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FeedThe Height of Living
A dynamic duo combines talents to create a dream home on high.
(page 3 of 4)
A small niche that might have become dead space was outfitted with built-in library shelves and cupboards that keep paperwork stowed neatly out of sight. A large bar cabinet can accommodate enough glassware for a party, as well as the punch bowl Cathy received as a gift on her 16th birthday. (The piece was originally mounted on legs, but Wasdyke arranged for the manufacturer to substitute a base with shelves and cabinet doors, which doubled the storage capacity.)
The condo was marketed as a three-bedroom unit. The Rossis modified the floor plan to two bedrooms and a clubby den, a man cave with leather sofas and a large flat-screen TV.
The new configuration freed up a large closet, which is outfitted with shelves from the floor up to the 10-foot ceiling. “In a condo, there’s no attic and no basement,” Cathy says. “There’s not as much room for all your stuff.”
The smart-house components required to operate the condo’s systems are contained in a single small closet. To supply the human brainpower behind the plan, the Rossis brought in Manny Alvarez of Electronic Home Solutions in Hockessin.
He integrated such features as “stealth” audio speakers, which are built into ceilings and invisible to the listener. A smart box on the nightstand alerts the Rossis to the temperature, inside and outside. And you won’t see messy wires anywhere.
“I hate wires,” Jimmy says.
Blinds raise and lower automatically, blocking the sun to keep the condo cool in summer and harnessing solar power as a supplemental heat source in winter. Ceiling fans whirl softly throughout the seasons.
“Set the fans on reverse to keep the air circulating,” Jimmy advises. “That will push down the warm air that rises.”
Page 4: The Height of Living, continues...
