Mountain Residence 2, Franklin NC, Castle Home Architect
Being a castle home architect is invigorating for this Blue Ridge mountain architectural firm.
(C)Copyright 2005-2010 Rand Soellner, All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Designed by Castle home architect Rand Soellner.
Rand Soellner Architect never imagined, when he began taking drafting courses when in his mid-teens that he would one day actually become a castle home architect. Over the decades, he has prepared for this. He toured the largest and most impressive French castles in and around Paris in 2000, while on architectural assignment overseas. He and his wife toured Bavaria (southern Germany) in 2003 for 2 weeks, studying the magnificent cathedrals of the Reformation Era and before. All of these experiences, in addition to Rand’s full-time job as a mansion architect helped prepare him for the enjoyable work of being a castle home architect.
Castle home architect recieves inquiries from around the planet.
Rand Soellner has received inquiries for him to design castles from England, Australia, Ireland, Canada and the United States. This particular one is in the countryside near Franklin, North Carolina. It is for a couple that loved history and detail and art. As the castle home architect, Soellner knew from his study of medieval structures that timber frames could serve as the backbone for a large residence, even though most official giant castles like Notre Dame and Chartres had rock vaults supporting the structure.
Castle home architect uses timber frame interior structure.
This particular castle has a timber frame interior structure bolted to very thick stud walls (2×8). Soellner designed some spectacular timber roof trusses for the home. The front elevation has a rose window, which is a very large round upper clearstory window. In cathedrals, like Notre Dame, the rose windows are typically made of stained glass. Here, it is clear, to facilitate views from the 2nd floor loft.
The main level has a giant grand hall with a fireplace so large you can do jumping jacks inside of it. The kitchen is very large, with a huge island and nearly every appliance known to man. The range is 60″ wide (Wolf) and there is a walk-in-pantry and grand dining area as part of the open plan living space. Only a castle home architect would know how to organize grand spaces like these.
Bamberg castle studied by the Soellners during a visit to Bavaria, in preparation of this castle home design project.
Castle home architect Rand Soellner designed this one-of-a-kind Appalachian style stone castle for clients on 50+ acres between Highlands and Franklin, NC. The mansion has over 9,365 heated square feet and over 16,015 sf gross including the outdoor living room, outdoor kitchen, outdoor sleeping rooms, decks and waterfall balconies and terraces. Nestled onto a sloping boulder field on the side of a mountain, Soellner enhanced some natural springs and created two man-made recirculating waterfalls that pass under the mountain-facing decks, through pumps and out over the monumental steps on the main view side. Spectacular flying buttresses of stone, reminiscent of Notre Dame Cathedral brace the front and side elevations and the guest entry gallery. 9 foot tall arched Loewen windows made of Douglas fir grace the perimeter. A slate roof shelters the home and copper gutters and downspouts drain rainfall away. The terrace at one time included an indoor lap pool, recording studio, home laboratory( Igor!)-office, crafts room, additional bedrooms and storage. These are the sorts of programs with which a castle home architect deals. The main level has a magnificent Great Room, open plan Kitchen-Breakfast-Dining, Master Suite with palatial bathroom, multiple fireplaces, several guest bedroom suites, garage and outdoor living spaces that capture the long-range mountain views. A glass View elevator affords views over the swimming pool on the Terrace Level up to the Breakfast area on the main level.
In addition, Rand Soellner is also a custom home architect. He designs a variety of home in a variety of locations for clients and site all over the USA. He has also designed projects overseas. Please click on: mountain homes architect for information about Rand Soellner and his designs in steep terrain. He creates residential projects for flat land as well, even in suburbia, to suit your project requriements.
Contact for castle home architect :
Rand Soellner Architect
www.HomeArchitects.com
RandSoellner@earthlink.net
828-743-6010
