A Look Inside a Fly-In Design/Build Collaboration with Kasia Karska Design

In a valley known for authentic mountain living, 231 S. Avion Drive offers a new level of luxury not found in any other home in Crested Butte, Colorado. Set on a private airstrip at Buckhorn Ranch, this home allows homeowners fly-in/fly-out access directly from a 3,000-square-foot hangar. The home itself is a study in modern design — vaulted ceilings, clean lines, and a contemporary edge rarely seen alongside a mountain setting like this one. There is no other home in Crested Butte built with this kind of design, craftsmanship, and one-of-a-kind access.

Behind it is Kasia Karska Design, a studio known for homes that don’t repeat themselves. Every KKD project starts from the site and the client rather than a template. Their designs are modern rustic at their core, but shaped by each client’s unique vision, down to the materials, the layout, and the way light moves through the house. 231 S. Avion Drive marked KKD’s first project in Crested Butte, and it shows a studio translating that design language into an entirely new mountain landscape.

The result is a home that stands apart not just in Crested Butte, but against comparable trophy properties across Colorado’s mountain markets. Listed at $5,995,000, it delivers a private hangar, over 9,000 square feet under roof, a private ADU, and a fully custom design/build pedigree at a price point that would be difficult to match in Aspen, Vail, or Telluride — where homes of this caliber, let alone ones with a private airstrip, command significantly more.

A One-Stop Shop, Built on Trust

Kasia Karska Design works in a model that’s still uncommon in high-end residential construction: design/build, where the same team that designs a home also builds it. No handoffs between architect and contractor, no gaps where a client’s vision gets diluted in translation.

We create sanctuaries and aim to have the happy clients.

– Kasia Karska

The studio’s ethos is simple on its face, but it shapes everything from the first site walk to the final punch list. For a client considering the design/build approach, the pitch is straightforward: it’s a creative way to build a home without hiring and managing multiple separate teams. One point of accountability, one continuous line of communication, one team that carries the vision from sketch to move-in day.

That approach starts on-site, before a single line is drawn. KKD meets clients at the property to find the right location and orientation for the home, then builds a plan around it — framing rooms, windows, and outdoor spaces to capture the views that make the site worth building on in the first place. And while the studio’s own aesthetic leans modern rustic, the team is quick to point out that the work isn’t about their signature. “It’s not about us, it’s about the client,” as KKD puts it — the same design language flexes to whatever the client envisions.

Why Crested Butte

KKD’s roots are in Eagle County, and this project marked new terrain — literally and professionally. A client introduced the studio to Crested Butte, and two things drew them in: the breathtaking setting, and the unusual opportunity to design a home built around a private airplane hangar.

Building in Crested Butte presents unique challenges. The building season is considerably shorter than most, compressed by a longer winter and heavier snow. The remote location can also pose logistical obstacles for labor and materials, but the KKD team found several aspects of the project worth the trade-off.

This project was an amazing opportunity to build in the beauty of Crested Butte along with getting to build an airplane hangar facing the magnificent views of Mt Crested Butte. One of our team members was able to fly our team directly to the property to check on the project too, which was wonderful. We also enjoyed working with various local subcontractors.

– Kasia Karska

Inside 231 S. Avion Drive

The home itself sits on 1.26 acres at Buckhorn Ranch, on Crested Butte’s private airstrip — a setting that shaped the entire program. At 5,068 finished square feet with a three-bedroom main residence, plus a one-bedroom guest apartment, the layout is built around 360-degree views of Mt. Crested Butte and a steady flow between indoor and outdoor living. Vaulted ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and an open floor plan carry that sense of openness through the main level, where a custom kitchen with an oversized bar opens directly into the living and dining space. Upstairs, two additional bedrooms and a second living area are reached by a central-spine staircase built from steel, wood, and glass — a structural centerpiece as much a work of art as a passage between floors.

Then there’s the hangar: 3,000 square feet, positioned to face Mt. Crested Butte, and built to accommodate true fly-in, fly-out living. It’s the detail that sets this home apart from anything else on the market in the valley — the ability to land, taxi, and walk straight into your own house.

The finish palette draws on European trends KKD has refined across other projects — European windows, Japanese wood — layered against materials the studio knows perform well in a mountain climate. It’s a considered mix rather than a stylistic reach: global influences applied with the practical judgment of an experienced team.

A project of this scope could easily reach over two years to build, but the KKD team’s streamlined approach completed in under 18 months – a timeline the design/build model is built to protect, since there’s no waiting on a separate contractor to pick up where the architect left off.

Built for a Specific Way of Living

Every detail of 231 S. Avion Drive traces back to a clear vision. “The home is built for the person who loves nature and loves to explore.” With a clear emphasis on exploring made easy – whether by plane, by car, or by trail – it is as simple as walking out the front door.

For KKD, that specificity is the whole point of design/build.

When you combine design/build, you get exactly what you want.

– Kasia Karska

The biggest misconception about building a luxury home, in their experience, is that the process has to be difficult. Done well, it’s collaborative and genuinely enjoyable, and 231 S. Avion Drive is a home built by a team that clearly enjoyed building it.

231 S Avion | Buckhorn Ranch | New Construction

See It for Yourself

Photos capture the hangar and the views, but not the quiet of Buckhorn Ranch or the scale of a home designed around 360-degree mountain sightlines. If 231 S. Avion Drive has you picturing a life where flying home is simply part of the routine, the best next step is walking through it in person.

Schedule a Showing

View Details