very compartmentalized and offered little natural light,” Devon says. 

The family lived in the house for 10 years before embarking on a major renovation in 2017. “Our main goal was to open things up and feature the view of the creek from the living space,” Billy says. The couple collaborated with local architect Erik Lobeck of WorkshopL and building contractor Marc Lyman of Crestone Construction. “My main motivation was to have a mud room,” says Devon, who spends much of her time corralling the couple’s sons, Oscar and Oliver, along with the family dog, Dave. 

Billy and Devon worked with Scott Graham of SG Cabinetry on the overall design of the kitchen, which serves as the hub of the home. Photo by Dustin Posiak-Trider.

The couple added 12 feet to the backside of the house, with large windows and French doors installed to integrate the garden. Interior walls were taken down to create an open-plan kitchen and living space. Scott Graham of SG Cabinetry worked with the couple on the overall design. Navy cabinets compliment a sizeable island in white quartz, which serves as a focal point in the room. 

In the seating area, a steel fireplace built by Tim Wilson of Steamboat Steel and Sign offers a tempting space for reading on colder days. A small hallway leads to a powder room and Devon’s salvation during COVID-19: a home office. “We’ve been really lucky through the pandemic to have such usable space,” Billy says. “In the summer we lived in the yard.” 

The couple used KP Landscaping to assist with the layout of the garden. The family spends a great deal of time outdoors, where a large vegetable garden, tree house, creek and zipline offer plenty to keep everyone occupied. Photo by Dustin Posiak-Trider.

The couple worked with KP Landscaping to lay out the design of the outdoor space. They planted a large vegetable garden on the far side of the creek, accessed by crossing an existing wooden bridge which Billy renovated. The kids have a hand-built tree house to hole up in and a zip line to careen across the lawn. 

It’s an idyllic spot that lures friends over all year round, except of course in a pandemic. For now, it’s a playground just for them.