Custom-home builder creates personal sanctuary on hillside

BOULDER — When longtime home builder Michael Markel first spotted the property on which he would build his home, he knew it offered the perfect setting to combine the best of Colorado’s outdoor culture with the ease and convenience of urban access.

“I saw it with my contractor glasses and said, ‘That’s really awesome on a hillside with the ranch below,’ so I approached the owner for negotiation,” said Markel, owner and managing broker of Markel Homes.

He completed the 8,000-square-foot contemporary ranchstyle home in Boulder County, called Eagle Ridge Ranch, in 2007. He has lived there since but recently decided…