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Yellow Brook Farm - A Post and Beam Approach Leads a Path to Timeless Design
05/02/2008 - By Michael Berman
Yellow Brook Farm
A summer job painting houses for Colts Neck developer Walt Zimmer started a 30-plus-year odyssey of building adventures for Roger Mumford.
A summer job painting houses for Colts Neck developer Walt Zimmer started a 30-plus-year odyssey of building adventures for Roger Mumford. Roger’s award-winning Forefront Homes, now considered one of the most forward-thinking construction companies in the area, had its humble beginnings in 1974, when Mumford began painting houses for Zimmer Homes, one of Colts Neck’s first single-family home developers.
Roger reflected on his early years in construction as an invaluable learning experience. He remembers that Zimmer-built homes were well constructed, and that Walt Zimmer employed a full-time crew rather than subbing out work to outside contractors. Roger explains that keeping a crew on all the time created a group of finely skilled craftsmen, all of whom understood the goals of the developer and helped maintain a certain level of quality throughout the building process – from concept to design to completion. This was an important lesson to learn at an early age and it has influenced Roger’s construction philosophy ever since.
After graduating from Lafayette College (Easton, Pennsylvania) with a degree in economics, Roger had no intention of continuing to work in the construction industry. But, as fate would have it, he found painting to be a creative outlet and learned as much as he could from the highly skilled craftspeople with whom he worked side by side. This, along with his entrepreneurial spirit, led Roger to found and co-found a number of development companies, including the Matzel & Mumford group, which was sold to K. Hovnanian in 1999.
Roger’s philosophy and high standards are well represented in Yellow Brook Farm, the family home he moved into in 2005 after more than 18 months of construction. Roger reflected on the process, saying the weather had been a challenge during the year and a half of construction, but that being organized kept the project moving forward toward completion. Roger had hired builder Mark McCabe to handle the construction and in doing so found a partner in the process.
Roger discovered that Mark shared many of the same values and standards for high-quality craftsmanship and timeless design. Out of this relationship has grown Forefront Homes, a company committed to attention to detail, innovations in building, and creating houses that are “designed smaller, but live better than other homes.” Roger’s goal is to focus on designing systems that are environmentally friendly and to build homes with enduring value and appeal.
Picture perfect, the 110-acre Yellow Brook Farm is surrounded by nature’s palette of colors. Roger Mumford aspired to create a home with outbuildings that have become part of the landscape without competing with or compromising the serene setting. The use of natural materials, a carefully chosen color palette, and a perfect sense of scale achieve this goal in an elegant and timeless presentation. The post and beam house, as well as the barn-themed outbuildings, seem a perfect fit in this sprawling landscape.
The home theater is comfortable and intimate. The large leather chairs invite relaxation and enjoyment of the acoustics and superb picture quality delivered by the custom-designed home theater system. The overall design is detailed and decorative without calling attention to itself or distracting from the film-viewing experience.
The award-winning kitchen – the heart of any home – is warm and inviting. There are five wood finishes featured throughout, and color is front and center, bringing out the natural beauty of the materials. The stone floor was reclaimed from a cottage in France. Born in England, Roger brings cottage-type warmth to this space that is truly inviting; at the same time, the design delivers a complete state-of-the-art work space, perfect for any country or gourmet chef.
Roger and Mark’s Forefront Homes specializes in post and beam constructions. The goal of this type of construction is to bring the architectural elements center stage. Beautiful Pacific Northwestern Douglas fir is the material of choice in the main house. The post and beam construction is juxtaposed against a Pennsylvania stone hearth and chimney design that highlights the textural qualities found in stone against the rich, natural color of the Douglas fir. The color of the walls brings out the unique color of the natural wood and perfectly complements the classic reclaimed heart pine wide plank flooring. Roger’s early career as a painter always influences his color choices; color is treated as an architectural element rather than a finish or an afterthought. Its emotional impact and the interplay with natural materials and finishes within the overall design create a dramatic and comforting effect.
The master bedroom creates a sense of intimacy through scale and a lower ceiling than is found in the more public areas of the home. A reclaimed hand-hewn barn beam is used to create a mantel over the Pennsylvania stone hearth. A set of painted cabinets flanking the fireplace serves to break up and enhance the natural woods used throughout. A pedestal soaking tub is the focal point of the master bath. Heart pine was once again used as the flooring of choice.
The attention to detail continues into the pool house. The trusses are of knotty pine, and here the structures and architectural elements are exposed, taking on an almost sculptural quality. The ceiling fans serve to move air efficiently throughout the room and look quite elegant suspended from the vaulted ceiling.
The pool house kitchen is as carefully designed as any area in the main house. The cabinetry features knotty pine bead board detail in a painted finish, glass doors with mullions, and a Sub-Zero refrigerator to keep all the liquid refreshments at just the right temperature. The tumbled marble floors and relaxed seating area complete the inviting and casual ambience of this poolside hideaway.
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