methow home 2014
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
Methow Home
A supplement to the Methow Valley News
FREE 2014
Methow Home
A supplement to the Methow Valley News
2014
Lawrence Architecturelawrencearchitecture.com
206.332.1832
FRAMING THE VIEWjohnstonarchitects.com / 206.523.6150
Methow Home [ 3 ]
The inside story …Before the dream, the concept,
the drawings, the construction and the move-in, there is always
a story. In its abbreviated version, the story usually goes like this: Met the Methow. Fell in love. Decided to make it a lasting commitment.
Nothing quite says long-term rela-tionship like building a home in the Methow, whether it be for frequent visits or permanent residence (or the first ultimately leading to second).
It’s a personal experience that reflects the aspirations of the own-ers, the imagination of the architect or designer, the craftsmanship of the contractor and the creative force of Methow Valley artisans who add those unique special touches.
In Methow Home 2014, we once again tell the stories of a few of the valley’s distinct homes. Six of the featured homes are originals, one is an ex-tensive remodel, all of them share a respect for their surroundings and an intentional blend of form and function.
This year we also spotlighted a few of the valley’s remarkably talented artisans whose devotion to exqui-site detail enhances many Methow homes. You’ll also find other helpful articles on various aspects of home and second-home ownership in the valley.
We couldn’t do this without the cooperation of the homeowners, architects, designers, contractors and artisans whose creations we so admire, and without the support of our adver-tisers. We are grateful to all of them.
How will your Methow story play out? We hope Methow Home helps you decide by demonstrating what’s pos-sible. Let us know what you think. Con-tact us at [email protected] or (509) 997-7011.
Don NelsonEditor and publisher
Photos By Don nelson
Methow Home[ 4 ]
6 FINISHING TOUCHESThe valley’s artisans combine form, function, artistry, the right materials and devotion to quality in their unique works
12 STRONGER FOUNDATIONSBuilding prospects getting better in post-crisis economy
14 A YEAR-ROUND GROWING SEASONHomeowners get a ‘mental boost’ from greenhouse space
16 LOGGED INTraditional log homes are comfy but need attention and care
18 ACROSS THE FENCE: CONSIDER YOUR NEIGHBORSNoise and light can be intrusive, even in a rural setting
20 LIVING WITH WILDLIFEA little understanding goes a long way toward getting along with the valley’s animals
22 CLEANSING BODY AND SOULMany modern bathrooms are designed as sanctuaries for relaxation
25 HOME TOUR WILL HIGHLIGHT ROOF LINES
ON THE COVER:Twisp River home is a
welcome refuge. See story, page 26.
Photo courtesy of shADoWlIne DesIGn
Methow Home
3020
2014
A supplement to the Methow Valley News
Methow Home [ 5 ]
Mike Maltais is a Methow Valley News reporter.
laurelle Walsh is a Methow Valley News reporter and proofreader.
26 RIGHT AT HOMEIt’s a long way from New York to the Methow, but a comfy river-side lodge makes the trip worth it
28 FINE LINESCassal Ranch home keeps a low profile while taking advantage of spectacular views
30 A MATTER OF TIMEThirty years after discovering the Methow, Randy Brook and Melanie Rowland have exactly the house they wanted
34 ALL PLAY, NOT MUCH WORKMazama meadow home is designed for lots of activity and little maintenance
38 BRINGING IT INSIDEJohn and Catherine Rogers loved camping on their Mazama property so much they built a home to evoke the same experience
42 TRULY A ‘DREAM’ HOUSEArchitect’s vision and owners’ ideas merge perfectly in Mazama home
46 SIDEWAYS MOBILITYMazama cabin owners opted for a new building to expand their living and playing space
48 INSURANCE ISSUES FOR SELF-EMPLOYED CONTRACTORS
49 INSIDE OUT: THE SECRET DOORTransitions are design opportunities to create special experiences
50 DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERSFind the products and services you need for your home
Don Nelson | publisher/editor
Darla Hussey | design
Marilyn Bardin | office Manager
Robin Doggett | advertising Manager
Sheila Ward | advertising assistant
Dana Sphar | ad design/production
A publication of the Methow Valley News
P.O. Box 97, 101 N. Glover St., Twisp, WA 98856509.997.7011 • fax 509.997.3277
34
46
Contributorsdon nelson is publisher and editor of the Methow Valley News.
Marcy staMper is a Methow Valley News reporter.
ann Mccreary is a Methow Valley News reporter.
Joanna bastian is a Methow Valley News columnist.
ashley lodato is a Methow Valley News columnist.
Methow Home[ 6 ]
■ Finishing touchesThe valley’s artisans combine form, function, artistry, the right materials and devotion to quality in their unique works
By Ashley Lodato
the term “artisan” is nearly as controversial a buzzword in the building trade these days as is
the label “green.” Some might argue that artisans practice a craft that is a form of artistic expression, while others consider artisanal work to be simply that which is handmade instead of commercially produced.
But although we may not agree on the definition of artisanal work, we all know it when we see it—the indi-vidual touches, the unique features, the special attributes that character-ize a custom home. And fortunately for homeowners, the Methow Valley
is rich with artisans—the artists and craftspeople whose functional and decorative work creates an artisanal aesthetic, from cabinetry to tile to metalwork.
This story—the scope of which is limited to those whose work is permanent features in homes (such as cabinets and railings, but not portable objects such as furniture and art pieces)—salutes some of the craftspeople whose work lends dis-tinctive qualities to local homes.
Bruce MorrisonWhen wood and stone carver Bruce
Morrison was in the third grade he dreamt of himself as an accomplished child woodcarver. He has been drawn to create form in wood ever since. Morrison’s first teachers were Na-tive Americans, who taught him the relationship with wood and respect for and knowledge of tribal design. “That has remained a major influence on my work,” says Morrison.
The plants and animals of the Methow Valley have been Morrison’s themes for his mantels, posts, beams and doors. They have also been his teachers of design and meaning, says Morrison.
Carved from a single massive pine beam, the Bighorn Mantel in the library at Sun Mountain Lodge is a public example of Morrison’s animal design informed by the site, as is the raven that presides over the entrance to the Twisp River Pub. Through carving the shapes of animals, plants, people and letters into his projects, Morrison seeks to provide a “reflection of that land and its flora and fauna in a living space.”
“I began in wood and have largely returned to it,” he says. “Wood is always alive. I work with hand tools, so I have to listen, watch, and feel the grain. Wood is always talking to me. Yes, no. Yes.”
Eckmann CompanyCustom cabinetmaker Peter Eck-
mann faced a dilemma when he was in high school: His father gave him the choice of getting a job or working at home. Eckmann and his brother chose to work at home, so his dad set
them up with a remodeling job.One project led to another, and
pretty soon Eckmann was painting houses, fixing things, and building. He continued to refine his skills enough that by the time he moved to the Methow Valley in the early 1980s, he was able to work as a gen-eral contractor.
However, Eckmann found that he was spending more time organizing and managing projects and very little time actually woodworking, and he missed it. So he scaled back the size of his business and started doing all the woodworking himself.
Eckmann likes wood because you can do so much with it. “There are so many great woods to work with,” he says. “The different woods make it all interesting. You’ve got stressed-out or waned edges, and you figure out how to use them.” He continues, “I learned
that from [local builder] Mike Kutz—you look at the wood and it tells you what to do with it.”
Although he focuses mostly on residential work, one of Eckmann’s commercial pieces—the entry counter at Winthrop Fitness & Physi-cal Therapy—was an interesting collaboration among himself, Barry Stromberger and Sean McCabe. “Sean designed the cutout,” says Eckmann, “and Barry did the metal work, and I built the counter.” He adds, “It was so much fun to create with these other artists and learn from them.”
Jerry Cole WoodworkingYou might say that woodwork-
ing is in Jerry Cole’s blood. One grandfather was a cabinetmaker, the other was a boat builder. His father built the house he grew up in (“he was building it the whole time I was
Bruce Morrison carved the enormous raven perched atop the door of the Twisp River Pub. Photo courtesy SeattlebarS.org
Cabinets by Woras Woodworking. Photo courtesy WorAs WooDWorkInG
Methow Home [ 7 ]
A table crafted from iron and steel by The Slag Works adorns the Neufeld/Bernhard house featured on the cover and on page 26. Photo By Don nelson
growing up,” Cole notes wryly); he was constantly surrounded by people who understood wood.
“It came naturally to me,” says Cole, now a cabinet and furniture maker, “and I didn’t have to work hard to like it.”
Cole grew up in Bellevue but his parents bought property in the Methow Valley as soon as the North Cascades Highway opened in 1972. In 1976 Cole moved over to live on his parents’ property. “It was just on a lark,” he says, “but here I am now.”
Cole doesn’t consider himself an artist, but his cabinets are evidence to the contrary. His work in gleam-ing cherry, redwood, quilted maple, Chinese elm and other types of wood draw the eye while blending harmo-niously with their surroundings.
That’s what’s important to con-sider about custom woodwork, notes Cole. “You make things that look like they belong in the house. The grain matches, the wood complements whatever else is in the house. You’re not stuck with standard sizes. It just looks more natural.”
Cole, who has created cabinetry for dozens of houses throughout the valley, says that custom cabinetry is always worth exploring. “The pricing can be pretty competitive,” he says, “and you get exactly what you want and what fits with your house.”
Jerry MerzMetal artist Jerry Merz was a self-
described “world-class doodler” in junior high and high school. But he remembers his father studying the sketches in his notebook, saying “You really have a talent here. You should consider doing something with this.” It took some time, but eventually Merz did do something with his talent.
A series of open forge nights with his mentor, the premier blacksmith Roger Olsen in Mazama, opened the horizon of metalworking to Merz. “I loved it,” says Merz. “I
mean, in a pretty profound way.”Merz was exhilarated by all that
could be done with steel—bending, twisting, punching, hammering. Steel exerted a magnetic pull on Merz and although he didn’t know if he could make a living working with it, he was compelled to pursue the idea.
It was a circuitous route that included a two-year volunteer stint running a metal shop in Zambia, but Merz finally hit his stride as an artist and craftsman. Now, with a shop on the TwispWorks campus, Merz can heat and hammer to his heart’s content, filling orders for custom metalwork.
Merz, who created the Winthrop streetlights, the sconces at the Winthrop Ice & Sports Rink, and the bread racks at the newly remodeled Rocking Horse Bakery, says that cus-tom metalwork adds soul to a home.
“Hand-worked pieces just can’t help but resonate,” he says, adding, “I also find that customers appreci-ate having work in their home that is made locally. It accentuates our bond with people and community.”
Methow Industrial“There’s a reason I don’t work in
wood,” says certified welder Mark Edson.
Methow Home[ 8 ]
“Metal is more forgiving. You cut a piece too short, you can fix it. Wood isn’t like that.”
No, metal is clearly Edson’s me-dium, whether he’s working with it himself, or supplying other crafts-people with their materials.
Although much of Edson’s work is, in his words, invisible (“You can walk into the main lobby at Sun Mountain Lodge and not see a thing I’ve done!” he proclaims proudly, noting that it is his metal structural work that forms the skeleton holding many a local building aloft), he has created decora-tive and functional pieces ranging from the hand railing and metal shelving in the Glover Street Market to the interpretive signs at the Twisp Ponds to fireplace faces, roof crickets, and brackets in many local homes.
Edson’s business name—Methow Industrial—belies the artistry that is involved in his work. Metal interior adornments have gained popularity in recent years and with steel’s amaz-ing versatility, it is complementary to both modern and rustic homes.
Edson’s work is the product of cre-ative conversations with the owner
and/or contractor. “I like to just throw around ideas until we settle on the right one,” he says.
Swanson WoodcraftCabinet, furniture and door maker
Rick Swanson of Swanson Woodcraft has been living and working in the valley since 2006. When Swanson began making fur-niture in the 1970s, he says “people were just rediscovering wood, which at the time meant Sears & Roebuck oak furniture.” Swanson started making small items such as medicine cabinets and jewelry boxes for an antiques dealer and eventu-ally moved into larger pieces.
Custom furniture makers some-times view cabinetmakers with some sense of superiority, says Swanson, so initially he swore he “would only
do freestanding pieces, not built-ins.” But the engineering aspect of custom cabinetry appealed to Swanson and he soon found himself enjoying cabi-nets as much as furniture.
“On one level cabinets are just a set of boxes with doors and drawers,”
says Swanson. “But on a custom job, the engineering part is critical. It’s challeng-ing and interesting.” Swanson continues, “The other thing about cabinets is that you’re creating the feel of an entire environment, not just a solitary piece. I like that.”
Swanson, whose cabinetry graces homes throughout the valley as well as commercial spaces
such as the Confluence and Winthrop galleries and the Shafer Museum, says he enjoys brainstorming with homeowners to create cabinets that fit their functional needs, aesthetic,
and budget. He acknowledges the fact that the cost of custom cabinetry can be prohibitive for some, but adds “You’d be surprised—in many situa-tions you can get the higher quality of custom for not much more money.”
Mary Beth TannehillWhen custom cabinetmaker Mary
Beth Tannehill’s mother taught her to sew, it just didn’t seem to fit. “The material just didn’t stay put,” says Tannehill. “It moved around all the time. I found wood to be much more controllable.”
Tannehill’s great-grandfather built furniture and although she never knew him, several of his pieces were in their family home and she remem-bers admiring them.
Tannehill really got her start as a cabinetmaker when she convinced her neighbor, fellow cabinetmaker Peter Eckmann, to teach her wood-working. “I begged him to put me to work,” she says, “and he did.”
A female cabinetmaker is a bit of an anomaly in the crafts and trades and Tannehill acknowledges that some clients are curious about it, but
A cabinet designed by Rick Swanson of Swanson Woodcraft. Photo from hIs WeBsIte
12 Airport Road, Twisp www.methowrecycles.org
997-0520
It’s a Community Effort
ReduceReuse
Recycle Open Tues. & Thurs. 10am-4pm
Sat. 9am-4pm
Licensed, Bonded & Insured #MOUNTTG963J3
Design & Installation509-997-8050
Photo by Shackitecture
Eric ClaussenPlants, Wood, Stonework
www.MethowBlueSky.com Sherry Malotte, Owner Designated Broker, Anne Eckmann, Owner Managing Broker, Karen Reneau, Managing Broker
Heather Marrone, Linda Mills, Rob Thorlakson, Brokers ~ (509) 996-8084 ~ 141 Riverside ~ Winthrop, WA
b l u e s k y r e a l e s t a t e
Methow Home [ 9 ]
she says, “I don’t think it’s done me any good and I don’t think it’s done me any harm.”
Tannehill loves working with her hands and finds wood both beautiful and appealing. With custom wood-work, she says, “You can have any-thing you want and it’s functional.”
After consulting with clients by listening to their ideas and going into their homes and observing their aesthetic preferences, Tannehill tries to create cabinets and other pieces that match the clients’ vision. Then it’s really fun, she says. “I just go for it. I can go crazy with the style, whether it’s a modern or a rustic or a natural look. You can do anything with wood.”
The Slag WorksIt was cars that got The Slag Works
artist and ironworker Barry Strom-berger into working with metal: race cars, specifically. As an engineer-ing and business major at Cal Poly, Stromberger bought a welding set to make a race car for an independent project. The car never got made, but Stromberger found himself hooked
on ironwork and metallurgy. “I kind of stumbled into ironwork,”
says Stromberger, “but I’ve always liked to problem-solve and create things, so metal was just the medium I found to work with.”
Metal is particularly fascinating, says Stromberger, because “you take this thing that is hard and cold and immobile. Then you heat it up and you can treat it like clay. It’s very tactile.”
Although his reper-toire is vast, ranging from lighting to knobs and pulls to furniture, Strom-berger is perhaps best known for his custom gates, grates and fire-place doors. His garden gates seem to be extensions of the natural world around them, with leaves, flowers, acorns, cattails, and grasses bursting from graceful surrounding arcs. His snow grates feature bear tracks, quail, and mule deer, while trout and eagles jump and
soar on his fireplace doors.“Mimicking nature has always
been interesting to me,” says Strom-berger, “but it’s also what the major-ity of people want. I had to figure out how to make a sunflower and a balsamroot leaf because that’s what people are asking for.”
Some of Stromberger’s public art and functional pieces embrace this same theme of local flora and fauna, such the sunflower on the Wash-works laundry sign in Twisp and the
aspen grove on the trailhead kiosk in Mazama.
Other
An elm stool crafted by Cliff Schwab of Winthrop Woodworks. Photo from hIs WeBsIte
Mazama StoreSupplying Valley Homesteads For Over 80 Years
A Little Bit Of Everything Good For You And Your Home
Open Daily 7am - 6pm50 Lost River Road, Mazama996-2855
We Saved You A Seat - Stop by anytime.
WA contractor #doughei033jn
Roads • Septic • IrrigationFoundations • Custom Rock Walls Utilities & More
Call today!
509-996-2033
Over 25 years experience in the Methow Valley
Trust the Excavating ProfessionalsComPlETE SiTE PrEParaTion
Now Selling!Top Soil • Sand
Road Base • Road Top CourseDecorative Rock
Rock WallsGravel Hauling
Call Now!(509) 996-3249 • 1-877-842-3428Email: [email protected]
Lic.# JAMESWC972JN
Always Good!
BLUESTARCOFFEEROASTERS.COM
HANDCRAFTED COFFEE FOR COFFEE LOVERS
Methow Home[ 10 ]
Snow grate designed by Jerry Merz. Photo courtesy Jerry merz
pieces may go virtually unnoticed, yet are used gratefully by dozens each day, such as the handrails at the Country Clinic, Winthrop Town Hall, and Methow Valley Wellness Center.
Stromberger likes the challenge of designing as much as creating. “Sometimes people have a specific vision and I figure out how to carry that out. Sometimes they just have a vague idea and they tell me to get creative. Then I really have fun with it.” Stromberger refines the vision, runs some sketches by the owner, and then “boom!” he says, “It’s in the house, it’s installed, and they just love it.”
Winthrop Wood WorksRaised on a dairy farm in ru-
ral New Jersey, Cliff Schwab was inspired by the craftsmanship in the hand-hewn peg timber frame barns in the area. He began woodworking as a hobby, making gifts for family members for special occasions, but eventually found his way to appren-ticing in cabinet shops.
Now, as a cabinet, door and furniture maker with 40 years of
woodworking behind him, Schwab’s aim is creating pieces that his clients will use and cherish for generations.
“Timeless design and functional simplicity is what I like to see in my woodworking projects,” says Schwab. He finds the process of bringing his clients’ vision and ideas to life very gratifying, saying “I enjoy the sat-isfaction of seeing the final product with the clients.”
For materials, Schwab favors Northwest hardwoods, as well as re-claimed pine and fir. A recent project found him creating kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities out of barn wood.
“It was a challenge working with the material,” says Schwab, “but the end result was rewarding.”
Schwab’s work can be seen in many rooms at Sun Mountain Lodge,
including the dining room cabine-try and the suites and hotel rooms, as well as at Methow Cycle & Sport and Farmers State Bank. He brings the same tasteful aesthetic to his residential projects as he does to his commercial ones.
“Built-in cabinets add warmth, dimension, and texture to a home,” says Schwab. “It also projects the client’s personal image and taste.” To
Lester’s Well pump service
CompLete DomestiC
pump & ControLsinstaLLeD and repair
Owner~Kjell lesterValley resident fOr
OVer 30 years
509.996.3500509.996.3262
Free Estimates Part Sales
Licensed & Bonded #LesteWp9KG
www.hiltonconstruction.com lic. HLTOC1009MK
po box 721 | winthrop, wa 98862 | w: 509.996.3257 c: 206.915.2047 [email protected]
Methow Home [ 11 ]
some degree, notes Schwab, his work becomes a client’s practical art.
Woras WoodworkingPhil Woras of Woras Woodwork-
ing has worked with wood for as long as he can remember. His grandfa-ther was a woodworker and Woras remembers hours of messing around with his dad’s woodworking tools in the garage.
As a student at the University of New Hampshire, he studied wood-working through the art department and eventually aimed at a career in forestry. But after working for the U.S. Forest Service as well as for a logging camp in northern Maine,
Woras realized that what he really liked was “working with wood on the other end”—that is, making things with it.
“When I found that connection to wood,” says Woras, “I wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner.”
Woras’s eldest son and business partner, Solomon, discovered his vocation a bit more easily. After earn-ing an art degree, Solomon—whose mother is an artist and art teacher—planned to attend woodworking school.
“He showed the interest and the aptitude,” says his father, “so I said, ‘Why not just come work with me here and I’ll teach you what I know?’”
The two have been busy making cabinets and furniture together ever since. And with four generations of Woras men working with wood, a genetic component seems obvious.
Woras says he enjoys using his eyes, brain, and hands to put wood together in an aesthetic and func-tional way.
“Every piece of wood is different,” says Woras. “I love the challenge of figuring out how to use each piece.”
Determining the relationship between pieces of wood and how they best fit into projects, says Woras, is the task of the artist and craftsper-son. “You find the similarities and put them together. You take a lot of
care in laying out where each piece of wood goes. You use the same board going across a whole drawer front. That’s the level of quality you’re going to get from custom work that you won’t get from commercially-produced pieces.”
One of Woras Woodworking’s most recent projects was the woodwork at the Rocking Horse Bakery. “It was really an interesting project,” says Woras, “because a lot of the material was already in the space. The big pine slab for the countertop was already there. We reclaimed and milled all the fir that was already there. Even some of the steel was in the space—and it was already rusty!” ◆
Directory of featureD artisans(All phone numbers are in the 509 area code)
bruce Morrison. www.brucemorrison.com, [email protected], 429-7726peter eckMann. [email protected], 429-4599Jerry cole. www.methowarts.org/artists/jerry-cole/, [email protected], 341-4019
Jerry Merz. www.twispworks.org/ partnersandprograms/partners/jerry-merz, [email protected], 341-4810Mark edson, MethoW industrial. [email protected], 997-7777rick sWanson. [email protected], 996-2297Mary beth tannehill. [email protected], 846-4302
barry stroMberger, the slag Works. www.theslagworks.com, [email protected], 996-9894cliff schWab, Winthrop Wood Works. www.winthropgallery.com/cschwab.html, [email protected], 996-2037phil Woras. [email protected], 996-2589
Made in the Methow Valley
Available in multiple sizeswith a variety of accessories.
w w w. h o t s p o t f i r e p i t s . c o m
Ask aboutrenting our
fire pits(509) 997-4766 • (888) 295-4765
ColdwellBankerWinthropRealty.com
509-996-2121
Helping Many More Buyers and Sellers thanany other Methow Valley real estate firm.
Fantastic View Home, Next to National Forest
Offering Expertise in all types of property acquisitions - and we’d LOVE to help you
Methow Home[ 12 ]
Building prospects getting better in post-crisis economy
By Mike Maltais
the upside to being a building contractor in a paradise like the Methow Valley is that just about
everyone wants to build a home here on their own little piece of heaven.
The down side to being a build-ing contractor in a paradise like the
Methow Valley is that just about everyone wants to build a home here on their own little piece of heaven.
There was a time many moons ago, you may recall, when that almost seemed a reality.
Then along came the global financial crisis of 2007 – 2008 that reshuffled the game board and put many players back on a spot called “Brink of Insolvency.”
When the ripples of that tidal wave came lapping at the shores of the Methow Valley, they arrived with enough force to wash away the backlogs of projects that served as the security bulkhead for the local building trades. The credit indus-try cratered and big buck projects became as plentiful as porcine wings and poultry teeth.
Six years down the road from the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, things are gradu-ally getting better — emphasis on gradually. The year just past was bet-ter than 2012 and most local builders forecast 2014 to be a better year for valley contractors than the last.
Dan Higbee, building official with
the Okanogan County Building De-partment, said he makes it a regular practice to speak with area contrac-tors in an effort to stay abreast of how they are doing and what kinds of projects they are bidding on.
While he admits that it’s like trying to “look into a crystal ball” Higbee says responses from those he has consulted “have been more positive than those of the last couple of years.”
Permits issued by the building department were up from 34 in 2012 to 42 in 2013 and those for additions and remodels increased from 13 to 21 during the same period.
Property values have remained high in the valley relative to those in other parts of the county.
Delene Monetta, co-owner of Windermere Real Estate Methow Valley in Twisp, credits “all the good work done in land use” that continues to make the Methow Valley “a very desirable area.” The stricter regula-tions “contribute to more stable land prices,” Monetta said.
“Lending has gotten better in the last few years,” Monetta added.
Stronger foundations
Snow Country Specialists
ROOFING INC.
Call a real roofer at
Tom Triplett 509-996-3808 509-630-2100
Troy Triplett 206-375-6943
Flat to steep pitch• Metal• Asphalt composition shingles• TPO/PVC/Torchdown• Cedar Shakes• Cold roof conversion• Tear-off & re-roof• Repairs • Insurance work• Certifications • Inspections• Meticulous clean up• Excellent labor warranties
50+ years experience on your roof
1-800-996-2771www.tripletroofing.com
[email protected]#TTTCO1*066DU
ERIC CARLTON 509-322-3001 n carltonlandscape.com
Landscape Design & Installation n Automatic Irrigation Systems
Hardscapes / Patios / Walkways n Garden Carpentry / Fences / Decks
Retaining Walls n Water Features
Natural Stone Work n Garden Maintenance / Seasonal Cleanup
CARLTON LANDSCAPECONSTRUCTION, LLC.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured #CARLTLC884CF
AL JU Stove& FireplaceWood, Pellet& Gas Stoves
Inserts & FireplacesProfessional year-round sales,
service & installation550 Riverside Dr., Omak, WA 98841
(509) 826-2736Al & Judy Bosco
Family owned & operatedServing Okanogan County for over 35 years
ALJUSF*0550M
Inc
We have it! Service and a lot more!Monday - Friday 7 am - 5:30 pm & Saturday 8 am - 5:30 pm
Hwy 20 across from Hank’s • 997-0720
Pipe • Electrical • SepticCulvert • Plumbing • Pumps Lawn & Garden • Irrigation
Stoves • Farm & RanchAnimal Feeds & Pet Foods
Methow Home [ 13 ]
“Lenders are trying to be more flex-ible and competitive.”
Lagging but gainingAndy Hover of North Valley
Lumber noted that following a slump in 2012 sales have gradually been coming back.
“We lag behind a bit here in the valley,” Hover said, “and we weren’t hit as soon or as hard. We saw a definite decline in 2012; last year was better and 2014 should be better than 2013.”
Tim Smith of Big Valley Builders in Winthrop “arrived in the middle of the crisis” five years ago when he brought his business to the valley. He said, “2012 was really tough,” but added that business is getting better.
“We’re working on some stuff and it doesn’t look that bad,” Smith said.
Ed Rogers of Eagle Handcrafted Homes has been building homes here for nine years after working for a local company that specialized in timber frame homes.
“Right now it’s slow but there are possibilities,” Rogers said. “There is a little more building and remodeling
going on, at least a little more than last year.”
Molly Patterson, co-owner with husband, Jeff, of The Patterson Company Design Build, is optimistic about the coming building season. Patterson handles the contracting and bidding side of the business and credits much of her company’s suc-cess to a comprehensive screening process of prospective clients.
Patterson is a strong believer in a good fit between client and
contractor and is “really careful interviewing clients” to make sure both sides will be happy with the final results.
The last word goes to Scott An-derson, president of North Cascades National Bank, who sees more oppor-tunities and activity in the building industry in the months ahead.
“We are seeing a pickup in con-struction and the financing of projects,” Anderson said. He credits part of the upswing to a greater con-fidence in economic recovery down the road.
“Folks who purchased property four or five years ago may have put plans on hold while there was uncer-tainty in the general condition of the economy,” Anderson said. “Now those people are more willing to pull the trigger on projects.”
Anderson also pointed out that the general level of interest rates remains at historically low levels and stressed that mortgage rates on land and construction loans are quite favorable. “Those who have waited for whatever reason have still not missed out on the attractive rates,” Anderson said. ◆
Builders hope that a recovering economy will keep them busy. Photos courtesy rAnDy Brook
D A V I D C O L E M A NA R C H I T E C T U R E
2 0 6 . 4 4 3 . 5 6 2 6 d a v i d c o l e m a n . c o mT W
• Building sites, remodels, property clean-up & more• On-site drop-off & pick-up• 20’x 8’x 4’ – 20 cubic yards
consider one of our drop-box containers
for the big jobs
wastewisemethow.com509.997.8862
bewise
Stay green – while saving time, money & headaches.
Let WasteWise handle the dirty work.
it makes good sense.
garbage & recycling pick-up service for local residents & businesses
Methow Home[ 14 ]
A year-round growing seasonHomeowners get a ‘mental boost’ from greenhouse space
By Laurelle Walsh
methoW VAlley winters can be long, dark and brutal on the psyche, prompting some
residents to retreat to warmer, sunni-er climes during the coldest months. At the same time, many people have found that a home greenhouse can help with the winter blahs.
In fact some local designers, like Howard Cherrington of Integrated Design Concepts, regularly incorpo-rate a “sun space” or “sun porch” into passive solar homes to provide people with a protected indoor/outdoor living space which, at the same time, contributes free heat to the house.
The sun-filled greenhouse room that Cherrington designed for Bruce and Dianne Honsinger on lower Bear Creek provides a “mental boost as much as anything else,” said Bruce, who admits he’s vulnerable to the winter blues. “We are really happy with it. Anything that helps us live here year-round and get through the long winter is great,” he added.
The couple have even made a little “winter nap space” in the greenhouse by stationing a camping mattress
atop a planting bench.“It’s wonderful to come out here
and bask in the sun,” said Dianne.Winthrop woodworker Tom Forker
concurs, and spent the last winter planning his third greenhouse: a glass “sun space” against the south wall of his home where he will be able to grow winter greens and vent sun-warmed air into the house through the kitchen window. “We’ll put a little table out there for late fall and early spring lunches, and get a physical and psychological boost from being among growing plants,” Forker said.
“It’s nice to have some semblance of things growing. It’s a reminder that spring is going to come,” said Bruce Honsinger.
Climate conditions in the Methow Valley can also be brutal for garden-ers, who persevere in the face of only 100 reliably frost-free days, sub-zero winter temperatures, drying winds, thin soils and ravenous critters.
Greens all winter A home greenhouse can help offset
some of those conditions by provid-ing a protected area in which to start garden seeds months before outdoor gardening begins, extend the frost-free growing season and grow hardy greens during the winter.
Open the door to Maggie Coon and Mark Wolf-Armstrong’s Twisp River greenhouse on a sunny Febru-ary morning and you’ll find yourself
shedding layers, and your glasses fogged-up in the 90-degree heat. Coon harvests succulent greens out of the 3’ x 16’ growing bed all winter long. “I don’t buy greens anymore,” she said.
“It’s really more space than two people need,” said Coon, who brings salads to winter potlucks and shares
mustard greens, tatsoi, parsley, arugula, cilantro and a variety of lettuces. “I love to let folks know how wonderful winter gardening can be.”
The couple’s greenhouse was originally designed and built by Cher-rington in the mid-1970s when he was living on the property, Coon said.
This highly efficient greenhouse, built in the mid-1970s, produces salad greens all winter long. Photo By lAurelle WAlsh
THESLAG WORKSCustom Iron Work
Serving the Methow since 1974
Barry B. Stromberger996-9894
www.theslagworks.com
Sola
r electric µ Solar th
erma
l
~ DeSign ~conSultation
new SyStemSexiSting SyStem upgraDe
Grid Tie • STand alone • Back-upparTS • componenTSWaTer • Solar • Wind
WalkinG The Talk34 yrS. of off-Grid livinG
lic.# altercD894J8
craig “DeroSa” eDwarDS
(509) 997-4142
Landscape DesignMaster & Site Planning
Ecological DesignXeriscapes
Sarah SchrockMLA/Designer & Ownerwww.altitudelanddesign.com(509) 997-9005
ALTITUDE DESIGN
JL General Contractor25 yrs. Residential/CommercialQuality ConstructionValley References
John D. Sorg
509.997.2467JLGENC*116J6
Methow Home [ 15 ]
The 12’ x 18’ wood-framed structure has an insulated concrete-block wall on the north side that moderates temperature fluctuations and reflects light back to plants from its white-painted surface. The glass glazing on the south face is original, but the roof and siding were replaced three years ago. They also replaced the original wooden planting beds with concrete ones last year, Wolf-Armstrong said.
Coon said the crucial factor in winter gardening is carefully timing planting in the fall. She scatters a mix of hardy greens seeds in mid-September, and does a second plant-ing in mid-October. “Within a month of starting, we can start harvesting,” she said.
Other greenhouse growers take a slightly different approach to winter growing.
Molly Maxted gets her winter-hardy plants — green onions, spin-ach, parsley, and chard — started in the greenhouse by late August. “Ev-erything has to be going and growing by October,” Maxted said. In order to harvest kale in January, for example, it needs to be “knee high” by the end
of fall, she said.As the days get shorter, “things
aren’t really growing; they are just holding,” Maxted said. “You can still harvest good, fresh, live food just by snipping off the leaves.” But by the end of winter, all that’s left of that kale is a naked stalk, she said.
Hoophouses helpKip Roberts started experiment-
ing with greenhouses after driv-ing through British Columbia and “seeing non-commercial hoophouses everywhere,” he said. A hoophouse, or “high tower” as they are called in the industry, is basically a series of metal or plastic hoops covered with heavy greenhouse-grade plastic. It creates a protective tunnel over a garden bed that, if done right, extends the grow-ing season by four to six weeks in both spring and fall, Roberts said.
“[A hoophouse] allows you to start seeds earlier in the spring and protect crops like tomatoes from frost longer in the fall,” Roberts said. It can also give Methow Valley gardeners a chance to grow heat-loving crops, such as melons and peppers, he said.
Roberts’ East Chewuch neighbor Tom Forker also uses his 20’ by 24’ hoophouse to get a jump on the early spring salad crop. “You can get a much earlier start under cover than in the outdoor garden,” because the soil is snow-free and warm, Forker said.
Forker also plants seeds of spinach and hardy lettuces in a coldframe — a soil-filled wooden box with a glass top — inside the hoophouse in the fall. “The seeds germinate and then go dormant over the winter,” but begin growing again when the days lengthen and “give a much earlier crop of greens,” he said.
Finally, many Methow Valley gardeners use a greenhouse to get garden seedlings started while snow still blankets the ground.
Starting his own seeds gives Rob-erts a much wider variety of plants to choose from, saves retail costs and produces sturdy vegetable starts that he can put in the ground after the soil has warmed and the danger of frost is past, he said.
Roberts built a 12’ by 8’ lean-to greenhouse on the south wall of his home, primarily in order to start
garden seedlings, he said. He begins in March with peppers, which take several months to grow from seed to transplantable size. He contin-ues seeding onions, tomatoes and eggplant in flats, then pots up the seedlings until mid-June when even the tenderest starts are ready to go out in the garden and grow under the hot Methow sun. ◆
Dianne Honsinger tends geraniums, salad greens and herbs in her green-house room. Photo By lAurelle WAlsh
206.256.9886www.CASTarchitecture.com
Methow Home[ 16 ]
By Joanna Bastian
there is a certain primitive nos-talgia to living in a log cabin. A sanctuary of trees is both sooth-
ing and arousing to the senses. Living in a literal tree house, you can hear the creak of the once-living trees as the logs expand with the heat of the day and contract with the cool of the evening.
Coming home to a log cabin at the end of the workday is like taking a va-cation every day — a relaxing retreat.
And modern log homes are naturally green and energy-efficient.
Many of America’s greatest writers lived in and were inspired by their log cabins in the woods. Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Anne Bradstreet are just a few of the literary artists whose works continue to quicken the hearts of readers today.
Although many people dream of living in a log home, the reality requires more planning and a bigger
budget than traditional stick-frame houses. To build a log home is nearly double the cost of a stick frame because of the labor-intensive plan-ning in advance: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, lighting — all of these details have limited space and access in a solid log-walled home versus a tra-ditional wooden-frame home where all of these elements can be tucked inside walls.
Once a log home is built, the basic design is not easily changed. For these reasons and more, some home owners who want the look and feel of a log home without the cost and design restrictions are opting for log accents inside and outside the home.
Whether your house is made en-tirely of fallen trees or simply accent-ed with logs, routine maintenance is required to protect the integrity of the wood and ensure the long lasting health and beauty of your home. A log home needs a four- to five-year checkup by an experienced builder. Logs can suffer sun, water and insect damage, and may need to be replaced.
Ed Rogers of Eagle Handcrafted Homes in Twisp builds custom log homes and offers restoration and maintenance services using envi-ronmentally friendly products. “All
wood expands and contracts. A log is always alive, always moving. It moves with temperatures, hot and cold,” Rogers said. He noted there are three main areas of maintenance for log homes.
Energy sealSealing a log cabin is also com-
monly called “chinking,” the sealing of joined logs in a building. When building a log home, small spaces are left between each log to al-low for the natural expanding and contracting with the daily change in temperature.
A flexible sealant is applied to the space between the joints and logs to make the home energy efficient and keep out chilly drafts. The seal will flex as the logs naturally expand and contract throughout the day.
My log home is older and does not appear to have any sealant between the logs. Even though the walls provide more insulation and protec-tion than a double-walled stick-frame home, there are still drafts that can come through a log home that has not been sealed, or is due for re-sealing.
On a cold winter’s night, I place my hand up against the modern energy-efficient windowpanes and feel no chill, but the log walls have small icy cold drafts flowing from the joined line where log meets log. An energy seal will make a log wall completely weather-tight and significantly re-duce and eliminate drafts, improving the heating and cooling efficiency of a home by up to 30 percent.
I spoke with Rogers about my concern that sealant in between the logs would give the home a horizontal striped look, and I wanted my home to look like a cabin in the woods,
“This house is but a slight departure from the hollow
tree, which the bear still inhabits — being a hollow made with
trees piled up, with a coating of bark like its original.”
Henry David Thoreau
■ Logged in
Traditional log homes are comfy but need attention and care
Upkeep is essential for log home owners. Photo By JoAnnA BAstIAn
Stay in the ValleyUse the local CPA Services of
J. Bart Bradshaw CPA, PLLC
Income Tax Preparation • Tax Planning & Advice
Small Business Consulting • Payroll
Quarterly Reports • QuickBooks Professionals
E-File & Direct Deposits
996-2820 www.winthropcpa.com
Land Use/Development PermitsLandscape Architecture
Highest & Best Use/ValuationConservation Trusts40 Years experience in WA State & US
More than 30 years in Okanogan County
R.W. Thorpe & Associates, Inc.69/71 W. Chewuch/Northcott Rd, Winthrop, WA 98862
7438 SE 27th St., Mercer Island, WA 98040
(206) 624-6239 • (206) 484-5213 • www.rwta.com
Methow Home [ 17 ]
not a jailhouse T-shirt. He explained that sealant comes in many different colors to match every shade of wood. Rogers applies the seal by hand to ensure a smooth, professional finish, virtually disappearing into the walls after it’s applied.
Bug treatmentTrees are bug habitat. When a tree
is cut down, insect eggs that had been deposited into the wood will hatch with time — typically after the house is built. Bug nests in a log home at-tract woodpeckers and other creatures that create even more damage.
Early one morning I was awakened by a large pileated woodpecker ham-mering away at the bedroom wall to reach the feast of ants that had taken up residence in the wood. A few well-aimed tennis balls took care of the bird, and strategically placed ant traps took care of the tasty buffet that had attracted the bird in the first place.
It is important to treat fresh tim-ber prior to building the home and to also keep the wood treated over time to dissuade insects from making your
home their home. Bare timber can be treated with a salt and borate mix-ture that makes the wood distasteful to bugs.
UV protectionThe sun’s ultraviolet rays break
down wood at the cellular level. As temperatures rise, heat can cause dryness, cracking and fading. A stain with added UV protection protects the wood surfaces from mold, water, insects, UV rays and mildew and should be reapplied every seven years.
Homes built on exposed southern and westward-facing hillsides may need a refreshment coat of UV pro-tection stain more often.
Log homes should have ample over-hanging roofs to provide protection from elements that naturally damage wood surfaces. Larger overhangs provide shade from the sun’s UV rays, shelter from rain, and direct sliding snow in winter away from the walls.
Like any other warm hearth, a log home needs care and maintenance to keep it beautiful and comfortable for many years. ◆
Hancock Springs Ranch300 acres for 3.5 million Mazama, Washington
www.kristindevin.com509.996.4400Kristin Devin, Broker
Vintage home and garden décorLocally crafted furniture
Recycled, creative and needful things
501 Hwy 20 Winthrop, W A 996-8297
CU
STOM HOM
ES
D
ESIGN BUIL
D
Jeff Patterson 509-996-4112www.pattersondesignbuild.comjeff@pattersondesignbuild.com
Because it takes us all to care for a place as special as the Methow Valley.
Your local nonprofit working to inspire people to care for the land.Learn more about our conservation projects & classes
www.methowconservancy.org 509-996-2870 Conservancy
Methow
Methow Home[ 18 ]
Across the fence: Consider your neighborsNoise and light can be intrusive even in a rural setting
By Joanna Bastian
GooD neighbors can make life in the Methow Valley very enjoyable. I am quite fortunate
to have wonderful neighbors nearby. Before choosing which property to buy, I wrote letters to neighbors within the area and asked a few ques-tions — since we were deciding on a forever home, we wanted to inter-view the next-door neighbors, not only to get a feel for the place, but
also to verify that our closest
neighbors shared the same interests regarding our small community.
We moved to the Methow perma-nently in the middle of a colossal snowstorm. After a long drive from Salt Lake City, we arrived late at night expecting to leave the car at the turnoff and trudge through deep snow to our new home.
When we turned up the lane, we found the driveway plowed, a shov-eled path to the porch steps, and a load of chopped firewood next to the woodstove. We were welcomed to the neighborhood in the best possible way, and we continue to enjoy chats over the fence, or in the drive, swap-ping gardening tips, seedling starts and recipes.
Neighbors can be a mixed bag of friendliness, alternate views, and — let us be honest — annoying behav-ior. Being a considerate neighbor requires everyone to give careful consideration to how choices affect
the surrounding community.In the Methow, a neighbor might not be right next door.
They may be back in the trees, up a hollow, even
on the plateau half a mile away. Out of
sight is certainly not out of range of hearing or impact, and it pays to commu-nicate honestly with each other to keep the harmony among good neighbors.
Keeping our dark skiesOne of the unique features of the
Methow Valley is the naturally dark skies that provide optimal stargaz-ing opportunities. Our dark skies are not impermeable, however. Unfortu-nately, there are projects with poor lighting design that flood our dark skies with light pollution.
Light pollution is obtrusive, artifi-cial light that impacts valley resi-dents and our night sky. It is a direct result of bad lighting design that al-lows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky where it dis-rupts the view for everyone, instead of downward, where the immediate user actually needs it. Of all the pol-lution in our lives, light pollution is relatively easily remedied.
If the light is not needed through-out the night, connect a timer switch so the light will not disturb the neighbors. Ensure that outside lights are directed downward, not outward. Install a simple metal shade over a bare light bulb to keep the path of light directed down to the ground.
Simple changes in lighting design and placement immediately restores our naturally dark skies and, for an added bonus, can result in energy savings with reduced usage and wattage. For more information on how to restore naturally dark skies while keeping the lighting necessary for business and living purposes, visit http://okanoganelectriccoop.com/content/dark-sky.
Noise pollutionThe Methow Valley is a quiet
retreat, well known for its bountiful trails full of wildlife and bird watch-ing opportunities. But nothing ruins a quiet day at home working in the yard or reading a book in the ham-mock like the incessant high-pitched whine of a motor, or a barking dog, or a neighbor’s outdoor music. A key fac-tor in being a good neighbor is being conscientious of the amount of noise pollution that you create.
Many of the back roads in the val-ley are open to ATV and snowmobile use. When they are driven at the speed limit, it is easy to share the road and neighborhood with these adventurous vehicles.
But when operators open up the throttle and put the pedal to the met-al, not only is it extremely danger-ous to pedestrians on the roads and trails, but the noise level is far above normal standards. Stay within the posted speed limit not just for safety, but also out of consideration for the noise level created when excessive speeds are used.
… we found the driveway plowed, a shoveled path to the porch steps, and a load of chopped firewood
next to the woodstove. We were welcomed to the
neighborhood in the best possible way …
Tim C. Smith General Contractor
509.996.3226Cell 360.393.7108
[email protected]. #BIGVAVB927DJ
PropaneService
FREE EstimatesLocally owned & operated since 1999
WINTHROP, WA 509-996-2228okanogancountyenergy.com
Methow Home [ 19 ]
If you are planning an outdoor party or construction project and music is on the agenda, talk to your neighbors. Invite them over, or just give them a heads up about the dura-tion so they can plan accordingly. They might ask you to keep it down during a certain time because that is when the baby goes down for a nap, or they might offer to swing a ham-mer and get that project done sooner. Keep the volume level to where you can hear it while not disturbing the neighbors.
Perhaps the worst noise pollution, and more difficult to solve, is the barking dog. A barking dog is not a happy dog — it is trying desperately to communicate that something is making it uncomfortable.
If your neighbors tell you your dog is barking all day long, as a respon-sible pet owner you need to assess the situation and figure out what your dog is trying to tell you and make the necessary changes to alleviate the barking. If you have a barker, talk with your vet and find a way to make life better for both the neighbors and your dog.
Shared drivewaysShared driveways are a fact of
life in the Methow Valley for many people. As neighbors, plan time to get together and discuss shared main-tenance of the road and options for plowing. Everyone may have a differ-ent opinion on needed maintenance, so try to come to a compromise that makes the best use of available resources and talents.
Keep in mind that the shared driveway is an approach to someone else’s home and not necessarily an available space in your yard. Talk with your children and treat the shared driveway as a road — look both ways and keep toys safely out of the way of vehicles. Be mindful of space needed for emergency vehicles, utility trucks, propane delivery — anything that needs room to pass safely.
There are lots of ways that neigh-bors can look out for each other, and simple steps everyone can take to ensure that our way of life here in the Methow is optimally enjoyable and safely protected. Be good to one another. ◆
Forty years ago, Windermere set out to change the real estate industry by putting relationships
before sales quotas, with an emphasison service to our clients and our community.
Windermere’s three core values drive everything we do:
(509) 997-6562 WindermereMethow.com
• Exceptional full service• Trusted Advisor
• Lifelong client relationships• Integrity & Expertise
Relationships
Professionalism
Community• Windermere Foundation• Community Service Day
• Locally owned offices• Sponsorships
• Innovative marketing• Members of National Association of REALTORS
• Premium tools & service• Carefully selected owners & agents
Contractor# SCHULEL962NB
vintage modern
office of shackitectureshackitecture.com509 670 5633
facebook.com/shackitecture@shackitecture
Methow Home[ 20 ]
Living with wildlifeA little understanding goes a long way toward getting along with the valley’s animalsBy the Methow Conservancy
the Methow Valley is one of the few remaining places in the lower 48 states where people still share
space with most of the area’s histori-cal wildlife. To many residents and visitors this is one the most enjoyable aspects of being in the valley.
From birds to bears, understand-ing an animal’s habitat and behavior can go a long way toward helping you learn to live with them, and helping them stay alive and wild. Here is a short list of wildlife that most of us can learn to live with better.
Bears Black bears are common, though
relatively elusive in the Methow Val-ley, and range over large areas.
In general, bears peacefully coexist with people in the valley, and they are only seen on occasion. However, once a bear finds an easy food source, such as garbage bins or bird seed, the bear may become not just a nuisance for humans but also potentially dan-gerous. Unfortunately, the old adage that “a fed bear is dead bear” often applies when bears become habitu-ated to human food sources.
Cougars Cougars are also common and
widespread in the valley. They are most active at dawn and dusk, and because of their secretive nature they are rarely seen. Deer are the primary prey for these large cats, and we often see and have more encounters with cougars in the winter when deer are concentrated on the valley floor.
Unattended pets, small livestock and chickens can also attract cougars, so it’s important to keep domestic animals confined at night. High fences and closed structures are best for protecting outdoor animals.
RattlesnakesThe Methow Valley is prime north-
ern Pacific rattlesnake habitat. These unique predators winter in communal dens that are usually on south-facing rocky slopes below 4,000 feet. In the summer, snakes usually move up to a mile from their winter dens and hunt for small mammals in optimal tem-peratures of 80 to 85 degrees.
Rattlesnakes are the only venom-ous snake in the Methow and they are not aggressive. They would rather
escape than bite you. If they can’t easily
get away, rattlesnakes coil into a defensive posture and rattle
their tail when they feel threatened. This is your cue
to move away.If a person or pet is bit-
ten, restrict movement and keep the affected
area below your heart level, and get medical help im-
mediately, carrying the person or pet if they need to be moved. If you have an unwanted rattlesnake den on your property, there are humane ways to relocate the snakes. Please contact the Methow Conservancy.
BatsBats are insect-eating (think mos-
quitoes!), night-flying mammals that we frequently see on summer evenings. The advantages of having bats around far outweigh any problems you might ever have with them.
Less than one bat in 20,000 has rabies, and no Washington bats feed on blood. Thirteen species of bats live in the Methow Valley, from the common little brown bat to the rare Townsend’s big-eared bat, and many have learned that human structures (barns, bridges, overhanging porches) provide suit-able habitat. Having a small number
of bats in these structures during the day typically does not cause anyone problems.
If bats get into your attic or wall space, you will probably want to seek a humane way to remove them.
BirdsOver 265 species of birds call the
Methow home either year-round or in the summer, when dozens of species flock here from Central and South America to breed and raise young. While many people want to attract birds to their property, a big issue with birds in the Methow’s wide-open spaces is window strikes. Small birds are frequently stunned, injured or killed by flying into windows because birds see a reflection of land-scape or sky in the glass, and can’t see beyond the window.
Vegetation is the key to attracting a variety of birds and, ironically, vegetation (or bird feeders) placed very close to windows can actually help prevent window col-lisions because they slow the birds down.
To attract birds to your property, plant native fruit-bearing shrubs such as elder-berry, chokecherry or serviceberry. Add a birdbath or other source of water — a safe place to bathe and drink is a mag-net for many ani-
mals. Many birds are cavity-nesters so birdhouses, or better yet, dead trees (snags) provide easy shelter.
Townsend’s big eared bat in flight. Photo By kent WooDruff
Bear cub clinging to a tree. Photo By JAson PAulsen
◆ CABINETS ◆
◆ APPLIANCES ◆◆ COUNTERTOPS ◆
Marc Robertson [email protected]
DESIGNS 2000, Inc.
WE DIG IT!
ALLPHASES OF EXCAVATION
(509) 997-6394 • www.mcqexcavating.com#MCHUGEI036KL
Methow Home [ 21 ]
What you can doAs the valley’s population grows,
the greatest threat to wildlife is loss of habitat through development and human disturbance. When a conflict arises between humans and animals it is usually because the animal is just looking for something it needs to survive — food, water and/or shelter. There are several things you can do to promote a more peaceful co-existence with wildlife.
• Leave as much of your land in a natural state as possible. Protect wildlife habitat by leaving snags, rock dens, wetlands, native vegetation and some woody debris for animal food and cover. Plant native trees and shrubs if you don’t have many.
• Food stored outside — including garbage, fruit, pet food, compost and birdseed — attracts and “rewards” bears and other creatures. If you must store food outside, place it in a tightly sealed or “bear-proof” bin.
• Drive cautiously, especially at night (45 mph), to reduce collisions with deer.
• Fence off your vegetables, ornamen-tal gardens and fruit trees from deer.
• Do not feed animals (except birds, if you choose). Feeding deer, squir-rels or other wild animals creates problems for neighbors, attracts predators (such as cougars), draws them too close to pets, trains them to look for easy meals and lose their fear of humans, and may cause them to become aggressive.
• When walking in rattlesnake country, thump a walking stick on the ground to give snakes a chance to move away; stick to open trails and avoid walking in thick brush;
and wear long pants and/or over-the-ankle boots.
• Screen off attic access points and leave old buildings, snags, mines and caves as undisturbed as possible for bat habitat.
• Fertilizers, herbicides and pesti-cides are often toxic to pets and wild creatures. Use them carefully and sparingly, if at all.
• Use lights at night only as needed. Many animals, like flying squirrels, require darkness for survival and are vulnerable in lit areas.
• Use owl decoys, window stick-ers or Mylar streamers to prevent birds from hitting reflective house windows. Whatever you place on the window should be on the outside. Close curtains when possible.
• Box in your roof eaves to remove nesting platforms.
• Control outdoor cats that may be prowling around your yard; they can be especially harmful to birds that feed or nest on the ground.
• Screen, seal and caulk all vents, windows and doors to prevent small critters, from bugs to mice, from entering your home.
More informationThe Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has an extensive “Living with Wildlife” website. Go to wdfw.wa.gov/living/ and follow the links of your choosing.
Whatever your need — more infor-mation about a particular species, or a phone number for wildlife offi-cials — stop by the Methow Conser-vancy office at 315 Riverside Ave. in Winthrop, or contact us at 996-2870 or [email protected]. ◆
Moose are sometimes seen on Studhorse Mountain. Photo By freD Wert
Quality Work at a Competitive Price Locally owned and operated for two generations with the longest continuous service in North Central Washington.
MVMWater Wells
& PumPs
QualityDrilling
• Free Estimates• Professional Site
Selection & Budget Analysis
• Air Rotary Drilling• Hard Rock, Boulders,
Sand or Gravel• Domestic & Irrigation• Domestic Pump
Installation & Service
Toll Free1-888-682-1010
Pateros Shop/Office7:00 - 8:30
(509) 923-2073
Chelan Office8:30 - 4:30
(509) 682-1122www.mvmqualitydrilling.com
serving the methow, lake Chelan & Okanogan Valleys
Owned/Operated Marshall Miller • Charles Miller
Lic# MVMQUDL936BB
Methow Home[ 22 ]
■ Cleansing body and soulMany modern bathrooms are designed as sanctuaries for relaxation
By Marcy Stamper
there is no shortage of eu-phemisms for the humble bathroom — “water closet,”
“little girl’s room,” “necessary room” — but today’s bathroom is literally becoming a restroom.
The modern bathroom is increasingly designed to be a sanctuary, a quiet,
low-maintenance place to relax and cleanse your body — not only from dirt and grime, but also from the stresses of the day.
Spa-like aesthetics are common-place, with calming, neutral colors and clean lines. “There’s a lot of blue-gray or cream — the colors of rocks,” said Mary Johnston, a partner in Johnston Architects, a firm based in Seattle that has designed many houses in the Methow Valley. The one place where people may still be a bit more daring is the powder room.
“People may paint the room in a really dark color, just because it’s a little bit dramatic,” said
Johnston.Overall, people
seem to favor spare, minimalist bath-
rooms — not clinical or institutional, but designed to showcase beautiful forms and materials. “That’s also the sanctuary idea — it’s a minimalist ap-proach to cleaning,” said Johnston.
Equipped with saunas, steam showers, or showers with spray jets, bathrooms are also taking on the functional attributes of spas. “We put a lot of saunas in bathrooms,” said Molly Patterson, who co-owns The Patterson Company Design Build with her husband, Jeff.
In fact, saunas and soaking tubs are increasingly supplanting jetted tubs, said Patterson. This, too, is part of a desire to create a peaceful space that doesn’t require extra upkeep. “We try to talk people out of jetted tubs because the jets can be really hard to clean,” said Patterson.
“It goes along with the sanctuary quality,” said Johnston. “Jetted tubs
can be kind of loud — that’s the main
objection.”Johnston sees people opting
instead for free-standing tubs, sort of a modern interpretation of the claw-foot tub. Shaped like an egg or a rect-angle with gently rounded corners, these vessels — strategically placed in the middle of the room — become a sculptural element. While some are porcelain, many of these tubs are made from resins that mimic stone, but they are lighter and easier to maintain, she said.
In vacation homes, many people dispense with the bathtub altogether and instead indulge in spray jets for the shower, said Margo Peterson-Aspholm, an architect at Balance Associates in Winthrop.
Another trend — both for aesthet-ics and practicality — is a curbless (or bumpless) shower, which has no lip to step over. People appreciate the clean lines — the showers often have a gently sloping floor and a linear drain along the wall — but
Methow Home [ 23 ]
these easy-access showers are also a good choice for people designing a house that they can use long into the future, when they may not be able to safely step in and out of a shower or tub.
Because they had both watched their parents grow old in a house that
was not designed to be accessible for people with limited mobility, David Wright and Judith Hardmeyer-Wright designed their entire house in Mazama to be easy to use if mobility becomes an issue. All doorways are extra-wide to accommodate a wheel-chair, and the bathtub in the guest
room has extra-low sides to make getting in and out easy.
In the master bath, the warm earth tones of the mottled, textured slate floor continue uninterrupted into the curbless shower. The shower has a bench — tiled in slate like the floor and walls — that is also planned for people with limited mobility.
In addition, the Wrights’ bath-room is very low-maintenance — a quick flush of warm water cleans the slate and the pigmented con-crete they used for the vanity, said Hardmeyer-Wright.
The Wrights’ design was not all about planning for the future. “A sauna was one of the first things we wanted for the house,” said Hardmeyer-Wright.
While the sauna ended up down the hall from the bathroom, it is an integral part of the house and they use it almost every day after skiing or hiking. “In fact, we use it even more in the summer,” said Hardmeyer-Wright. “It’s probably the healthiest part of the house, to release toxins and as a muscle-relaxant.”
Turning your bathroom into a spa
with a sauna can be surprisingly simple. Sauna kits come with the basics and benches in raw cedar, and have options for different types of heat or rocks that will produce steam, said Patterson. “Sauna kits are really cool,” she said.
Saving water and timePeople are increasingly interested
in practical features in their bath-rooms, both for their own lifestyle and for the environment.
“People are much more water-conscious” in their selection of fixtures, said Peterson-Aspholm. Dual-flush toilets, which allow you to choose the appropriate amount of water to flush — once a rarity in this country — have become quite common and are only slightly more expensive than standard models. And hands-free faucets, another water-conserving trend, are cropping up even in residential settings, said Johnston.
Even the choice of tile can affect how much upkeep the bathroom needs. Contemporary tiles are avail-able in many interesting patterns and
Saunas are an increasingly popular addition to bathrooms. Photos By mArcy stAmPer
•
CONCRETE REDI-MIX & PRE-CAST •
54 Horizon Flat Rd, Winthrop
CASCADE CONCRETE
(509) 996-2435Serving Your Concrete Needs for 37 Years
Concrete, Boom & Dump Truck Delivery to your site
CRUSHED GRAVEL FOR DRIVEWAYSSpread on your road or in a pile!
•
PRODUCTS
* Sand & Gravel * Septic Tanks & Precast * Rental Equip / Tools* Cultured Stone * Block & Brick* Dust Control
* Concrete Color & Sealer* Sack Products / Premix* Landscape Rock* Stucco Supplies* Pavers & Step Stones* Snow Removal
Methow Home[ 24 ]
shapes, such as elongated, rectangu-lar tiles that are just three inches tall and 12 inches wide, said Johnston. Some high-end Italian porcelain tiles run up to three feet wide, minimizing grout joints — and therefore the time spent scrubbing them, said Peterson-Aspholm. “No one really likes grout,” she said.
While real slate and stone are less common these days than they were a decade ago, people can get that look with porcelain tiles that mimic stone, said Johnston.
Another nice feature that adds luxury without great cost is a heat mat that is installed beneath the tile floor, providing an effect similar to radiant-floor heat, said Patterson. “It’s a pretty economical splurge,” often costing just a few hundred dol-lars, she said.
For the ultimate sensory experi-ence, Johnston Architects designed a bathroom with a horizontal strip of a window that is right at eye level when you lie down in the free-standing tub, so that you can gaze out toward the North Cascades while you soak. “It’s an amazing view,” said Johnston. ◆
Slate and stone tiles add warmth and richness. Photo By mArcy stAmPer
License & Insured CCRF DENNIRJ905NZ
Dennis JonesChipping & Tree ServiceFelling • Topping • Trimming • Stump Grinding
Tree Removal for Fire Safety • Dangerous Tree RemovalChipper, Bucket Truck & Climbing Gear
509.997.2007 • 509.449.1022
Custom Homes in the Methow Valley
wsaconstruction.com • 509-997-0606
FIREWISE
OKANOGAN
You’ve taken the time to pick out just the right fixtures
and finishes...but have you planned for wildfire?
Okanogan Conservation District offers free risk assessments and advice on
Firewise® construction and landscaping.
509-422-0855 x. 100 [email protected]
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGNS30 years working in the Methow Valley
MONETTA & ASSOCIATESBob Monetta, Owner
Eastern GreenHydro Seeding
Lawns ~ Pastures • Erosion ControlWildflower Mixes • Fire Buffer Zones
997-0116
Compare to the price of sod!
Lic# EASTEGH941NSFree Estimates
Methow Home [ 25 ]
Home Tour will highlight roof lines
“Evolving Roof Lines” — flat, A-frame and shed among them — is the theme for the popular annual Methow Valley Home Tour, scheduled for Sat-urday, Aug. 9.
The tour, now in its 14th year, pro-vides local residents and visitors the opportunity to experience a variety of Methow homes. It is sponsored by Confluence Gallery and Art Center in Twisp.
This year, all the homes will be within a 15-mile radius to encourage bicyclists to take the tour. Conflu-ence will provide a biking map, ac-cording to Executive Director Nicole Ringgold.
Driving maps will be provided to ticket-holders on the day of the
event. Tickets will be available starting in July. For more informa-tion, call (509) 997-2787, email [email protected], or visit www.confluencegallery.org.
For those contemplating building a home in the valley, the tour provides
opportunities to check out interior and exterior design possibilities, to learn about siting options, and to see the work of various architects, builders and artisans (and possibly meet them as well). For locals already fortunate enough to live here, the tour
offers rare access to some distinctive dwellings hidden in the woods or at the end of a meandering driveway.
The tour typically includes six or more homes featuring a variety of ar-chitectural styles, building materials, sizes and values. ◆
The local evolution of roof lines will be the focus of the Aug. 9 Methow Valley Home Tour. Photo By Don mIller
Integrated Design Concepts Inc
Howard Cherrington, AIBD-CPBD509-997-4865 • PO Box 681 • Twisp, WA 98856
www.integrateddesignconcepts.com
ResidenTiAl & COmmeRCiAl Building designC a r p e t C l e a n i n g
& MaintenanCe SerViCe
Truck Mounted Steam Cleaning for Carpets
& Upholstery
Window Cleaning
Tile & Grout Cleaning
Wood Floor Maintenance
24-Hour Emergency Water Extractions
Locally Owned & OperatedGCA Inc.
Serving the Methow Valley Since 1995
Upper Valley509.997.1234
Methow Home[ 26 ]
Right at homeIt’s a long way from New York to the Methow, but a comfy river-side lodge makes the trip worth it
By Don Nelson
for Peter Neufeld and Adele Bernhard’s New York City friends who think of a second
home as something in the Poconos or Adirondacks, the notion of crossing three time zones to visit your vaca-tion place is, Neufeld says, “bizarre.”
“They say, ‘so you fly five-and-a-half hours and then drive four-and-a-half hours?’ And we say ‘yeah,’” Neufeld said recently from the Brook-lyn home he says is about 20 blocks from where he grew up.
For Neufeld and Bernhard, the only regret about the cross-country trek to their isolated home way up the Twisp River is that they can’t take it more often.
The couple’s Methow connections actually go back a ways. Valley resi-dent Mac Shelton was Neufeld’s first boss at a Seattle law firm. About 15 years ago, Neufeld came to the valley
to give a talk. Shelton and his wife, Frauke Rynd, invited Neufeld and Bernhard to stay with them at their Methow Valley cabin. They loved the area immediately, Neufeld said.
Neufeld and Bernhard started thinking about a vacation home in the Methow, but didn’t find anything they liked. They asked Shelton to be on the lookout for something suitable.
The place Shelton found is a very long, very narrow “inhold” lot surrounded by U.S. Forest Service land. On the property was a framed but unfinished log timber-frame house that needed a lot of work to be livable. Shelton told Neufeld and Bernhard that they had to see it.
“I flew out, but there was so much snow that we had to ski in,” Neufeld recalled. “The only sound I heard on the way was a woman with a dog sled and team.”
Neufeld shot some video, took it back to show Bernhard, and a week later they bought the house — but mostly they were buying the land.
“The property was so perfect,” Neufeld said. “It was spectacular.”
The distance from New York, and the stark contrast between intense urban and remote rural experiences, were actually selling points.
“We live extremely hectic lives in the city. That’s why we didn’t go to the Poconos. We wanted to go
to a place as different as could be,” Neufeld said.
Good bonesNeufeld and Bernhard knew
designer Don Miller of Shadowline Design and Construction through Shelton and Rynd. About 11 years ago, they asked Miller to assess the house. It had good innards, Neufeld said, but just about everything else needed to be fleshed out.
There was literally no second floor, only a ladder up to the massive cross-beams. There were no bathrooms. The kitchen area was rudimentary. Nothing had been put down over the sub-flooring
“If we had to level it, we would have,” Neufeld said.
Miller told Neufeld and Bernhard that it was doable. Not easy, not inex-pensive, but doable.
“Don had the idea to take the bones of it and completely transform it,” Neufeld said. “He told us, ‘it’s a lodge.’”
Miller says he did see a lot of potential in the house. The structure, he said, “was a grand start.”
From that start, the makeover is remarkable. With its huge, unfin-ished timbers and open spaces, the house does indeed feel like a lodge.
Miller moved the entrance, added covered porches, replaced windows, clad the house with cedar shake siding
and utterly transformed the interior.A spacious, efficient kitchen with
granite counter tops now opens to a dining area with doors to a screened porch. The high-ceilinged great room features a river rock fireplace and big view windows looking toward the river. A cozy master bedroom, also with river views, can be separated from the living area by a barn-style sliding door. The completed second floor now accommodates two guest bedrooms and a small office area. Floors in the main living areas are all hardwood. Attention to detail is evident throughout.
Local artisans’ work is represented in the house, including a dining room table fashioned from iron and steel by Barry Stromberger — who also cre-ated the stair railings.
Before and after: a kitchen transformed. Photos By Don mIller
Barry Stromberger created railings for an airy staircase. Photo By Don nelson
“I flew out, but there was so much snow that
we had to ski in. The only sound I heard on the way was a woman with a dog
sled and team.”Peter Neufeld
Methow Home [ 27 ]
Neufeld calls Miller “a miracle worker … his workmanship, insight and ability to get in synch with the client is other-worldly.”
Although most of the consulta-tion during construction was done by email, the process was smooth, Neufeld said.
“Don makes you part of the experience,” Neufeld said. “There’s a discussion about everything, there’s agreement, and you move on. The experience was so positive that we became good friends.”
Community mattersThe site wouldn’t have worked,
however, had it not been for the friendliness and acceptance Neufeld and Bernhard found immediately in the Methow, a place they say is full of “incredible people doing interesting things.”
“People are extremely welcom-ing and supportive and thoughtful,” Neufeld said. “We couldn’t have done it unless there was a community of friends who helped us out.”
“We didn’t want a resort commu-nity,” he added. “We wanted a real community.”
Neufeld and Bernhard have always intended, and still intend, to spend more time at the Methow house. But their demanding lives make that dif-ficult for now.
Neufeld is the founder and co-director of The Innocence Project, a nonprofit launched in 1992 that assists prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. To date, more than 300 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing. Bernhard is an ac-complished attorney and a professor at New York Law School.
That work is fulfilling, but the Methow always beckons. Not long ago Neufeld and Bernhard watched from the porch of their home as a mama bear and two cubs wandered down to water. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” Neufeld said. ◆
A sliding door separates the master bedroom from the living area. Photo By Don mIllerMassive beams and a river rock fireplace define the great room. Photo By Don nelson
custom cabinets,furniture, doors,finish work
over 30 years ofwoodworkingin the Methow
J E R R Y C O L E W O O D W O R K I N G
Varden ConstructionTwisp, WA • 19+ Years Experience
Specializing in:Custom Remodels & AdditionsKitchen & Bath UpgradesWindow & Door ReplacementsSiding, Stairs, Decks & RailingsChimney & Flashing RepairAll Your Framing Needs
Ted Jackson (360) 333-7139 Lic# VARDEC*874QK
Methow Home[ 28 ]
Fine linesCassal Ranch home keeps a low profile while taking advantage of spectacular views
By Ann McCreary
HERE in the Methow Valley, often the greatest challenge in designing and building homes
is creating structures that do justice to their magnificent surroundings.
That was the case for a home built by The Patterson Company Design Build in Mazama’s Early Winters area, nestled in meadows at the site of the old Cassal Ranch.
The location provides glorious, 360-degree views of mountains and forests unspoiled by any signs of civilization, except for skiers in winter gliding across a distant meadow framed by the snow-covered
peaks of Last Chance Point and Scramble Point.
“This is one of the most spectacular sites in the Methow Valley,” said Jeff Patterson, who owns The Patterson Company Design Build with his wife, Molly.
The Pattersons worked with owner Jacob Engelstein to create a structure that takes full advantage of its inspiring, remote setting while minimizing its visual and environmental impact.
The property is one of five parcels that were part of the former 1,200-acre Arrowleaf property, once proposed for development as a 560-home resort and golf course, and subsequently purchased by Trust for Public Land (TPL) in 2000.
TPL divided the property into five parcels for sale to conservation-minded buyers. A conservation easement restricts development on each property to one, three-acre home site, with the remainder preserved for wildlife and low-impact recreation.
The project was completed in 2004 and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is the principal steward of the conservation easements.
Given the emphasis on preserving
the natural beauty of the landscape, Engelstein and the Pattersons wanted to create a structure that is as unobtrusive as possible. Though it is located in the middle of the open meadows, the house is designed to blend in to its surroundings.
“This is the only lot of the five [parcels] that can be seen from the trails,” Jeff Patterson said. “Once we decided on the site, our whole goal was to keep the building as low-profile as possible.”
Dramatic viewsThe house, designed by Molly
Patterson, is oriented toward the north, with dramatic vistas of
the Robinson Creek drainage and surrounding peaks. A shed-style roof rises to its high point on the north side of the house, with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that frame the meadows and mountains.
Stepping into the home from the main entry on the southern side, the first impression is of continuous views to the meadows and mountains beyond. The home is designed to provide uninterrupted sight lines from the interior to exterior.
The design even took into consideration the height of the owner, so that when he stood at the entrance to the great room that is the center of the home, the tops of the
A yoga practice space adjoins the master bedroom. PHoto by omastE WitkoWski
The master bedroom is in one wing of the house. PHoto by omastE WitkoWski
Maintaining a low profile was the first priority in designing the Cassal Ranch house. PHoto by omastE WitkoWski
Methow Home [ 29 ]
distant peaks would be visible just below the ceiling line.
“In the end this view is what sold the property,” said Jeff Patterson. “We wanted the focus to be outside.”
“We chose the shed roof style because it allows us to keep the high point as low as possible” to minimize the profile of the home, Patterson said. The high point of the house is only 14 feet.
Because the owner has grown children and grandchildren, he wanted to make sure the house could comfortably accommodate guests. So, the home has a wing on either side of the central great room. On one side are two bedrooms — one specifically for the grandchildren — and a bathroom, to provide visiting family members their own space.
On the other side of the great room is the master bedroom, which is entered through a smaller room, about 9-by-12-feet, created as a space for yoga practice. The room takes advantage of the mountain views with glass doors and windows. Sliding doors can close it off from the adjoining bedroom, or open to bring the view into the bedroom as well.
A small, narrow office is tucked off the great room, with built-in bookshelves and counters to maximize the space. The office has sliding windows that open into the great room and the view beyond, or close to provide a quiet place to work.
Reclaimed materialsThe interior of the 1,800-square-
foot home has “good quality, durable finishes” that fit the owner’s construction budget, Jeff Patterson said. The house is heavily insulated
and has triple-pane windows to conserve energy. Heating is provided by electric radiant heat under durable oak floors.
The light wood ceiling of the great room is accented by dark beams of lumber reclaimed from the old Wagner Mill. The kitchen area in one corner of the great room has light oak cabinets, concrete countertops, and a small island with two stools.
Patterson also used reclaimed lumber to create heavy sliding doors that conceal a washer and dryer in a hallway leading to the guest wing.
The exterior of the house is sided in reclaimed lumber that was formerly the floor of an old hop house in Selah, Wash. The wood is unfinished, except for wire brushing to clean it up, creating a rustic, natural feel to the structure that helps it blend into its surroundings.
A key principle of homes designed by The Patterson Company is “contemplating the impact of building on a particular site, and having concern and compassion for the land as your first obligation when siting the home,” said Molly Patterson.
“We feel particularly proud of the design, and feel like this home really exemplifies our basic ethics,” she said. ◆
A small office opens into the great room. PHoto by omastE WitkoWski
The great room is designed to provide uninterrupted sight lines. PHoto by omastE WitkoWski
Serving the Methow Valley for more than 25 years
996-8118229 E. Riverside Dr.
Lic# HARMOHI868BL
WOOD & LAMINATEFLOORING
MARMOLEUMCARPET
TILEDRAPERIES
HUNTER DOUGLASWINDOW SHADES
EXTERIOR WINDOW SHADES
Methow Home[ 30 ]
A matter of timeThirty years after discovering the Methow, Randy Brook and Melanie Rowland have exactly the house they wantedBy Don Nelson
FoR many years, Randy Brook and Melanie Rowland didn’t intend to build a house on their
property along the Methow River off of Twisp-Carlton Road. There was an old cabin on the site that served their purposes during visits to the valley from their Seattle home.
But once they decided to build, Brook and Rowland had some very intentional ideas about what they wanted in their new home.
Designer Howard Cherrington listened, advised and came up with a plan that perfectly serves the couple’s intents and purposes. But that was almost 30 years after they discovered the Methow.
Brook and Rowland first visited the valley in1984 for a skiing adventure at the invitation of friends who were having a house built in the East Chewuch area, designed by Cherrington. They stayed at the Patterson Lake cabins, tried cross country skiing and became enamored of the sport and the valley. “It was a revelation to just ski in the woods by yourself,” Rowland said. “It was bliss.”
The couple started renting a cabin on the Methow River property and fell in love with the site and the area. They started looking for property,
and when word got back to the cabin’s owners, they asked if Brook and Rowland wanted to buy it. They bought the place in 1999 — 13 years after they started staying there.
Although they were “strictly winter people for years,” Brook said, they discovered that there was much more of year-round interest in the valley.
Brook and Rowland, both attorneys, began bringing more of their work to the Methow, thanks to a high-speed Internet connection. Eventually, they were spending most of their time here. The cabin became too small for working and nearly full-time living. They considered remodeling the 1940s-vintage building, but concluded that “we would just have an old cabin, renovated,” Rowland said.
“We really didn’t want to build a The east-facing deck is great for bird watching. PHoto by Don nElson
Below: a cupola provides useful second-story space. PHoto by mElaniE RoWlanD
The exterior is finished in wood and stucco. PHoto by Don nElson
Methow Home [ 31 ]
house,” Brook said.“But we always knew we’d live
here,” Rowland added.In 2004 they started looking at
other homes for sale in the area. They actually bought another property, not near the river, but concluded that “there just wasn’t anything better than we already had,” Rowland said of the Methow River site. “We reluctantly decided that the only way we’d get what we wanted was to build it here.”
More clarityIn 2007 they
started doing some sketches of what they had in mind, and took them to Cherrington. “There was no question it was going to be Howard,” Rowland said. They knew Cherrington would incorporate energy-efficient considerations into the design. But
before they got as far as construction, the recession hit and the couple decided to put off building.
When the economy started to recover, Brook and Rowland went back
to Cherrington — but this time they asked him to design it from scratch. They wanted two bedrooms and an office, in less than 2,000 square feet. A view of the river was vital. Brook’s one specific directive was that he wanted a kitchen set up for his baking avocation — a work space that was efficient and compact.
“They were a lot more clear about what they wanted,”
Cherrington said of the second design effort.
Cherrington has developed a questionnaire for prospective clients that helps him understand what they want to accomplish in a new Randy Brook’s baking area turned out just as he hoped. PHoto by Don nElson
A sunny office nook has a western view. PHoto by Don nElson
C a b i n e t s
the source for all your building needs.
We deliver [email protected] 997-8541 1309 HigHway 20 SoutH • twiSp • LocaLLy owned and operated
Certifiedboom truck
andDriver
reBArlumBertruSSeSrOOFinGSidingdoorS
windowSdecKing
inSulAtiOnSHeetrocKcABinetS
Hardwarepaint & Stain
GlASS& Mirror
We Make Great Paint... With Pride
● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Methow Home[ 32 ]
space to fulfill their vision and suit their lifestyle.
“It gets them in a reflective mood, thinking about how they anticipate living in it,” Cherrington said. Brook and Rowland, because of their long association with the valley, “had a clear understanding of how they wanted to be here,” Cherrington said.
The first consideration was where to place the house on the 5.5-acre site, since the couple did not want to tear down the old cabin. That made things more complicated, Brook, Rowland and Cherrington agree, in large part because the property is dense with boulders that had to be removed in excavation.
“I like where it was finally situated,” Cherrington said.
The design process produced a house oriented east-
west, with the river view
on the
east end (dining room, kitchen, living room, deck, lots of windows) and a view of McClure, Gardner and Story mountains on the west end (master bedroom, also lots of windows). A hallway connects the ends of the long, relatively narrow house.
The entrance, after a small vestibule, is into the connecting hallway, with the personal area on the left and the social and living space on the right.
Other features include a wood stove with river-rock fireplace, a built-in cabinet for Rowland’s mother’s Limoge china from France, and a concrete slab, passive solar floor in the dining room area. A solar power array west of the house provides most of the home’s electricity needs.
Going upThe exterior is a combination of
wood and stucco — Rowland said she did not want an expanse of one material along the length of the house where visitors first see it. The outdoor lighting is dark sky compliant.
It was originally planned
The cupola addition offers expansive views. PHotos: abovE, RanDy bRook. bEloW, Don nElson
Building All Your Dreams!
Hungry MountainConstruction
New Home Construction • RemodelingWater Damage Restoration
Committed to quality workmanship
Alex Kerr (509) 923-1907 ~ Cell (509) 991-9534Email: [email protected] Lic# HUNGRMCO38NL
www.perkinscoie.com Perkins Coie llp ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Proud to serve the land use and environmental community in the following areas:
• Real Estate• Land Use & Environmental Law• Regulatory Litigation• Environmental Litigation• Mining, Agriculture & Forest Resources
A N C H O R A G E · B E I J I N G · B E L L E V U E · B O I S E · C H I C A G O · D A L L A S · D E N V E R
L O S A N G E L E S · M A D I S O N · N E W Y O R K · P A L O A L T O · P H O E N I X · P O R T L A N D
S A N D I E G O · S A N F R A N C I S C O · S E AT T L E · S H A N G H A I · TA I P E I · WA S H I N G T O N , D . C .
CONTACT: Sandy Mackie, Partner SEATTLE & WINTHROP PHONE: 206.359.8653EMAIL: [email protected] • CELL: 509.681.0175
WINTHROP OFFICE:
106 Bluff Street, Suite 204 - Chewuch Professional Bldg.Winthrop, WA
SEATTLE OFFICE & MAILING ADDRESS:
Perkins Coie LLP
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900Seattle, WA 98101
www.perkinscoie.com Perkins Coie llp ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Proud to serve the land use and environmental community in the following areas:
• Real Estate• Land Use & Environmental Law• Regulatory Litigation• Environmental Litigation• Mining, Agriculture & Forest Resources
A N C H O R A G E · B E I J I N G · B E L L E V U E · B O I S E · C H I C A G O · D A L L A S · D E N V E R
L O S A N G E L E S · M A D I S O N · N E W Y O R K · P A L O A L T O · P H O E N I X · P O R T L A N D
S A N D I E G O · S A N F R A N C I S C O · S E AT T L E · S H A N G H A I · TA I P E I · WA S H I N G T O N , D . C .
CONTACT: Sandy Mackie, Partner SEATTLE & WINTHROP PHONE: 206.359.8653EMAIL: [email protected] • CELL: 509.681.0175
WINTHROP OFFICE:
106 Bluff Street, Suite 204 - Chewuch Professional Bldg.Winthrop, WA
SEATTLE OFFICE & MAILING ADDRESS:
Perkins Coie LLP
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900Seattle, WA 98101
www.perkinscoie.com Perkins Coie llp ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Proud to serve the land use and environmental community in the following areas:
• Real Estate• Land Use & Environmental Law• Regulatory Litigation• Environmental Litigation• Mining, Agriculture & Forest Resources
A N C H O R A G E · B E I J I N G · B E L L E V U E · B O I S E · C H I C A G O · D A L L A S · D E N V E R
L O S A N G E L E S · M A D I S O N · N E W Y O R K · P A L O A L T O · P H O E N I X · P O R T L A N D
S A N D I E G O · S A N F R A N C I S C O · S E AT T L E · S H A N G H A I · TA I P E I · WA S H I N G T O N , D . C .
CONTACT: Sandy Mackie, Partner SEATTLE & WINTHROP PHONE: 206.359.8653EMAIL: [email protected] • CELL: 509.681.0175
WINTHROP OFFICE:
106 Bluff Street, Suite 204 - Chewuch Professional Bldg.Winthrop, WA
SEATTLE OFFICE & MAILING ADDRESS:
Perkins Coie LLP
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900Seattle, WA 98101
Methow Home [ 33 ]
as a one-story house, but Cherrington — noted for the “cupolas” he incorporates into many of his designs — suggested popping up a small space that could be used as a media room and office, and as a guest bedroom. Cupolas also act as passive cooling elements, Cherrington said.
To simulate the effect of a second story, “We got up on a ladder and looked around,” Rowland said. “It was a great 360-degree view.” Brook and Rowland now call the second-story space the “aerie” or “the tower.”
Construction began in 2011 with Bart Schuler as contractor. The couple liked Schuler’s bid, and felt they would be comfortable working with him through the construction process.
As a former builder, Cherrington said he is always conscious of what he’s asking the contractor to do when he’s designing a house. “I need to know how it’s going to work,” he said.
Brook and Rowland lived in the cabin during the nine months of construction. There were choices and decisions to make throughout the process, they said. Cherrington and Schuler offered invaluable advice. Brook said he deferred to Rowland for most of the detail decision-making.
“It’s better than I could have envisioned,” Rowland said of the finished home. The baking prep area, with its hard rock maple table, “worked out exactly as I imagined it.” Brook said.
They plan to add a carport/storage shed at some point. The old cabin is used for storage and guests for now, but might eventually be torn down. Maybe in another 25 years. ◆ A long hallway connects the great room and master bedroom. PHoto by Don nElson
Licensed contractor • Bonded/insured
509-996-2883
Cougar Mountain EntErprisEs
housEwatCh
* Handyman service* Security visits * Snow removal
* Lawn and landscape maintenance* Housekeeping and window washing
Lic.# NEWDIP136KL
Professional painting services since 1987
New Dimension
PaintingTom Gehring
509-429-1819
Painting Project Do-It-Yourself ChecklistoHardware Removal Tools
oDrop Cloths
oVisqueen
oMasking Tape
oMasking Paper
oPaint Scraper
oPutty Knife
oUtility Knife
oElectric Sander
oSandpaper
oSpackle
oWood Filler
oCaulking
oSpray Texture
oDust Mask
oRespirator
oTyvek Suit
oGloves
oPaint Brush
oPaint Roller & Sleeve
oBucket
oRoller Grid/Tray
oExtension Pole
oAirless Sprayer
oRags
oThinner
oPrimer
oPaint/Stain
oLadders
oScaffolding & Planks
oProductive Attitude
oAttention to Detail
oComfort with Elevations
oGood Vision
oSteady Hand
oPhysical Endurance
Or... Call
Methow Home[ 34 ]
All play, not much workMazama meadow
home is designed for
lots of activity and
little maintenance
By Don Nelson
WHEn Adam Orkand and Anne Theisen asked archi-tect Tim Hammer to design
a “bomb-proof house,” they weren’t talking about a Cold War-era under-ground bunker.
They wanted a high-use,
low-maintenance, high-occupancy, low-impact home on the sunny lot they chose in a meadow near Mazama — a place where they could recreate, entertain and relax without worrying about knocking paint off the walls or scuffing the floors.
Orkand, Theisen and their family (now including two children) started
visiting the valley more than a dozen years ago, often with a group of friends, staying at the Mazama Ranch House.
Initially, the trips were wintertime ventures, but eventually they started visiting in the summer as well. The Methow’s attraction grew, especially the Mazama end of the valley, and their thoughts turned to a second home for year-round activities.
“We wanted to build something that, when we retire, we can live in the house and be active ... and a spot that our kids would want to come back to,” Theisen said.
“Active” includes lots of socializing, often in sizable groups, for Orkand and Theisen.
“We love being out here with other people,” Orkand said. “We love bringing friends.”
Orkand and Theisen started by looking at other cabins. “We didn’t find any existing that were exactly what we wanted,” Theisen said. When they decided to consider buying property, Mazama was the spot — they found a lot in what
The main living area is a three-sided, glass-enclosed space. PHoto couRtEsy cast aRcHitEctuRE
The exterior is steel and concrete. PHoto by Don nElson
Custom • On-site • Structural Certified
509-670-6241Lic# NORTHCM874JK
Rob Wells, General Contractor509-996-4184 or 253-208-8084
Wolf CreekDesign + Construction
Finish CarpentryPaperstone Countertops • Tile
WOLFCC883JT
Methow Home [ 35 ]
Theisen calls a “familiar, sun-drenched” meadow within walking distance of the Mazama Store.
“We like the proximity to downtown Mazama,” Theisen said. Being close to ski trails was a selling point as well.
Setting goalsHammer, of Cast Architects, is
a long-time friend of Orkand and Theisen. As soon as they locked in a site, Hammer started drawing up ideas. The architect put Orkand and Theisen through what he calls
an “intake process,” an extended interview to identify the clients’ most important goals. The exercise focuses on how the clients live, and how they want to use the house.
The personal relationship was invaluable, Orkand and Theisen said.
“He [Hammer] knew us, and he really drove the design in a way we would have never thought possible,” Orkand said.
At the same time, Hammer kept the couple’s expectations realistic. “The temptation is to make a statement, and you end up with a novelty,” Orkand said.
A first priority: “We want to be outside. We don’t want to be doing maintenance,” Orkand said.
“The primary [aesthetic] goal was to be saturated with natural light,” Hammer said. As a practical matter, he said “they wanted to be able to host a lot of people.”
As for the site, Hammer said, “ it was evident early on that we could tuck it up against the aspen grove for some shelter and privacy.” Another priority, he said, was to be “humble and unobtrusive,” so
The home is designed to be unobtrusive in its surroundings. PHoto couRtEsy cast aRcHitEctuRE
A hallway connects the living area with bedrooms and an office. PHoto by Don nElson
In Winthrop:76 Hwy 20P.O. Box 1230(509) 996-4515
In Twisp:102 S. Glover Street
P.O. Box 758(509) 997-5291
Toll Free 888-765-0958
MelbournInsurance Agency, Inc.
melbournagency.netHomeowners/Auto • Flood Insurance
Course of Construction • Life Insurance Business Insurance
Contractor’s Insurance & BondsVacation Homes • Nightly Rentals
Radwick Financial Group LLC
If you die prematurely or become disabled can you pay off the mortgage?
Call Todd RadwickFinancial Protector TODAY!
509-996-3425
www.radwickfinancial.com
Methow Home[ 36 ]
the design was kept to a single story.
“We wanted to take in as much of the beautiful surroundings as possible,” Theisen said. “We wanted to be able to see Goat Peak, Lucky Jim Bluff, the aspens.”
Another goal was to make the place comfortable and welcoming for visitors. “We want to be able to say ‘make yourself at home,’ and mean it,” Theisen said. “We wanted people to know where to look for the silverware.”
Ample accommodationsFor a relatively small house, the
1,400-square-foot place they call “The Ranchero” can indeed handle a lot of folks.
The west end of the house is one undivided space — living room, dining area and kitchen. At the other end is the master bedroom, with big windows and eastern light. There’s not a window covering anywhere. In between is a “bunk room” that sleeps four. Each bunk has its own window looking out at the meadow. Guests have a separate bath. A small office provides private space for working.
A separate, 200-square-foot building houses a sauna, a ski waxing room, and gear storage space, plus a covered storage area for firewood.
The predominant construction materials are meant to last. The floors are concrete with radiant heat.
For durability, exterior cladding materials became interior finishes: the ceilings and bathroom walls are white composite aluminum panels; the interior walls in the bedrooms and great room are a combination of hot rolled steel and Minerit panels made of fiber cement panels embedded with color. None of it ever needs to be re-painted.
The exterior materials are steel panels, concrete, steel columns and black metal roof and trim.
“There’s not a square inch of bare wood anywhere,” Hammer said — which helps keep out insects and other critters. Hammer said he thinks the home has a “humble grace.”
The contractor was Phil Dietz of Lost River Construction. Orkand, Theisen and Hammer all praised Dietz’s role in the collaborative process.
Seattle is still home, where Theisen is a marketing consultant
The owners’ goal was to “saturate” the living space with natural light. PHoto couRtEsy cast aRcHitEctuRE
The Goat Wall dominates the view from the master bedroom. PHoto by Don nElson
www.cascademechanical.comKeeping Our Neighbors Cool In The Summer And Warm In The Winter Since 1989
Licensed and Bonded #CASCAMC990MC
(509) 997-7011
Inside OkanoganCounty $33
Outside OkanoganCounty $44
Outside WA State $55
Ask about our SpecialSenior Discount
Methow Home [ 37 ]
and Orkand does online training for small businesses. But they find their way to the Mazama meadow and their “bomb-proof” refuge as often as possible.
“It functions perfectly for us,” Orkand said. “It’s just a joy.” ◆
The east-facing master bedroom is flooded with natural light. PHoto by Don nElson
Four can sleep comfortably in the bunk room. PHoto couRtEsy cast aRcHitEctuRE
methowgrist
from methownet.com
discover stories the Methow Valley has to tell grist.methownet.com
Doors & Windows • Door Hardware Sales & ServiceShower Enclosures • Mirrors • Glass Block Showers • Skylights
Railing • Window & Screen Repair • Commercial Storefronts
56 Chelan Falls Rd(former Kelley Iron works bldg)
Lic #CHELAG1931JW
(509) 682-2634www.chelanglass.com
www.patriciabrennanarchitects.com(206) 328-2886Patricia Brennan A R C H I T E C T S
997-0082997-0082
B & B Excavating, Inc.B & B Excavating, Inc.
Serving the Methow Valley for over 30 years.
Backhoe • DozerDump Truck • Excavator
Lic.#BBEXCI*OOOPL
Methow Home[ 38 ]
Bringing it inside
John and Catherine
Rogers loved camping on
their Mazama property so
much they built a home to
evoke the same experienceA walkway connects the house to a grassy area the owners have always liked. PHoto by stEvE kEating PHotogRaPHy
STRUCTURAL DESIGN & ANALYSIS
RETAINING WALLS & FOUNDATIONS
ON-SITE SEPTIC
LARGE ON-SITE SEPTIC
MUNICIPAL WATER & SEWER
SITE PLANS, PAVING, GRADING, DRAINAGE & ROAD DESIGN
WATER RESOURCES & HYDROLOGY
DRAFTING & PLOTTING
36 YRS.ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE
P.O. BOX 65TWISP, WA 98856
509.997.2852FAX: 509.997.2853
www.flcooley.com
INTEGRATING FUNCTION AND AFFORDABILITY WITH YOUR VISION
pintodesignllc.com509-996-3965 “Barb grasped our vision immediately. She provided creative input that fit with our
design, was responsive and an absolute pleasure to work with."
ova lpeak@gmai l . comwww.brucemorr i son . com
(509 ) 997-4805 - PO Box 1043Twisp WA 98856
CarvingSIGNS • DOORS • MANTELS • ORNAMENTS
Methow Home [ 39 ]
By Don Nelson
JoHn and Catherine Rogers and their two children made the long drive from Portland, Ore., to
camp out at their Mazama-area prop-erty for 10 years. When it came time to build a house on the site, they want-ed to recreate that experience — albeit with a real roof over their heads.
Architect Tom Lenchek of Balance Associates listened to the Rogers, and what he heard directed his design.
“The metaphor for the house was a tent platform,” he said.
The decade of roughing it was, Catherine Rogers said, “just a great time … we had great memories and wanted a tent-like cabin to evoke the same experiences.”
The 1,650-square foot, two-level house, with three bedrooms and two baths, is of course enclosed — but with a high-ceilinged, three-sided screened porch at one end that could be considered as either the inside
Guest bedrooms are tucked under the second-floor roof. PHoto by stEvE kEating PHotogRaPHy
Second-story bedrooms have their own shared deck. PHoto by stEvE kEating PHotogRaPHy
Fogle Pump,3x5, spot blueCFP 10/24, 31, EXRTRA 10/23, 30, DAVENPORT 10/24, 31ADVERTISING\ARCHIVE\CFP ‘13\OCTOBER ‘13\Fogle PumpKR
Don’t Trust Just Anyone For That Once-In-A-Lifetime Investment
Call “The Water Professionals”
THEWATER
PROS
FREE
In-Home
Water Analysis
& Consultation
Fogle Pump,3x5, spot blueCFP 10/24, 31, EXRTRA 10/23, 30, DAVENPORT 10/24, 31ADVERTISING\ARCHIVE\CFP ‘13\OCTOBER ‘13\Fogle PumpKR
Don’t Trust Just Anyone For That Once-In-A-Lifetime Investment
Call “The Water Professionals”
Take The Home
Water Test
Y N Rusty-red stains on sinks,
lavatories, etc.
Blue-Green stains on sinks
lavatories, etc.
Soap crud ring on bath tub, showers
Rotten Egg odor
Soaps lose suds quickly
Chrome fittings etched or being
eaten away
Rusty stains on clothing, linens, etc.
Excessive spotting of dishes
and silverware
Black stains on silverware
Tastes and/or odors in
drinking water
If you answered “YES” to one or moreof these questions, call The WaterProfessionals at Fogle Pump & Supply, Inc.We are the water problem solvers!
THEWATER
PROS
License #FOGLEPS095L4
• Water Well Drilling• Pump Systems• Water Treatment• Full Service Store
• Zimmatic Pivots• Hydrofracturing• Geothermal Heat Loop Systems
Your Arsenic & Uranium Removal Specialists
509.244.0846888.343.9355
Serving Northeast Washington Since 1981
COLVILLE • SPOKANE • REPUBLIC
www.foglepump.com
FREE
In-Home
Water Analysis
& Consultation
• Water Well Drilling• Pump Systems• Water Treatment• Full Service Store
• Zimmatic Pivots• Hydrofracturing• Geothermal Heat Loop Systems
Your Arsenic & Uranium Removal Specialists
1.800.845.3500509.775.2870
www.foglepump.com
Take The Home
Water Test
Y N Rusty-red stains on sinks,
lavatories, etc.
Blue-Green stains on sinks
lavatories, etc.
Soap crud ring on bath tub, showers
Rotten Egg odor
Soaps lose suds quickly
Chrome fittings etched or being
eaten away
Rusty stains on clothing, linens, etc.
Excessive spotting of dishes
and silverware
Black stains on silverware
Tastes and/or odors in
drinking water
If you answered “YES” to one or moreof these questions, call The WaterProfessionals at Fogle Pump & Supply, Inc.We are the water problem solvers!
License #FOGLEPS095L4
If you answered “YES” to one or more of these questions, call The Water Professionals at Fogle Pump & Supply, Inc. We are the water problem solvers!
Serving Northeast Washington Since 1981
Methow Home[ 40 ]
extending outside, or the outside coming inside. The translucent roof enhances that effect. At the other end is a master bedroom with doors opening to a deck.
Catherine Rogers, who is the sister of Methow Valley real estate broker Anne Eckmann of Blue Sky Realty, said her family was introduced to the valley through that connection. They bought their property in 1995, and pitched their tents.
Part of the impetus to build was seasonal. “We love it here and wanted to start using it [the property] in the winter,” Catherine said. The valley’s trail system passes near the Rogers’ house.
The Rogers had watched another house designed by Lenchek be built nearby, and liked what they saw.
“He did a great job of listening,” Rogers said of Lenchek. One of the Rogers’ goals was to maintain as many trees as possible on the property. “We wanted to make as little impact on the land as possible,” Rogers said.
Looking at the landThe first practical consideration was that the
lot is mostly gently rolling terrain, likely part of an ancient Methow River bed. There was a fairly flat, grassy spot that the Rogers particularly liked, and thought that might be the place to put the house.
Lenchek looked at it differently. He suggested building the house elsewhere and connecting it to the grassy clearing by a long walkway. The result is a catwalk-like bridge extending from the screened porch, creating a straight path over undulating ground.
“The site is different in that there’s not a significant view,” Lenchek said. “It’s wooded, old river bottom and rolling ground.” Lenchek identified one of the property’s higher spots as the best place for the house.
Lenchek raised the house off the ground with small concrete piers. The entry is by way of a slightly elevated walk that leads to the main living area.
The tent theme continues on the second floor, where two bedrooms are tucked under the gable of the roof and share a balcony.
“We wanted it to be a step up from camping,” Lenchek said.
It is that.Other features include large decks, a wood-
fired hot tub, a river rock fireplace and an outdoor shower.
The screened porch was inspired, as it were, by the Rogers’ camping experiences. “There were bees and mosquitoes,” Catherine said. “We wanted to be able to eat there.”
Lenchek said another challenge was to “accomplish a fair amount on a pretty tight
The large screened porch helps create the tent-like feeling the owners wanted. PHoto by stEvE kEating PHotogRaPHy
Serving All Your Building Needs www.northvalleylumber.com
• Wood & Gas Stoves• Doors & Windows • Boom Truck Service• KD Fir Timbers• Shakes & Shingles
• Cabinets & Floor Coverings• Complete House Packages• Trusses• Logs
• Cedar, Pine & Fir − Siding, Decking, Paneling & Flooring
Methow Home [ 41 ]
budget … while still doing something interesting.” That made a difference in some of the materials and fixtures, Lenchek said, but without compromising what the Rogers wanted to achieve. The house was built by local contractor Mark Rhinehart, who Lenchek praised as easy to work with.
Catherine works for Camp Korey in Carnation, Wash., a recreation spot for children with severe medical conditions. John is a stock analyst. Their children are now 18 and 21 but still manage to find their way to the house — but now the tenting experience has moved comfortably indoors. ◆
The open living area leads to the west-facing screened porch. PHoto by stEvE kEating PHotogRaPHy
The first-floor bath features simple but elegant materials. PHoto by stEvE kEating PHotogRaPHy
FISHER REFRIGERATION
*Commercial & Residential Service *Heat Pumps & Geo-Thermal Heat Pumps *New Installations & Retrofits *Duct/Ductless Systems * Heating/Air-Conditioning *Annual Equipment Service *Central HVAC/R System Design *24 Hour Emergency Service
Phone: (509) 996-2748
License #’s: Fisher*87093, Fisher*870R3
Art in the Methow
Twisp: @TwispWorks: Suite B Fabrica Culler Studios Clay Art Center Methow Gallery
Winthrop:Sun Mountain Gallery Mollywood
For info on Methow Valley artists and venues go to:
Glover Street: Con�uence Gallery & Art Center Peligro The StudioCinnamon Twisp BakeryMethow Arts
methowarts.org
Online gallery at MethowGallery.com
The Farm Shed
Unique Items for your Home, Inside and Out
Antiques, vintage, primitives, shabby chic,
yard art, gifts and more!
Owners: Monte and Laurie Andrews
521 S. 2nd Ave, Okanogan WA 509-422-9722 [email protected]
Methow Home[ 42 ]
Truly a ‘dream’ houseArchitect’s vision and owners’ ideas merge perfectly in Mazama home
most of us might be skeptical when someone says that an idea came to them in a vision.
But Methow Valley architect Brice Butler says that’s exactly what hap-pened when he came up with a house design for Mark and Kim Dales.
Not only did the design materialize just that quickly, but it also matched perfectly with the Dales’ own vision for their new house in a meadow near
Mazama.Before he began designing the
Mazama house, Butler visited the Dales’ home in Seattle — a histori-cally significant house designed by renowned Northwest architect Gene Zema. Butler said he saw a “simplistic interior with lots of space,” and factored that into his thinking.
“A few days later, I had a vision
of it [the Mazama house],” Butler said. He made the first sketch in the middle of the night, then took it to the Daleses — who signed off immediately.
“I envisioned a low-profile house with a delta-wing roof,” Butler said.
In the design now under construc-tion, two shed roofs meet at the center of the building, where they are joined with a flat roof that carries through the house.
“We really wanted a shed roof but not one that looked like everyone else’s shed roof,” Kim Dales said.
Feels like homeThe Daleses first became aware
of the Methow about 10 years ago when Mark — a surgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital, within walking distance of the Dales’ Laurelhurst home — attended a professional retreat at the Freestone Inn. It didn’t take long for them to fall under the Methow’s spell, Kim said, in part because the valley reminds them of where they both grew up in Nevada, near Lake Tahoe.
“The mountain wall and the
light — it felt like home,” said Kim, who is a real estate broker with Wind-ermere in Seattle.
Not only did the valley remind them of home, but they also were charmed by “the friendliness of the community and all its interesting people,” Kim said.
“The place is magical,” she said. “It’s so calming.”
A physician colleague who has a home in the Methow, Ted Wagner, made his house available for val-ley visits. The Daleses eventually decided to search for a home site, but a property they liked in the Checha-quo Ranch area near Mazama wasn’t available. Then on a trip in fall 2011, they learned the site was on the market. “We looked at each other and said, ‘let’s do it,’” Kim said. “It was
By Don Nelson
Architect Brice Butler likes to use big bolts and wing nuts for both structural and decorative purposes. PHotos by Don nElson
“It already feels sentimental and we
haven’t even lived in it”Kim Dales
Methow Home [ 43 ]
just happenstance.”The Daleses both grew up in
ranch-style homes and like the flow of a single-story structure, Kim said. They have two grown children, so the house has three bedrooms — a master suite on the east side, and two guest bedrooms on the west side.
Between the bedroom wings is the main living, dining and kitchen area, with the 50-foot-long flat roof — But-ler calls it a plinth — running the
length of the space and continuing past the exterior walls to create sheltering overhangs on both sides of the house. The living area’s big view windows take in Goat Wall to the north.
A detached building that Kim calls “the garage Majal” includes parking and storage space, a sleeping area, bathroom and sizable loft where more people — likely children — can sleep.
A high window in the master bedroom helps capture the maximum amount of light. PHoto by Don nElson
The separate garage also includes its own living area. PHoto by Don nElson
www.tackmansurveying.com
William TackmanPLS
1112 Hwy 20, Winthrop WA 98862
509-996-3409509-997-3955 • www.northcascadespropane.com1202 Cascade Drive, Twisp
• Certified, professional staff • Appliance installation and service• New Construction• Metered gas service • Level payment plan
RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • AGRICULTURAL
Your Local Source for Propane Sales, Service and Delivery
~ Serving all of Okanogan County ~
Methow Home[ 44 ]
Lots of light, fine detailsThe house features lots of custom
windows to capture light from all directions. Along the floors where you might expect to find quarter-round molding, black angled-steel flashing. The walls are finished to just short of the ceilings, a difficult construc-tion feat that creates a “drop shadow” effect, Butler said. The floors are con-crete with radiant heating. Butler’s sig-nature heavy bolts and big wing nuts are used throughout both buildings, both structurally and decoratively.
The garage roof mirrors the house’s west side “wing,” and though they don’t overlap there’s enough coverage that one can scoot between the two buildings without much exposure to the elements.
The Daleses were connected to Butler through designer-builder Jeff Patterson of The Patterson Company Design Build, who had built another house that the couple liked: the En-gelstein home at nearby Cassal Ranch (see related story, page 28).
Butler praised Patterson as “an amazing builder” who kept the pro-cess moving efficiently. “I’ve never Steel molding is used along the floors rather than traditional wood quarter-round. PHoto by Don nElson
Landscaping & Irrigation Contractor
• Landscaping• Irrigation
• Concrete Pavers • Water Features• Retaining Walls
Windy Valley Landscaping
Design throughInstallation
See our project gallery at windyvalleylandscaping.com
Lic. #HAPPYLL937D2
email: [email protected] Habermehl 509-733-1090
Eddie Layne 509-429-9239
Blueprint copies while you waitPrint from or convert to digital filesBond, Mylar, Vellum & Rite in the Rain
Havillah Road Printing& The Parcel Post
Now offering: Rite in the Rain All-Weather Paper- repels water- protects your work- recycles as normal paper
We can also ship, email or hold your prints for pick up by a third party!
208 S. Main St., Omak • [email protected]
Methow Home [ 45 ]
had such a smooth project,” Butler said. Kim agreed that construction has been pain free, with only one change order.
Construction is almost complete
but for some interior finishes. The vision is nearly reality.
“It already feels sentimental,” Kim said of the Mazama house, “and we haven’t even lived in it.” ◆
A drop-shadow effect was created where the walls meet the ceilings. PHoto by Don nElson
The house is oriented to look out on the Goat Wall. PHoto by Don nElson
SMITH TRACTOR0000 Street Name.Town Name000.000.0000.dealersite.com
Save on MODEL XX$000 PER MONTH*
Power Package includesimplement X & implement Z.
* With approved credit. Program restrictions may apply. See dealer for details.† All offers expire March 31, 2014.
ONLY MAHINDRA GIVES YOU
OF SAVINGS7YEARSGET 0 INTEREST FOR UP TO 84 MONTHS*
Offer good on allMahindra 10-series TractorsShown: Model 6010 CAB
Okanogan Truck & Tractor
Sales & Service
2916 Cameron Lake Rd.Okanogan, WA 98840(509) 422-3390
Rod Weitman • Todd Featherly
Since 1903, the independent and locally owned Methow Valley News has focused solely on two things:
1) Reporting the news and events of the Methow Valley.
2) Providing an effective and reliable source of advertising for local and regional businesses.
509-997-7011 • www.methowvalleynews.com
Local. Very local.
More than 100 years serving the Methow Valley.
Methow Home[ 46 ]
Sideways mobilityMazama cabin owners opted for a new building to expand their living and playing spaceBy Don Nelson
WHEn Robert Hardwick and Linda Schoemaker built a three-story cabin off
of Goat Creek Road in 2001, they thought that might be all the space they’d need for recreating in the Methow Valley.
But as their family grew to include four children, and they spent more time in the valley throughout the year, and more friends found their way to the Methow for visits, it occurred to the Seattle couple that expansion might not be a bad idea.
Instead of adding on to the cabin, however, they
decided to create a separate
building on their 10-acre property,
which includes two lots.
Hardwick and Schoemaker essentially became their own next-door neighbors. The new building — finished in 2012 — is a few steps away from the original cabin, which was built in 2001. And while it was intended to provide space for cars, snowmobiles, ski equipment and relaxation, the two-story building is also a self-contained living area with kitchen, bedroom, baths and a sauna.
Hardwick is a retired engineer; Schoemaker is an attorney. They and their family have been coming to the Methow since about 1990, mostly for the cross country skiing. The visits soon expanded to all seasons, and the notion of building a second home “just clicked,” Schoemaker said.
“We love the feel of it over here,” she said. They particularly liked the Mazama community, and wanted to be close to the ski trails. The two lots a couple miles west of the Mazama Store suited their needs perfectly. “We were lucky with what we found,” Schoemaker said.
“As we got more involved here and spent more time with family and friends, we needed additional space,” she said.
Defining linesThe new cabin was designed by
Seattle architect Patricia Brennan, who had known Schoemaker and Hardwick for many years. Their kids had gone to school together from kindergarten through 12th grade. Brennan had not only done a major remodel of the couple’s home in
A new building, right, was designed to supplement the original cabin. PHoto couRtEsy bREnnan aRcHitEctuRE
Call: Jim Wright • E-mail: [email protected](509) 996-3249 Lic.#JAMESWC972JN Toll-Free 1-877-842-3428
Complete Excavation Services • Roads • UtilitiesWater & Sewer System Installation • Site Preparation
Septic Design • Pumping • MaintenancePorta-Potty RentalsMember Of
“Full Service the Wright Way”
www.jawrightconst.com
Planning • PermittingFraming • Finish Work
Excellence Start To Finish-Local contacts for over 30 years-
(509) 997-4821 or (509) 429-0580
[email protected]#DMCLAMC936KB
D. McLaneConstruCtion Co.
General Contractor
Methow Home [ 47 ]
Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, but also designed the third-floor expansion of the original Mazama cabin.
“We wanted to be respectful of the existing house,” Brennan said. To that end, the new structure’s design and features emulate those of the older cabin. The new building’s defining line is a long, dramatically pitched shed roof with deep overhangs.
On the first floor is a huge garage
to store vehicular things and recreational gear, and a sauna.
The second floor opens up to an ample, undivided, sunny expanse that includes a living area, kitchen, and a pool table with a ping-pong table currently resting atop it. East- and west-facing window walls ensure that natural light floods the space. The soaring north wall is painted a soothing raspberry shade that enlivens the room. Massive laminated beams hold the whole
thing up.Clerestory windows at the highest
end of the great room add southern light as well. The second-floor bedroom is not sizable, but feels big because of the high ceiling — a continuation of the shed roof
line — and large windows.Schoemaker said that it was
important to connect with the surroundings and have a lot of light pouring in.
“And we wanted a full kitchen so both places could be independent,” Schoemaker said.
Like many homes built in the valley in the past 20 years or more, the cabin features work by artisans such as cabinetmaker Phil Woras and metalwork artist Barry Stromberger. “It’s a bonus finding good local craftspeople,” Brennan said.
The contractor was Alex Hall. “We were in constant contact during construction,” Brennan said. “It worked out very well. Alex was great to work with.”
Schoemaker said they are “slowly furnishing” the new space but it has already exceeded expectations.
“It’s worked great for everything we do,” she said. ◆
Clerestory windows capture light from all directions. PHoto by Don nElson
The living area includes a fully equipped kitchen. PHoto couRtEsy bREnnan aRcHitEctuRE
Small, elegant globes illuminate the kitchen area. PHoto by Don nElson
Jerry Palm509-996-2884 Cell: 509-322-3032www.palmconstructioninc.comEmail: [email protected] Lic# PALMCCI953CW
Methow Home[ 48 ]
Insurance issues for self-employed contractorsConsider disability income protection for unforeseen problems
By Todd R adwick
As every-one in the building trade knows, if you have employees you are required by
state law to have L&I insurance for them so they are protected if they are injured on the job. However, as you also know, employers are not required to have this same protection for themselves.
Because of the perceived expense, many owner/operator builders and those in the construction trade only do the minimum that is required of them to cover their employees.
However, consider the facts and it becomes clear this may not be the wisest course of action. Odds vary, but those in their 20s and 30s have about a 25 percent chance of sus-taining a real disability sometime in their working careers before age 65. It’s much higher than most people realize.
First, consider that L&I is only de-signed to deal with injury claims that occur on the job. Compare this to a privately owned disability income protection insurance policy that covers you 24/7 on and off the job for accident and sickness. Also consider that over 90 percent of all disability claims actually occur from incidents off the job, and the majority of those are not from accidents.
Sure, people may break a leg taking down the Christmas lights, but most disabilities occur from illnesses like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, heart attack, cancer, stroke, and complica-tions from diabetes such as amputa-tions, and a million other things in Latin we can’t pronounce.
So owner/operators in the build-ing trade who are not providing L&I
insurance for themselves might want to seriously consider getting some quality disability income protection as an alternative. If you are working, it’s even more important than life insurance. Consider that about 48 percent of all home foreclosures are caused by a disability, whereas only about 2 percent are from death.
What about Social Security? The average wait for a claim to be heard is about 1½ years. Most people, especially here in the Methow, could not go for year and a half without a paycheck. And even if you could, would you want to annihilate all your savings?
Consider the “10 percent rule”: If you saved 10 percent of everything you made every year, it would only take one year to wipe out 10 years of savings. Kind of sobering, isn’t it?
In order to qualify for Social Security, the disability has to be total and most likely be permanent, or eventually expected to result in death. Conversely, a quality disabil-ity policy will pay out very quickly, generally after either a 30-, 60- or 90-day elimination period, and will do so even if you are only 15 percent partially disabled! This is key.
Another type of disability policy that self-employed builders might want to consider is called disability business overhead expense, or BOE for short. Where disability income policies pay for things like food, gas, groceries and the mortgage, BOE pol-icies pay for things like bulldozer and tractor payments, building leases, staff, insurance and the light bill.
This can be critical to keep a busi-ness in the black, buying the builder time to decide whether they will be going back to work, or selling the business. Let it go into the red, and the blue sky value of the business evaporates, and you’re looking at sal-vage value for some used equipment. Everyone knows of someone who got a steal on a tractor from someone in a real bind. Don’t let it happen to you.
What about cost? It usually only costs about 1½ to 2½ percent of your income to protect your income with a disability income policy. Let’s put that in perspective. Would you rather make $100,000 with zero protection,
or $98,000 with your greatest asset, i.e. your ability to make a living, completely protected 24/7?
What about taxes? The premium payments of disability income poli-cies are not tax deductible, but the benefits when paid are tax-free. Conversely, the premiums of business overhead expense policies are tax deductible to the business, but the benefits are taxable when paid.
Either way, seriously consider a disability income policy, and/or a business overhead expense policy to protect you and your company.
Todd Radwick, president of Radwick Financial Group LLC, has lived in the Methow Valley 20 years. He can be reached at (509) 996-3425, or by email at [email protected]. You can view his webpage at www.radwick-financial.com. ◆
Methow Home [ 49 ]
■ Inside out: the secret doorTransitions are design opportunities to create special experiencesBy R ay Johnston
EvERyboDy loves a secret door. Whether it leads to a magical gar-den or through a looking glass,
these archetypal thresholds resonate with us on a most basic level.
It is in our genes to be aware of, and sometimes wary of transitions: from the cave to the plain, from the forest to the clearing, from the shore to the river. We are pre-wired to find pleasure in the experience of a well designed or accidentally perfect tran-sition from the safe and protected to the dramatic and exposed.
For a designer, transitions offer great opportunities to take advan-tage of the heightened awareness, anticipation and curiosity we feel when moving from one environment to another.
As an architect I am fortunate to work in the Methow Valley, where the landscape not only suggests, but de-mands a carving out and condition-ing of a piece of the environment in order to be connected to our amazing natural surroundings. The success of a project depends on gracefully negotiating the transition from the inside to the outside and also control-ling the sequence of arrival, whether by vehicle, on foot or even on skis! In site design, the path of the approach comes first.
Driveways don’t have to be just a necessary but uninspiring means to an end. They can be designed to hint at the experience beyond the front
door. By pulling visitors away from the view and around a curve or a copse of trees, the view can be taken away and re-introduced in a more deliberate way.
The path from the driveway to the door is an opportunity to re-frame one’s state of mind — a small garden, arbor, a water feature and other treatments can enhance the sense of arrival. This is a broad threshold in anticipation of the very precise one that is represented by the entry door.
The arrival point is part of a se-quence that can lower blood pressure, build excitement or simply convey the feeling of being home. The front door holds the secret of not only what is inside, but also how that interior frames the view beyond or flows from protective cozy space to the great outdoors.
Crossing the thresholdOnce inside, that view that was
glimpsed on approach can be re-vealed, but from a protected vantage point. The greatest degree of comfort and effect can be achieved via an entry space that is comfortable and “safe,” a place to get one’s bearings and to assess the lay of the land from an architectural “military crest” — a place of observation but maybe not full participation.
After shedding coats (and maybe shoes) in this protected entry zone, one crosses the threshold to a living space. That space may be dominated by the visual threshold of a window wall or large doors beyond. The doors and windows, portals cut through the wall of the house, frame the view and define passage.
A technique for managing the next transition from inside to out is that of the vanishing wall. As our technol-ogy improves, it is easier to contain a warm (or cool in the summer) interior behind a wall of glass. When that condition is desired, large glassy areas borrow space from the outside, expanding the interior environment in a dramatic way.
This approach requires careful management of sun, especially on western exposures where the sun dips low late on summer days. There is a winter payoff for these treat-ments: with the appropriate glass and a heat sink such as a concrete or tile floor, passive solar heat can help keep a lid on heating bills.
The last threshold leading from inside to outside, be it a wall of glass, or more modest openings, transitions from living space to more private and tranquil outdoor space. There may be a porch with foreground expres-sion of columns and decking. This covered area can provide shade in the summer and a dry area in other seasons.
Stepping from the porch to the yard or the patio is yet another threshold. It may be a military crest, foreground dominant with a sense of vista and the larger valley (or the river) beyond, or it could flow to a clearing in a glade or a walled garden.
Crafting the detailsThe crafted detail of our sur-
roundings, the sense of assembly and respect for the texture, color and tactile rhythm of natural materials are also part of the equation. The ways in which plantings, furniture, cabinetry or casing, tailor and qualify the spaces that they occupy (inside or out) are at play in the way we experi-ence our surroundings.
Craft in this sense is the assembly of materials in a way that honors
the best qualities of each material. A fir window sash put together well can be a wonderful thing, but so too can a steel railing or a stone patio. Concrete walls, rockeries and gabions all have their place and can be used to enhance the connection between inside and outside and to color the emotional quality of a building or a site.
In addition to their tactile charac-teristics, each material has a stylistic association. The richest solutions achieve a timeless character through skillful installation of good materials along that path between the secret door and the great outdoors.
Our sense of well being and com-fort can be strongly influenced by the nature of transition — from an entry path to the interior, from the living room to the garden or simply as we move through space inside or outside. We are at our best when we can as-sess what is before us and when the signals that we read communicate positive emotions: safety, comfort and even wonder.
These conditioned experiences have deep meaning for all of us, even if we don’t always notice. The sense of arrival, anticipation and safety give way to a connection with the natural surroundings. The craft of the spaces and openings, regardless of the styl-ization that specific materials may bring, will color our experience. And lastly, the sense of a place beyond our own walls is really the key. There should always be a there, there. ◆
By carefully controlling how layers reveal themselves as one proceeds, a feeling of engagement can be accomplished. PHoto by Don nElson
Methow Home[ 50 ]
Directory of AdvertisersAppliances
Alpine Designs ....................................20
Architects & DesignersAiello Architecture .............................42Balance Associates Architects ............52Cast Architecture................................15Clinkston Architects ..........................52David Coleman Architecture..............13Integrated Design Concepts ..............25 Johnston Architects .............................2Lawrence Architecture .........................2Office of Shackitecture ......................19The Patterson Company ....................17Patricia Brennan Architects ...............37Pinto Design .......................................38Shadowline Design & Construction ...22
Artists & ArtisansArt in the Methow..............................41Bruce Morrison Sculpture .................38Hotspot Fire Pits ................................11Jerry Cole Woodworking ...................27The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger ...14TwispWorks/Methow Made ..............51
Building SuppliesAlpine Designs ....................................20Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ..............12 Chelan Glass & Door ..........................37Methow Valley Lumber ......................31North Valley Lumber .........................40Perma-Chink Systems ........................48
Builders & ContractorsBig Valley Builders ..............................18Brandenburg Construction ................51D. McLane Construction ....................46Eric Claussen, Mountain Thyme Design ................8Hilton Construction ...........................10Hungry Mountain Construction .......32JL General Contractor .......................14North Cascades Construction ...........39The Patterson Company ....................17Palm Construction .............................47Schuler Build Co. ................................19Shadowline Design & Construction .....22Varden Construction ..........................27Wolf Creek Design + Construction ....34WSA Construction .............................24
CabinetryAlpine Designs ...................................20
Carpet CleaningHigh-Tec Carpet Cleaning ..................25
Cafés & Coffee RoastersBlue Star Coffee Roasters ....................9
Concrete & GravelBrandenburg Construction ................51Cascade Concrete ...............................23J.A. Wright Construction...............9, 46Palm Construction .............................47
Conservation ConsultantsAltitude Design ..................................14Methow Conservancy ........................17Okanogan Conservation District ......24RW Thorpe & Associates ...................16
Construction Cleanup ServicesHigh-Tec Carpet Cleaning ..................25WasteWise Methow ...........................13
Energy Consultants/SalesDerosa Edwards ..................................14
Engineering & DesignFL Cooley & Associates ......................38
Equipment Sales & RentalCascade Concrete ...............................23Okanogan Truck & Tractor ................45Washington Tractor .......................7, 51
ExcavatingB & B Excavating ................................37Doug Haase Excavating........................9J.A. Wright Construction...............9, 46McHugh’s Excavating .........................20Palm Construction .............................47
Financial ServicesBaines Title & Escrow ........................23Bart Bradshaw, CPA ...........................16Radwick Financial Group ...................35
FlooringHarmony House Interiors..................29Methow Valley Lumber ......................31North Valley Lumber .........................40
Garbage ServicesWasteWise Methow ...........................13
Geothermal ServicesFisher Refrigeration ...........................41Fogle Pump & Supply .........................39
Glass Supply & DesignChelan Glass & Door ..........................37
Heating & Air ConditioningAl Ju Stoves & Fireplaces ...................12Cascade Mechanical ...........................36Fisher Refrigeration ...........................41North Valley Lumber .........................40Washington Tractor .......................7, 51
Home FurnishingsHarmony House Interiors..................29
Home & Garden DecorHotspot Fire Pits ................................11Robin’s Egg Bleu .................................17The Farm Shed ...................................41
Interior DesignHarmony House Interiors..................29
InsulationMethow Valley Lumber ......................31North Valley Lumber .........................40
InsuranceMelbourn Insurance Co. ....................35
Irrigation Services & SuppliesCascade Pipe & Feed Supply .............12Doug Haase Excavating........................9Fogle Pump & Supply .........................39Lester’s Well Pump Service ................10MVM Quality Drilling ........................21Washington Tractor .......................7, 51
InternetMethownet.com .................................37
Land Use Permits Altitude Design ..................................36RW Thorpe & Associates ...................16
Landscaping Services & SuppliesAltitude Design ..................................14Carlton Landscape Construction ......12Cascade Concrete ...............................23Dennis Jones Chipping & Tree Service ................................24Eastern Green Hydroseeding.............24Eric Claussen, Mountain Thyme Design ................8J.A. Wright Construction...............9, 46Rick Fulcher Landscapes ....................32Washington Tractor .......................7, 51Windy Valley Landscaping .................44
Legal ServicesPerkins Coie, Sandy Mackie ...............32
LodgingCentral Reservations ............................2
MasonryEric Claussen, Mountain Thyme Design ................8Windy Valley Landscaping .................44
Metal WorkersNorth Cascades Metal Fab .................34The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger ...14
Office Supplies & ReproductionsHavillah Road Printing & Graphics .....................................44
OrganizationsMethow Conservancy ........................17Methow Recycles ..................................8Okanogan Conservation District ......24TwispWorks/Methow Made ..............51
PaintersNew Dimension Painting ...................33
Porta Potty RentalsJ.A. Wright Construction...............9, 46
Property MaintenanceHousewatch ........................................33
Propane SalesNorth Cascades Propane Service. ......43Okanogan County Energy, Inc. .........18
RadioKTRT ...................................................22
Real EstateBlue Sky Real Estate .............................8Coldwell Banker Winthrop Realty .....11Kristin Devin Real Estate ...................17Windermere Real Estate ....................19
RecyclingMethow Recycles ..................................8WasteWise Methow ...........................13
Retail Mazama Store .......................................9Methow Cycle & Sport .......................22Robin’s Egg Bleu .................................17The Farm Shed ...................................41
RoofingTriple T Roofing .................................12
Septic DesignFL Cooley & Associates ......................38J.A. Wright Construction...............9, 46Monetta & Associates ........................24
Solar PowerDerosa Edwards ..................................14
SurveyorsTackman Surveying ............................43
Tree ServicesDennis Jones Chipping & Tree Service ................................24Okanogan Conservation District ......24
Well Drilling & Pump,Sales & Service
Fogle Pump & Supply .........................39Lester’s Well Pump Service ...............10MVM Quality Drilling ........................21
Windows & DoorsChelan Glass & Door ..........................37Methow Valley Lumber ......................31North Valley Lumber .........................40
WoodworkersAlpine Designs ....................................20Jerry Cole Woodworking ...................27
WashingtonTractor.com
1-877-422-3030 1 Patrol Street, Okanogan
Your local John Deere Dealer. See our ad on page 7.
Open Mon - Sat, 8am - 5pm(formerly Hamilton Farm Equipment)
Air Tools • Concrete • Carpet Floor & Tile • Drywall • Painting
Earth Moving & Construction Generators • Hand Tools Jacks • Lawn & Garden Lift Equipment • Moving
Supplies • Plumbing • Tractors Stove Supply & Salesfeaturing a full lineof Lopi Stoves
Wood Stoves Pellet Stoves InsertsInstallationMaintenance
Air Tools • Concrete • Carpet
Heavy Equipment & Construction Rental
Pipe & Tool SupplyLet our experienced staff help you design an irrigation system for your home or farm – for free!
For your job big or small, we’ve got it all.
509.996.2676509.679.0319
Lic. #BRANDCI957L1
Twisp River Suites
Construction, Inc.
www.brandenburgconstructioninc.com
architects
balanceassociates
natural + modern
balanceassociates.com
winthrop 509.996.8148
seattle 206.322.7737
one beautiful valley, twenty-eight homes
and counting...