Building on a steep hillside presents a unique set of challenges that separate exceptional custom homes from ordinary tract housing. The New American Home 2019, perched above the Las Vegas Valley in the exclusive Ascaya community of Henderson, Nevada, offers builders and designers a master class in luxury hillside construction. Designed by Dan Coletti of Sun West Custom Homes, this 8,200-square-foot residence demonstrates how dramatic topography, indoor-outdoor integration, and meticulous material selection come together to create a home that is both awe-inspiring and deeply livable. The project illustrates principles that apply to any builder tackling a challenging site: respect the land, prioritize seamless transitions between spaces, and never sacrifice livability for spectacle. For a deeper look at the high-performance building science behind this showcase home, including how its envelope and mechanical systems were engineered for the desert climate, review our companion analysis. This article distills the design philosophy, construction strategies, and material choices that made this luxury hillside home a benchmark for the industry.
Site Strategy and Hillside Design Approach
The Ascaya development in Henderson, Nevada, occupies 670 acres of mountainside purchased in 1989, with development beginning in earnest in 2004. Unlike conventional master-planned communities, Ascaya sells each parcel directly to homeowners or investors — not to builders — resulting in a scattered-lot community where each home responds individually to its terrain. The New American Home 2019 sits on one of the most dramatic lots in the development, stepping down the hillside on a rock-faced terrace with no trees, golf course, or water features to soften the landscape.
Coletti’s design approach was defined by three site-specific strategies:
- Front-load the experience. Rather than reserving the best indoor-outdoor connection for the rear of the house, Coletti moved the shared living spaces and courtyard to the front, greeting visitors with an immediate sense of arrival and openness.
- Work with the slope, not against it. The home’s single-level plan spreads across the hillside terrace, minimizing cut-and-fill while maximizing views. The extensive outdoor living area runs the length of the rear elevation, protected by deep roof overhangs that control solar gain.
- Orient for the view. The great room opens north toward the Las Vegas Strip, and the telescoping patio door system provides roughly 280 square feet of clear opening — effectively dissolving the wall between interior and exterior.
Indoor-Outdoor Living: Engineering Seamless Transitions
The hallmark of The New American Home 2019 is its relentless commitment to blurring the line between conditioned interior space and the outdoor environment. This is not a house with a patio door — it is a house where the wall itself disappears.
Telescoping and Pocketed Door Systems
The primary tool for achieving this effect is a fully pocketed, telescoping patio door system. When fully open, the pockets conceal the door panels within the wall cavity, leaving an unobstructed opening of roughly 280 square feet. The track system uses embedded rails that support panels weighing several hundred pounds each while rolling smoothly on low-friction rollers. Key engineering considerations include:
- Structural header design. The wall opening for a telescoping system of this size requires a reinforced header capable of transferring roof loads around the opening. Engineered laminated veneer lumber or steel beams are typically necessary.
- Thermal break performance. The door frames must incorporate thermal breaks to prevent condensation and heat transfer in a climate where summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F.
- Floor-to-exterior transition. The interior floor finish must be flush with the exterior deck surface, requiring precise coordination between the slab elevation, finish materials, and door threshold design.
Outdoor Living Area Design
The outdoor living area along the rear elevation spans the full width of the house. Protected by deep roof overhangs and facing north, it remains comfortable even during the peak of a Las Vegas summer afternoon. The design incorporates multiple functional zones:
- An outdoor kitchen and dining area with integrated appliances
- A lounge area with fireplace for cooler evenings
- Direct access from the great room, owner’s suite, and secondary living spaces
- Non-slip stone paving that matches the interior floor material for visual continuity
For builders planning similar transitions, the critical detail is the zero-threshold interface. The slab edge must be designed with a slight slope away from the structure while maintaining a level transition at the door opening. This requires careful coordination between the structural engineer, the door manufacturer, and the waterproofing contractor.
Material Selection for Luxury Performance and Aesthetics
Every material in The New American Home 2019 was selected for its ability to perform under the extreme conditions of the Mojave Desert while contributing to the home’s mid-century modern aesthetic. The choices made here provide a template for luxury custom homes in any climate where durability and appearance must coexist.
Exterior Cladding and Stonework
The front elevation features a tapered, stone-clad column at the entry that signals arrival without overwhelming the composition. Stone was chosen for its thermal mass, low maintenance, and ability to anchor the house visually to the hillside. The muted palette of warm grays and earth tones was deliberately selected to complement the desert setting rather than compete with it.
For roof overhangs and soffits, the design team specified materials with high reflectivity to reduce heat absorption. Deep overhangs serve double duty: they shade the glass during the hottest part of the day while protecting the stone and stucco from direct rainfall and wind-driven debris. A review of the specific building products and materials used in The New American Home 2019 provides a complete list of exterior cladding, window, and door specifications.
Interior Finishes for Durability and Luxury
The interior material palette balances luxury with practicality. Key selections included:
| Material Category | Selection | Performance Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Flooring (public areas) | Large-format porcelain tile | Thermal mass for passive cooling, scratch resistance, seamless indoor-outdoor transition |
| Flooring (private areas) | Engineered hardwood | Warmth underfoot, dimensional stability in dry climate |
| Countertops | Quartz surfacing | Non-porous, UV-resistant, consistent color across large slabs |
| Cabinet fronts | Thermofoil over MDF core | Humidity resistance, seamless finish, no visible grain variation |
| Window glazing | Dual-pane low-E with argon fill | Solar heat gain coefficient below 0.25, visible transmittance above 0.50 |
| Exterior decking | Textured stone pavers | Non-slip surface, thermal stability, matches interior tile visually |
The selection of quartz surfacing for countertops throughout the home reflects a broader trend in luxury hillside homes. Quartz provides the aesthetic of natural stone without the porosity that can trap moisture and dust in a desert environment. For builders considering similar choices in high-end projects, design principles from celebrated luxury custom home construction offer additional guidance on material selection for demanding environments.
Livability, Multigenerational Design, and Lasting Value
Coletti emphasizes that despite its $6.5 million price tag and dramatic setting, The New American Home 2019 is first and foremost a home. “People have to live in it,” he states. This philosophy manifests in several design decisions that make the house functional for a range of family configurations.
Multigenerational Living Accommodations
The floor plan responds to the growing demand for homes that accommodate extended families under one roof. The layout includes:
- A separate bedroom wing on the west edge anchored by the owner’s suite, providing privacy and separation from secondary living spaces.
- Multiple bedroom suites with private bathrooms, allowing adult children or aging parents to maintain independence.
- Direct outdoor access from secondary suites, so each occupant can enjoy the site without passing through shared areas.
- Flexible spaces that can serve as home offices, exercise rooms, or additional guest quarters as family needs evolve.
Art Integration and Personalization
Architecture-as-art is a recurring theme in the home’s design. The tapered column at the entry, the curved rooflines along the rear elevation, and the gallery-quality display spaces all serve to integrate art into the fabric of the house rather than treating it as an afterthought. Coletti describes the philosophy: “When art is integrated into the architecture, it becomes part of the experience of the home, not just something hanging on a wall.”
For builders and designers, this means planning for art integration from the earliest schematic phase. Key considerations include:
- Lighting infrastructure. Install dedicated track lighting and adjustable fixtures on separate dimmer circuits in all major living spaces.
- Wall reinforcement. Specify plywood backing or blocking in walls where heavy artwork or sculptures may be mounted.
- Sight lines. Design the floor plan so that key visual axes terminate at a wall suitable for a statement piece rather than a door or window.
- Display niches. Incorporate built-in alcoves with dedicated lighting for three-dimensional art or sculpture.
Luxury Bathroom Design as a Priority
The owner’s suite bathroom in The New American Home 2019 exemplifies the level of detail expected in a luxury custom home. The spa-like bathroom includes a freestanding soaking tub positioned to take advantage of the valley views, a curbless shower with linear drain, and dual vanities with integrated lighting. The same principles that guided this design apply to any high-end bathroom project. For practical guidance on designing a luxurious master suite bathroom with a wet room, including waterproofing strategies and fixture selection, reference our dedicated guide.
Lessons for Builders at Any Scale
While The New American Home 2019 is an exceptional project by any measure, the principles it demonstrates apply to production homes, townhouses, and smaller custom builds alike:
- Every site has a defining characteristic — find it and design around it rather than fighting it.
- Indoor-outdoor connection does not require a $6.5 million budget. A well-placed patio door and a covered deck can transform a standard floor plan.
- Material selection should prioritize performance in the local climate first and aesthetics second. Beautiful materials that fail prematurely destroy value.
- Multigenerational features add real market value as the demographics of home buying continue to shift toward extended-family living arrangements.
- Luxury is defined by thoughtful details — the tapered column, the zero-threshold door, the hidden track system — not by square footage alone.
The integration of art, indoor-outdoor living, and site-responsive design in The New American Home 2019 sets a standard that any builder can aspire to. By studying how Coletti and his team resolved the tension between spectacle and livability, builders gain a vocabulary for designing homes that impress clients while serving their daily needs. Whether tackling a hillside lot or a flat suburban parcel, the lessons from this showcase home remain the same: design for the site, build for performance, and always keep the people who will live there at the center of every decision.