Often the genesis of a great house is a single powerful thought, emotion, or sensibility. For John Manzari and Timm Gonzales, that idea was to create a high, gabled “great room” with a fireplace at one end and a kitchen at the other. They had purchased an ideal 21/2-acre home site on the north side of Santa Fe for their dream villa. This seems an obvious approach to creating quality living space, but Manzari and Gonzales’ impeccable attention to details, furnishings, and craftsmanship has produced a country home of sublime city appeal.

John and Timm began their home construction odyssey two years ago by interviewing several architects and builders before selecting Santa Fe Tectonics for the job. Husband and wife designers Jim and Darlene Garton were willing to “think outside of the adobe box” with Manzari and Gonzales, and a close partnership between the owners and builders quickly developed.

Completed in August of 2002, the Manzari/Gonzales house was a featured attraction in the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association’s Parade of Homes last fall. The owners and architects scrambled to complete their masterpiece before the hordes of visitors arrived. Looking back on the design and construction process, both parties credit the other for exceptional flourishes throughout the 2,700-square-foot residence.

In John and Timm, Santa Fe Tectonics attracted a pair of highly sophisticated young men possessing a refined sense of design and the collections to match. In Santa Fe Tectonics, the owners found a custom designer-builder weary of the “Santa Fe formula” and willing to experiment.

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