This Cabin Stands as a Testament to Perseverance After Taking a Decade to Complete

Main Living Space The multipurpose room includes an open kitchen with handcrafted cabinets and White Macaubas quartzite countertops. The Gracie Oaks swing arm lamps, Mercury Row pendant lights and Kody vegan leather stools are all from Wayfair. | Photo: Maddy B Creates

Where some people see obstacles, others discover opportunities. That was the case for Nathaniel Farber, a recent college graduate who happened upon a two-acre parcel of land for sale that had been scorched by Boulder’s Fourmile Canyon Fire in 2010 but had a stunning view of Sugarloaf Mountain.

“I thought it would be really cool to have a piece of land and do some kind of project,” Farber says. “Fresh out of college and yearning for a creative outlet, I saw an opportunity to turn this blank canvas into something special.” And he certainly did. But it would end up taking 10 years.

Exterior The cabin includes a spacious front porch for enjoying mountain views. | Photo: Maddy B Creates

Farber decided to build a home, using his background in mechanical engineering to sketch basic blueprints and eventually secure a building permit. After removing the charred remains of a previous house—renting a backhoe and picking up excavation skills—Farber started work on a new structure.

With hands-on help from friends, family and his then-girlfriend Katie Albee (who later became his wife), Farber devoted weekends and evenings to construction. “My plans were nothing fancy, leaving plenty of room for improvisation along the way,” he says. “I pretty much had to learn everything, but I wasn’t afraid of any of it.”

Living Room A Nova sofa and Ceni chair from Article are joined by a marble-topped pedestal coffee table and Foundational glass table lamp from West Elm, with a Brightech Mason floor lamp from Wayfair. | Photo: Maddy B Creates

Although he did consult with a structural engineer, Farber taught himself a myriad of skills, from understanding complex building codes and operating heavy machinery to becoming a certified welder and figuring out how to build concrete forms. “As construction progressed, I set up a workshop within the partially finished space where I learned the art of woodworking and metalworking,” Farber says. “I crafted every interior and exterior door, the staircase, all the cabinets and many of the furniture pieces.”

He used exterior materials including corrugated metal and dense cumaru wood to meet ignition resistance requirements. The home fits into the hillside, oriented toward the south with a wall of windows to take advantage of stunning mountain views and passive solar gains. A garage/workshop and entrance are on the lower level, while the upper level (approximately 1,000 square feet) consists of a single high-ceiling space with  Douglas fir beams offering zones for kitchen, dining, living and sleeping functions, plus a separate bathroom. The aesthetic is simple and minimalist, with an open and airy design partly inspired by city lofts.

Hallway Artwork by Sue Jachimiec hangs above a Farber-built console table. | Photo: Maddy B Creates

And, thanks to radiant floor heating and abundant sunshine, the home remains cozy even when the mountains are blanketed in snow. Albee, who now specializes in interior design and real estate at Boulder-based Care Realty Co., collaborated with Farber to determine the interior layout and final material choices. “It felt right to choose design elements that were mostly natural in color and understated, while also maintaining the feeling of light and expansiveness,” she says.

“It was about getting the balance right of warm and cool elements and hard and soft elements to maintain our vision of what felt to us to be ‘Mountain Modern.’” Finally, after a decade of hard work and undaunted ingenuity, Farber finished his home. “With each challenge I faced, I learned valuable lessons,” he says. “The cabin stands today as a testament to perseverance and the joy of creating something with my own two hands.”

Bedroom World Market chairs are matched with a Target ottoman and a Lulu and Georgia Taza rug beside a bed handcrafted by Farber. The white capiz Lotus pendants and Cyra table lamps are also from World Market. | Photo: Maddy B Creates

Exterior The compact and contemporary two-story structure includes ample garage and workshop space below a high-ceilinged living space, with plenty of windows to welcome the Colorado sunshine. | Photo: Maddy B Creates

Photo: Maddy B Creates
Architecture: Nathaniel Farber
Interior Design: Katie Albee
Construction: Nathaniel Farber and Katie Albee