My House: When a Hawk Screeched, Musician Nathaniel Rateliff Knew This Was the Place

Nathaniel Rateliff is accustomed to life on the highway. After rising to fame in 2015 alongside his band, The Evening Sweats, the favored folks musician has constructed a profession touring the globe, enjoying soulful, thumping songs like “You Fear Me” and “S.O.B.” to audiences at sold-out reveals.

However in 2020, he had set out on a solo tour when it was lower quick by the pandemic, which had a silver lining. At unfastened ends, he had the uncommon alternative to speculate further time and power into his new Colorado property in Littleton, Colorado, a five-acre lot with a lackluster dwelling surrounded by rocky outcroppings simply 10 minutes from Purple Rocks Amphitheatre. Nathaniel cleared brush, picked up discarded brick from a neighbor, and sourced lighting fixtures, amongst different tasks.

As for the residence itself, Nathaniel labored with Denver agency Neoera Structure + Design to show it right into a character-filled house the place he might make music, host dinner events, and decompress together with his fiancé, movie director Taylor McFadden. In keeping with Neoera founder Emily Adams, the 4,000-square-foot dwelling was in good condition however sure parts, like painted wooden siding, was “fairly terrible.” Adams changed it with yakisugi, and added a number of wooden slatted decks, amongst different updates.

As for the house’s newfound soul? That’s all Nathaniel. Right here, he walks Dwell via the small print that went into making the property the proper dwelling base between excursions.

Dwell: What drew you to the property within the first place?

Nathaniel Rateliff: I had a pal, Spencer, who did actual property, and he was sending me properties. On the time, I used to be working nonstop. I occurred to be dwelling in my drummer’s basement on a bit twin mattress, and, on the similar time, I used to be renting a spot exterior of Breckenridge, Colorado, up within the mountains, as a result of I used to be debating having a mountain property. I used to be dipping my toes within the water to really feel what it was wish to reside at elevation.

I used to be on the lookout for a property that already functioned with a number of buildings. I wished a physique of water, like a creek or a river operating via it, which, in Colorado, is a bit robust as a result of we’re within the excessive desert.

Spencer despatched me the itemizing for the home and I simply had a extremely good feeling about it. There was an summary shot of the property. It was wildly overgrown, and there have been some pink rock outcroppings. There have been lots of completely different rooms with a number of home windows and lightweight, which I’ve at all times preferred. The placement was good, as a result of I’m solely about 45 minutes from the airport and 35 minutes from downtown Denver, and actually near Purple Rocks.

As I pulled as much as the home, a pink tail hawk flew above me and screeched. And I used to be like, wow, this may be the place.