My House: Swan's Nest restoration brings mountain mansion back to life

This grand crystal chandelier, which predates the historic home, came from Baur's, a confectionary in Denver.

SUMMIT COUNTY When Christy and Randy Rost bought Swan's Nest in 2006, they knew they were in for a long haul.

The historic mountain estate outside Breckenridge was in need of major rehabilitation, from the dramatically sinking foundation to the almost-total lack of insulation.

"It was not habitable in the wintertime only in certain rooms," Randy Rost said.

Contractors recommended they gut it and start over.

"We didn't want to do that because we would have lost all the historical nature and beauty of this home," Christy Rost said. "That was not right for the house."

Instead, the couple slowly but surely breathed life back into the Victorian mansion that was originally built in 1898 by Ben Stanley Revett, the Gold Dredge King, as a summer home for his bride.

The restored Swan's Nest is a mix of historic features and the modern amenities that Christy, a chef, cookbook author and TV lifestyle guru, needed.

The Rosts' Swan's Nest is a mix of historic features and modern amenities, chosen with an eye toward their love of entertaining, as well as honoring the outsize character who built it more than 115 years ago.

"I think Ben would be very happy with what we've done. There's been a lot of love in this house, a lot of heart," Christy Rost said. "It was our job and our honor, really, to restore this house so it lasts another 100 years."

Originally posted here:
My House: Swan's Nest restoration brings mountain mansion back to life