My House: When a Hawk Screeched, Musician Nathaniel Rateliff Knew This Was the Place

Nathaniel Rateliff is accustomed to life on the road. After rising to fame in 2015 alongside his band, The Night Sweats, the popular folk musician has built a career touring the globe, playing soulful, thumping songs like "You Worry Me" and "S.O.B." to audiences at sold-out shows.

But in 2020, he had set out on a solo tour when it was cut short by the pandemic, which had a silver lining. At loose ends, he had the rare opportunity to invest additional time and energy into his new Colorado property in Littleton, Colorado, a five-acre lot with a lackluster home surrounded by rocky outcroppings just 10 minutes from Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Nathaniel cleared brush, picked up discarded brick from a neighbor, and sourced light fixtures, among other projects.

As for the residence itself, Nathaniel worked with Denver firm Neoera Architecture + Design to turn it into a character-filled space where he could make music, host dinner parties, and decompress with his fiancé, film director Taylor McFadden. According to Neoera founder Emily Adams, the 4,000-square-foot home was in good shape but certain elements, like painted wood siding, was "pretty awful." Adams replaced it with yakisugi, and added several wood slatted decks, among other updates.

As for the home’s newfound soul? That’s all Nathaniel. Here, he walks Dwell through the details that went into making the property the perfect home base between tours.

Dwell: What drew you to the property in the first place?

Nathaniel Rateliff: I had a friend, Spencer, who did real estate, and he was sending me properties. At the time, I was working nonstop. I happened to be living in my drummer’s basement on a little twin bed, and, at the same time, I was renting a place outside of Breckenridge, Colorado, up in the mountains, because I was debating having a mountain property. I was dipping my toes in the water to feel what it was like to live at elevation.

I was looking for a property that already functioned with multiple buildings. I wanted a body of water, like a creek or a river running through it, which, in Colorado, is a little tough because we are in the high desert.

Spencer sent me the listing for the house and I just had a really good feeling about it. There was an overview shot of the property. It was wildly overgrown, and there were some red rock outcroppings. There were a lot of different rooms with lots of windows and light, which I’ve always liked. The location was good, because I’m only about 45 minutes from the airport and 35 minutes from downtown Denver, and really close to Red Rocks.

As I pulled up to the house, a red tail hawk flew above me and screeched. And I was like, wow, this might be the place.