A remodel gives new life to a home on Second Street
By Kendra Walker
There’s a house on Second Street in the residential historic commercial core of Crested Butte that has served many purposes over the years. From a commercial print shop, to a yoga studio, to a one-bedroom apartment, many in town know the familiar, dark-painted structure with its large glass windows that stands out in contrast next to its pastel-colored neighbors.
Over the past four years, the building has undergone a remodel that has given it a new life as owner Bonnie Priest takes on a new chapter and integrates into the Crested Butte community.
Priest bought the building formerly known as the Paper Clip in December 2020. “It was originally mixed use,” she explains. “There was an apartment on the second floor and commercial retail space on the first floor. It was the Paper Clip, a yoga studio at one point, among other things. It’s fun to hear from people about all the uses this building had. But for me, I always intended for it to be a single-family house, my home.”
Priest says she grew up skiing Crested Butte in the ‘60s and 70s, “but I hadn’t been here for 45 years.” How she found her way back, she jokes, “I am a COVID refugee. I had been living in London for 32 years and my kids were living in New York. We always did a week of skiing in Vail and we were there in 2020 when COVID hit and had to quarantine for two months. I just had one bag of ski clothes. I had every intention of going back to London.” Six months later, she was still in Colorado and couldn’t get back to the UK. “But I didn’t want to go back,” she says, “and I ended up in Crested Butte. Very quickly I decided I might be able to live here.”
Building in Crested Butte is a marathon, not a race
After buying the property, Priest began working with architect Ethan Hampton of Boulder-based Hampton Architecture on a new design for the house interior. “It really needed to be taken down to the studs,” she says. “Ethan did a great job designing the building and getting the plans ready to be built. My only requirement was that I wanted three en-suite bedrooms.”
Hampton was happy to work on this project. “I have a home on Mt. Crested Butte and have local ties. We want to do a lot more work in the community and in this special town,” he says.
Built in 1987, the building is not historic but is located in the residential historic commercial district. Per the town of Crested Butte’s BOZAR requirements, the building’s outside facade had to remain the same. “We couldn’t change anything about the outside of it,” says Priest. However, she was permitted to fill in part of the back deck and expand the inside, adding 82 square feet to the guest bedroom on the second floor.
Priest also submitted a separate permit for the accessory structure behind the house. “The accessory unit in the back was just dilapidated. It was kind of a garage-like workshop and it needed to be entirely rebuilt. We had to lift it and put in a proper foundation,” says Priest. She originally intended to turn it into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), but it was not possible due to the town’s short-term rental moratorium and the property’s minimal parking. “So we ended up turning it into a nice little gym and office space,” says Priest.
Construction began in the spring of 2021, and she and Hampton worked with Mason Construction on the framing and exterior envelope changes, but they faced COVID issues, supply chain delays and challenges with the local labor market. “We were contractor-less for a while,” explains Hampton, “but we were able to work with Michael Villanueva as our boots-on-the-ground person.”
The team continued to face uncertainties with construction and the timeline. “So much of it felt like a wait-and-see game,” says Hampton. “But Bonnie got really good at endurance. She knew what she wanted and was ready to be patient and wait for it.”
Priest ended up bringing on Ken Darby of KD Custom Builders as the new general contractor for the project. “He was a smart guy and I had some confidence in how the process was being done. He knew what he was doing,” says Priest. Hampton agrees, “He had done a remodel right next door and he was familiar with the property, infrastructure and utilities.”
Sadly, Darby passed in December 2024. “This was probably his last building that he ever finished,” says Priest.
The team also utilized several local subcontractors, including Bob Williams of Williams Engineering LLC, Darren Kennedy of Kennedy Painting, Villanueva for cabinetry and Mountain Colors.
Priest also sings her praises working with Eric Naughton on lighting. “Eric Naughton is extraordinary,” she says. “He’s creative and professional and super knowledgeable about lighting. Lighting is very important to me, it makes a huge difference. People have stopped me on the street to tell me how fantastic my lighting looks.”
Hampton agrees, “He did a wonderful job working with us to accentuate all the design elements and lights and material choices.”
Construction on the accessory structure began in the spring of 2023. Despite the main house still under construction, it was in good enough shape for Priest to move in at the end of 2023. It was finished in the summer of 2024 and the accessory unit was completed in fall of 2024.
The 1,840-square-foot finished house includes three bedrooms and bathrooms, and the 672-square-foot accessory unit includes a gym space, office, bathroom and kitchenette.
“Over the past four years, there’s been lots of waves to ride with this one. We’ve had some wins and losses and frustrations, but in the end we’re standing with a really great home with high-quality design and execution throughout,” says Hampton. “Bonnie really had a positive mindset through all the challenges that arose, and we can keep our heads high and laugh together coming out of it.”
The accessory unit was recently awarded “Project of the Year” for an accessory building remodel by the BOZAR board. “That was a nice surprise,” says Priest, and Hampton agrees. “We feel really honored to have worked with such a great client and keep a piece of Crested Butte’s history alive. We managed that process with the town quite well and Jessie Earley (senior planner for the Town of Crested Butte) is a wonderful person to work with. Jessie was very knowledgeable and a great guide throughout the process with BOZAR and design review. I understand why we honor all these historical faces in this town to keep its character and for everybody to enjoy in the future.”
“A residential gem”
The final product is a house that is concurrently sleek and cozy, thanks to simple lines, functional spaces and strategic lighting. “It really is a residential gem,” says Hampton. “It was a great opportunity to blend the historical elements with the new. They really complement each other and allow each other to pop and shine.”
The living spaces are thoughtful and minimally embellished. “It brings a level of refinement and sophistication, but also has that essence of hygge, it’s so cozy and comfortable,” says Hampton. “The quiet spaces within the interior accentuate all the views you get on the outside. It’s a really beautiful living space for Bonnie and her guests and children to enjoy.”
The house has a European vibe in its simplicity and functionality – from low-profile, handleless cabinets, to a glass stairwell and Crittall-style doors for an open and airy feeling. “I like simple lines, simple furniture, organic colors, nothing too over the top,” says Priest. “Nothing feels particularly cluttered to me. It’s very calming.”
It’s not the largest house in town, admits Priest, but every space serves a functional purpose with ample built-in storage, cabinetry and minimal design. “It’s almost like a ship,” says Hampton. “We only had so much space so we tried to give everything multiple functions with custom, built-in features with closet and storage systems and hide lighting and mechanical systems in an aesthetically pleasing way. I really feel like we succeeded in achieving that.”
The “penthouse” master bedroom is certainly the star of the show, with floor-to-ceiling windows lined along three of its four walls. “I was allowed to put in new windows, but BOZAR requires them to be the same size and style as from the original building. Thankfully, the windows were already this large size,” says Priest. “This is why I bought the house, that amazing view of Mount Crested Butte and the northern mountains from the master bedroom. It’s great to wake up to, it’s so light and warm up here.”
Each bathroom has the same materials and aesthetic of clean, soft lines for a cohesive flow throughout the house. Priest’s open office space on the second-floor landing allows her to utilize the guest bedrooms for family and visitors. She uses the accessory unit space out back for workouts, an extra office when family come to visit and even happy hours with friends. “It’s so nice to have another space to go to that’s not in the main house,” she says. “It’s fun to change it up.”
Priest also incorporated much of her artwork originally from her place in London, including eclectic and whimsical works by friends and family that add pops of color and character to the house. “I took this move as an opportunity to really simplify my life, getting rid of clothes and stuff I had accumulated back in London. But I kept a lot of my artwork that I already had. Every piece has a bit of meaning to me. It kind of made this huge move and change in my life more comfortable because I still have familiar bits around me.”
Priest’s move to Crested Butte has also sparked other family members to join her in Paradise. “My daughter bought a house in CB South last year. Who knew? She grew up in London, went to school and worked in New York City, and now here she is loving mountain life. And my son’s in-laws coincidentally bought a house in CB South as well. It’s so fun to have all this extended family here now, especially during the holidays.”
Priest is relieved to have the construction process behind her, and she can now simply enjoy her home. “It was kind of a nightmare to get built,” she admits. “It took two-and-a-half years until I could move in, and another two to completion, but I did get there in the end. I really love living here, I really love the house. It immediately felt like home.”
Not only does the house feel like home for Priest, so does Crested Butte. “There is such a great sense of community here, there are people my age who are active and I’m hiking and cross-country skiing. I play a lot of pickleball. I do it all,” she says. “It’s really become my place.”
