Building a custom home in Boulder is more than a construction project; it’s the creation of a sanctuary, a basecamp for a life well-lived, and a reflection of your personal journey. At Stillwater Architecture, we believe the process of designing that home should be as thoughtfully crafted as the final structure. We are a boutique firm dedicated to a philosophy of deep partnership, creating singular homes that are as unique as the families who inhabit them.
Unlike typical firms, your vision is never handed off to a junior designer. When you work with Stillwater, you work directly with our founding partners, Robert Gilbert and Michael Donohue. This is our promise of “people accommodation”—a hands-on, collaborative journey where we serve not only as your designers but as your dedicated advocates, managing the complex logistics and providing unwavering support from the first sketch to the day you move in.
We believe our work speaks for itself. Our portfolio is not a catalog of a single style, but a testament to our ability to listen intently and translate our clients’ diverse visions into architectural reality. Below is a look at how we’ve helped families create their own perfect piece of Boulder.
For many, the process of creating a custom home can feel complex and intimidating. We simplify it by framing our work as a transparent, five-phase journey we embark on together. Our role is to be your expert guide, ensuring the experience is as enjoyable and seamless as the final result.
Every project, regardless of scale, begins with conversation. We take the time to understand your life—your family’s unique dynamic, your daily routines, how you vacation, what you cherish. This dialogue becomes a detailed design program, a document we craft together that outlines every room, function, and detail. This foundational step ensures our very first design is a direct reflection of your vision, often incredibly close to the final plan.
A home in Boulder shouldn’t just sit on the land; it should be born from it. We see the unique characteristics of your property—the dramatic views, the specific terrain, the path of the sun—as the primary inspiration for the design. We don’t impose a style. Instead, we allow the landscape to inform the architecture, creating a home that feels intrinsically connected to its stunning natural surroundings.
Our commitment extends far beyond the blueprints. We believe a core part of our service is shielding you from the tedious minutia that can make a project stressful. We remain your central point of contact throughout construction, collaborating closely with the builder to ensure every detail is executed to our exacting standards. We are your advocates on-site, answering questions, solving problems, and ensuring the architectural integrity of your vision is flawlessly brought to life.
Boulder is one of the most beautiful, and most challenging, places to build in the country. Successfully creating a home here requires more than just great design; it demands deep, hard-won local expertise.
We design homes that are intelligently adapted to Boulder’s four-season climate, from managing heavy snow loads to maximizing passive solar gain and planning for high winds. We are fluent in the region’s architectural language, from historic preservation to the clean lines of mountain contemporary design, and we excel at creating homes that feel both innovative and contextually appropriate.
The City and County of Boulder are, frankly, top of the food chain when it comes to municipal oversight. The process is longer, more complex, and more expensive than almost anywhere else. This isn’t to discourage, but to empower you with a realistic, experienced guide who can navigate it effectively.
We believe great architecture is timeless but also forward-thinking. We are constantly exploring emerging trends and technologies to build homes that are not only beautiful and functional today, but also resilient, efficient, and healthy for years to come.
Beyond standard green building codes, we have the expertise to guide clients who wish to pursue the highest levels of sustainability. This includes applying Passive House principles for drastic energy reduction, designing with fire-resilient materials and strategies, and engineering systems to achieve Net-Zero energy goals.
We practice the principle that connecting our living spaces to the natural world enhances our well-being. This philosophy of biophilic design informs our work, as we intentionally blur the lines between inside and out—using expansive glass to frame views, creating seamless transitions to outdoor living spaces, and using natural materials that create a calm, restorative atmosphere.
Our process is broken into five clear phases: Preliminary Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding/Negotiation, and Construction Services. While the design phase can be efficient, be aware that the permitting process in Boulder can add significant time compared to other regions. We provide a detailed, realistic timeline at the start of every project.
The primary difference is direct access and accountability. At Stillwater, you work exclusively with a founding partner throughout the entire project. We intentionally limit the number of projects we take on to ensure we can provide the focus, creativity, and 24/7 availability that a high-end custom home deserves.
Budgeting is a core part of the design process from day one. We establish a realistic budget during the initial programming phase. We often bring a trusted builder into the conversation early to provide cost feedback on preliminary designs, allowing us to align the architecture with your financial goals long before construction begins.
Creating your home should be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of your life. If you value a deeply collaborative, personal, and expert-guided process, we invite you to connect with us.
Boulder
P.O. Box 1742, Boulder, CO 80306
720-441-7460
