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Craftsman-Style Home Nestled In The Black Mountain Woods

Featured in NC Design, April 2015
Every home design has its unique challenges, along with its own unique beauty. In our featured home today, Asheville interior designer Talli Roberts, ASID, president of Allard & Roberts Interior Design, was tasked with creating a simple, clean and beautiful design, amid a wealth of complex challenges. The home was a cozy Craftsman-style new build nestled in the Black Mountain woods. The homeowners were a couple looking to create a retirement oasis that would meet some very specific demands. Talli pulled the project off seamlessly, providing the clients with a truly gorgeous, timeless and functional living space. North Carolina Design spoke with her to find out more about how she helped bring this home to life.
The Houston Residence
Living Stone and Houzz
We love the Houzz website which is geared for people looking to build a new construction home, remodel an existing home, or for decorating inspiration for their current home. We introduce all of our clients to Houzz so they can begin building an “ideabook” for their project. “Ideabooks” help us as we work in design and throughout the project to get a feel of the clients’ tastes and preferences.
Living Stone has been awarded “Best in Houzz for design AND service for the last 3 years.

The Skylar Grande for the Strittmatters!
“He does things right for the sake of doing them right and that was the impression we got with every facet of our experience with Living Stone. That made us just be able to trust them and trust their system.” Carol Strittmatter
Support for Army Green Beret, Jerry Gass
On August 3rd 2014, the men of ODA 3131 lost a brother, and the Gass family lost a father, husband, brother, and son when Girard “Jerry” Gass died of a massive heart attack while on a combat operation in Afghanistan. Jerry suffered a heart attack after conducting a helicopter infiltration to secure a highly contested governmental district center in remote Afghanistan. The last thing Jerry did before he died was evacuate a fellow soldier off of the battlefield.
Why install Geothermal Heat Pumps?
Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps, have been in use since the late 1940s. They use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300% to 600%) on the coldest winter nights, compared to 175% to 250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.
Although many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes — from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter—a few feet below the earth’s surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The GHP takes advantage of this by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger.
Add Green to Your Home — and Your Pocketbook — by Remodeling
The rapid growth of green building means that new home owners can take advantage of the lower operating and maintenance costs that come with these energy- and resource-efficient homes.
But for the 120 million existing homes in the United States, remodeling is the only way for home owners to incorporate green practices. NAHB Remodelers offers the following suggestions to home owners who want to increase their home’s efficiency, decrease costs and take advantage of the other benefits that green offers.
The Berstch-Furimsky Residence
The Japalachian Residence
The Allans Residence
Preventative Maintenance
2023 National Custom Home Builder of the Year
30+ Years of Design-Build Experience
Green Building Leadership
We prioritize designing and building homes that are as low-maintenance as possible—but no home is maintenance-free. Much like a high-performance vehicle, a high-performance home is designed to perform at a higher level, but it still requires thoughtful, routine care to keep it operating at its best. Living Stone Concierge helps protect that performance—and your investment—by giving you a trusted team to manage the ongoing care your home needs for years to come.
Two Premier Services
One Team, Long After Move-In
Membership
Preventative Maintenance Program
By Project
Custom Care Plan
1
Point of Contact
4
Pillars of care
30+
Years Building Homes
How the program Works
Four Pillars of Concierge Care
Through the Preventative Maintenance Program, your Living Stone Concierge delivers single point of contact service, so you no longer need to worry about finding trusted service contractors or waiting countless hours for them to show up. When there are third party workers in your home you can rest easy that your Living Stone Concierge will be there monitoring and ensuring a quality job is done.
Prevent
Repair
Improve
Your home should evolve with the way you live. Our Custom Care team handles personalized improvements—from hanging artwork and installing shelving to building fences and completing those finishing touches that make your home work better for you.
Trust
We believe your time is better spent enjoying your home than managing it. Our team takes care of the details, giving you one trusted resource and access to our network of proven professionals—so your home is cared for and your time stays yours.

Michael Blackstone
Warranty Specialist
As the overseer of our Preventative Maintenance Plan, he meticulously examines every detail of your home to ensure it is perfectly finished and maintained. With a wealth of experience in home construction and renovation from his years with various trade-related companies, Michael is the ultimate guardian of Living Stone standards. Beyond his professional expertise, Michael is a family man with a son, residing in the charming community of Old Fort. Entrust your project to Michael, where craftsmanship meets care.
Preventative Maintenance
2023 National Custom Home Builder of the Year
30+ Years of Design-Build Experience
Green Building Leadership
We prioritize designing and building homes that are as low-maintenance as possible—but no home is maintenance-free. Much like a high-performance vehicle, a high-performance home is designed to perform at a higher level, but it still requires thoughtful, routine care to keep it operating at its best. Living Stone Concierge helps protect that performance—and your investment—by giving you a trusted team to manage the ongoing care your home needs for years to come.
Two Premier Services
One Team, Long After Move-In
Membership
Preventative Maintenance Program
By Project
Custom Care Plan
1
Point of Contact
4
Pillars of care
30+
Years Building Homes
How the program Works
Four Pillars of Concierge Care
Through the Preventative Maintenance Program, your Living Stone Concierge delivers single point of contact service, so you no longer need to worry about finding trusted service contractors or waiting countless hours for them to show up. When there are third party workers in your home you can rest easy that your Living Stone Concierge will be there monitoring and ensuring a quality job is done.
Prevent
Repair
Improve
Your home should evolve with the way you live. Our Custom Care team handles personalized improvements—from hanging artwork and installing shelving to building fences and completing those finishing touches that make your home work better for you.
Trust
We believe your time is better spent enjoying your home than managing it. Our team takes care of the details, giving you one trusted resource and access to our network of proven professionals—so your home is cared for and your time stays yours.

Michael Blackstone
Warranty Specialist
As the overseer of our Preventative Maintenance Plan, he meticulously examines every detail of your home to ensure it is perfectly finished and maintained. With a wealth of experience in home construction and renovation from his years with various trade-related companies, Michael is the ultimate guardian of Living Stone standards. Beyond his professional expertise, Michael is a family man with a son, residing in the charming community of Old Fort. Entrust your project to Michael, where craftsmanship meets care.




