Dream Home

DURANGO DREAM HOME SACHS

By Graham Coffey

Up on Florida Mesa lies a home as unique as any the Durango area has to offer. The ranch house sits on a large plot of land featuring mountain views in every direction. The scenery surrounding the home is so good that the owners wanted a few different outdoor spaces, one for each of the mountain ranges they can enjoy from the property. On one side is a large round island patio with views of the La Plata Mountains. On another side is a patio with a hot tub, where the residents can soak while views of the HD Mountains wash over them. Just for good measure, a third patio features an above-ground firepit with more long-distance views.

Those types of outdoor spaces certainly aren’t something you’d find at most properties. But what is even more unique is that the property houses multiple generations of the same family—and each one of those inhabitants has tastes of their own. While most builders might balk at the task of designing and building a home where the style of construction and decor changes room by room, this home is the type of project that contractor Rob Sachs and his team at Sachs Construction specialize in.

You might know the Sachs Construction name for the firm’s numerous commercial projects in downtown Durango. Even if you weren’t aware at the time, if you’ve been in the area long, you’ve probably enjoyed an evening in a place they built. While Sachs is known for building and designing Durango staples like El Moro and Chimayo, he and his team also excel outside the restaurant category.

In certain circles, Sachs is even more renowned for his high-end custom residential projects, but since most of his residential clientele request anonymity, the Durango public only gets rare glimpses into some of the unique projects his firm has undertaken. Despite that, Sachs Construction is very much in demand for its unique custom homes, because they excel with clients who want a more out-of-the-box design. The firm’s uniqueness also stems from its downtown Durango office space, which was formerly a locally famous Victorian-themed bar called The Pelican’s Nest.

Durango Magazine sat down with Sachs in his downtown office, and it was immediately clear that 38 years of construction experience have molded him into a man who is unafraid of anything that can go wrong on

Photos courtesy of Brandon Mathis a jobsite. Still, that doesn’t mean he takes his work lightly. “When you go buy a car and you walk into the dealership, you obviously feel like you want to be taken care of. But if something goes wrong, and you end up with the wrong purchase, it’s fairly easy to turn around and sell your vehicle. A house is the largest investment most people are going to make in a lifetime. It’s a huge investment, and we want to be sure that we get it right the first time, and we want to make sure they are comfortable with the plan and know exactly what they are getting.... We won’t pull the trigger on something until we know it’s right.”

In the case of the house on Florida Mesa, Sachs and his team wanted to design a home that was right both for how the family lives as a unit and for the lifestyles and tastes of each individual. That meant being very cognizant of each person’s design tastes. “Every bedroom has its own suite bathroom, and each member of the family had specific requirements for colors and styles that they wanted their space customized to,” Sachs explained.

One of the clients loved wild colors, so the Sachs team worked hard to understand her vision. “The important thing is really listening to the client and hearing what they’re saying and being able to go out on that limb with them. We truly get involved with these people, and they are getting direct interaction with me and the project manager on a daily basis. It’s a hands-on boutique experience, and we really develop close relationships with our clients,” said Sachs.

Aside from creating multiple spaces customized to each family member’s personality, the Sachs team was also responsible for creating the gathering spaces where the family and their guests congregate. The

family loves to entertain on Friday nights, and their kitchen features a 60-inch Thermador range and multiple ovens so they can prepare meals for large groups of friends. The beverage center serves as an open invitation for guests to make their preferred cocktail. This home was made to gather in, and the dining area was designed around a custom table that seats 24. The warmth from the great room’s fireplace naturally draws the party in for conversation and laughter before and after meals.

The opportunity to build homes and curate experiences like these is one that Sachs cherishes, and he credits the Durango community for giving him the opportunity to be successful. “There are a million builders in this town, and we take it very seriously when someone selects us. Building a home is a huge emotional and financial investment, and we fight every day to take care of that trust. I’m very blessed to do what I do,” he says, “and I’m very grateful that people select us.”