Nitta Yuma Studio

My wife and I own property in Boulder County, Colorado and wanted a cabin so that we could spend more time away from the hot, humid summer weather in Kentucky. We also wanted to have family and friends come visit and stay with us. After discussing this with Jeffrey C Smith, a Kentucky registered architect of some note, he came back with initial ideas of how to make use of an already existing excavation and footers left by the prior owner while staying within the size guidelines and other requirements of Boulder County. A year of revisions and interviews of contractors later, we settled on a cabin plan and a builder , thanks to Jeff's wise input. the cabin uses large beetle- kill pine ponderosa pine from Colorado for the walls and custom made douglass fir post and beam timbers to support the second floor as well as the roof. These are made in North Carolina and assembled on-site using traditional mortise and tenon joinery which was exactly the look that we'd told Jeff we wanted. Jeff was on-site during this 2 week erection phase to insure that the components from different suppliers fit together while maintaining the integrity of the structure. Jeff was also instrumental in helping us find special low E windows and SIPS roof panels to meet the required HERS energy rating in Boulder County. Jeff's help continued on into the finish carpentry phase with timely sketches to guide the design of the inside and outside railings, the stairs, the light fixtures and the ceiling finish. My wife and I feel that it was a combination of Jeff's professional experience, excellent listening skills and willingness to challenge our preconceived ideas that resulted in our owning a custom-built home that perfectly expresses the way we live and entertain friends and family.

It was a real pleasure to work with Jeff on Lodge-style housing. Jeff works exceptionally well with clients, he listens carefully to clearly understand their unique goals, remains within budget, and completes the project on-time. With our project, he was very cognizant of the desired outcome, and included design elements to foster the development of a sense of community. Throughout the design and construction, Jeff communicated with us frequently and with great specificity. In addition, Jeff has access to a diverse array of specialty contractors (e.g. stacked stone features). His knowledge, architectural skills, and the quality of his work are outstanding.