Ron Krauss may have left Colorado to follow his Maryland bride to the Old Line State, but Colorado didn’t leave him.
When he designed and built his 16,000-square-foot home in the heart of Sparks horse country, he constructed a mountain lodge — a nod to his youth in Telluride, Colo. — amid northern Baltimore County’s rolling greens.
» Property: 1412 Gerber Lane, Sparks Glencoe 21152 (Baltimore County)
» Description: The 2-year-old stone, five-bedroom, 4.5 bathroom home sits on 2.5 acres. It has a three-car garage and a six-zone heating system with forced air, heat pumps and radiant. The house features concrete countertops in a restaurant-style kitchen, an elevator, a 100-foot gallery and a 38-feet-high great room with window walls.
» Price: $3,875,000
» Contact: Krauss Real Property Brokerage, 410-329-9898
“As far as the eye can see is what you’ll ever see,” said Krauss, of the picturesque bucolic panoramic views of about 100 acres of protected lands. Outside on any of the house’s balconies, all that can be heard is the subdued lowing of sheep or goats from the farm next door. And quiet.
A sophisticated industrial-style interior features sculptural steel staircase planks and handcrafted Santa Fe doors. A cozy nook off the kitchen features a waterfall wall.
“The entire house is green,” said Krauss.
“Those beams are hand hewn, reclaimed wood from an old barn, which was re-milled,” he said, pointing to the wood planks of the great room ceiling.
“The floor is also reclaimed wood,” he said, noting that organic and reclaimed materials were used throughout the house.
Wet bars with SubZero refrigerated drawers for beverages and wine appear throughout the connecting spaces of the house, which also includes an au pair or in-law apartment with a separate entrance as well as theater and recreation rooms on the ground-floor level. On the first floor, a second living room flanks the great room and another loft-style sitting area overlooks it from the second.
“This house is perfect for someone who likes to entertain a lot,” said Krauss.
“Also, every tub in the house has whirlpool jets, and every bathroom has fitted German-styled faucets and shower heads. Everything, including the doorknobs, was specially selected or made to fit the overall industrial look my wife loves.”
“This is healing place for me. It nourishes my soul, and I wake up happy every morning,” said Heidi Krauss, who spent 15 years traveling and living all over the West Coast before returning to Sparks.
“But I enjoy the creative process of designing and constructing a new home and am excited to start that process again.”
Heidi Silberg, who lives next door and keeps goats and pigs, said her neighbors’ home is her idea of a dream house.
“I love its creative and eclectic style and the fact that the Krausses have made a point of using recycled and natural materials,” she said.
“This area gives one the feeling of living in the country, but it’s actually three minutes from shopping, Wegmans, Hunt Valley, and easy to get on I-83 to commute to the private schools, so while you’re in the country you’re close to activities.”
