Toll Brothers is known for creating production homes that have a luxury feel, but the firm has taken this mission to a new level with its offerings at the Adero Canyon community near Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tucked into a dramatic hillside site and surrounded by natural rock outcroppings, the contemporary-styled one- and two-level homes look like they belong in a nearby vacation resort. Soaring ceilings, oversized windows, and well-placed views of the stunning surroundings make it hard to believe the homes aren’t custom-built.
Christopher Mayer
Toll’s five models at Adero Canyon came online earlier this year in three different styles—contemporary, modern, and Prairie—and range in size from 3,200 square feet to 4,600 square feet. Each one is designed to maximize indoor–outdoor living with a range of al fresco spaces including side courtyards, covered outdoor dining rooms, front patios, and backyard decks.
“Knowing we had such a special piece of land, we went to the drawing board to create a community feel that would really embrace the natural beauty of the surrounding area,” says Kevin Rosinski, Toll senior division vice president.
For the 4,008-square-foot Plan 5 Sullivan model (the 2017 Gold Nugget Home of the Year), Irvine, Calif.-based architect Bob Tyler placed the main living spaces and master suite on the second level in order to maximize the desert vistas and plentiful daylighting. This “upside down” approach allows the home to look out over a section of single-story homes to city lights beyond. It created a challenge, though, in how to bring visitors up from the street level.
Christopher Mayer
To solve the problem, Tyler designed the front entryway as a series of slowly ascending levels that graciously lead to the front door. Each level is no more than four steps higher than the last, and inside the front door, a two-story-high foyer continues to the second-floor living spaces.
The well-appointed gourmet kitchen features a large center island with breakfast bar for informal dining, ample counter and cabinet space, a walk-in pantry, and covered front balcony access. The master bedroom is accented by a generous walk-in closet, master bath with dual-sink vanity, soaking tub, glass-enclosed shower with seat, water closet, and optional private deck. Accessed by a back stairway, the lower level contains a large courtyard, secondary bedrooms, and a guest casita that all have direct access to the patio, outdoor dining area, and pool.
Christopher Mayer
“There’s as much activity on the lower level as on the upper living areas,” Tyler says. He infused the model with a bespoke feeling while staying on budget through the use of dynamic butterfly roof forms, a prefabricated truss system, and cost-effective mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. “We were able to execute some excitement in the great room areas with the use of volume spaces,” he said, noting that the ceilings on Plan 5 are as high as 14 feet.
Toll took special care to ensure that the landscaping would enhance the home’s resort feel; the landscape architect was involved from the earliest planning stages. “They worked with us to make sure the exterior areas tie in from a design standpoint to the architecture,” Tyler says.
Christopher Mayer
Influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s nearby Taliesin West, the home boasts abundant glazing that brought special considerations for how to keep occupants cool during sweltering summer days. This was offset with high-efficiency windows and HVAC systems and covered patios that provide passive shading. The end result is a dynamic home on par with any of the area’s of-the-moment custom-built dwellings.
“The very contemporary Sullivan exterior is soft and respectful of the environment through the use of natural materials, subdued color palettes, and special attention to massing,” says Tyler. “All of these houses were some of most exciting to work on because we were able to do architectural styles you don’t find in very many developments.”
Project Adero Canyon, Sullivan Plan 5
Gold Nugget Category Home of the Year
Location Fountain Hills, Ariz.
Architect RFT Design, Irvine, Calif.
Builder Toll Brothers, Horsham, Pa.
Landscape Architect Creative Environments, Tempe, Ariz.
Interior Designer Est Est, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Size 4,008 square feet
Site Size 0.3 acre
Price $1.07 million
View more 2017 Gold Nugget Awards winners and coverage here.
