methow home 2015
DESCRIPTION
An inside look at Methow Valley homes, the people who own them and the people who build them. If you're considering buying, building or remodeling in the Methow Valley, this is a must-read.TRANSCRIPT
HOME
A supplement to the Methow Valley NewsMethow Valley News
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A supplement to the Methow Valley News
2015
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Methow Home 2015 3
Where it all starts
This is it. This is the place. This is where we are going to be in the Methow Valley.We’ve heard that story over and over during the years
we’ve been publishing Methow Home, our annual exploration of the ideas, trends and dreams behind the distinctive homes that continue to be built here.
The search for just the right spot can go on for years — or only a few days. But when people see it, they know it instant-ly — whether it be in Mazama, the Rendezvous, Wolf Creek, the lower valley or up the Chewuch River. Something con-nects, something personal and authentic, when home site buyers recognize the space they will call their own. Maybe it’s the view, maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the simple serenity of a quiet meadow.
Once that is settled, construction may start right away, or be delayed for years. In any event, the process begins with a con-cept that is shaped into a plan by an architect or designer, and made complete by a builder. Imagination, creativity, crafts-manship — along with the seasoning of reality and practical-ity — combine to bring dreams to life.
In Methow Home 2015, we tell the stories of six of the valley’s distinct homes — fıve originals and one extensive remodel. Each story begins with that “aha” moment when the buyers knew they were “home.”
You’ll also fınd articles about design trends including “win-dow walls,” smaller bedrooms and larger great rooms, along with other information that will help you think about living well in the Methow.
As always, we are grateful for the assistance of the home-owners, architects, designers, builders, artisans and real estate agents who help make Methow Home possible, and for the support of our advertisers — the people who make it all happen. Feel free to pass along your ideas for future stories by emailing [email protected] or calling (509) 997-7011.
Don Nelson, editor and publisher
Every day offers a different panorama in the Methow Valley. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
EDITOR’S NOTE
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4 Methow Home 2015
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3 WHERE IT ALL STARTS
6 THE GREAT THING ABOUT GREAT ROOMSOpen spaces are more effıcient and invite connections
10 CHECK OUT THE CHEWUCH IN ANNUAL HOME TOUR
11 DOWNSIZING THE MASTER SUITEHomebuilders increasingly prefer a great view to a big room
14 LOOKING TO OUR TOWNS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTHAffordable housing could enhance the valley’s future
16 BUILDING IT, FROM A TO ZWhether you are intensely involved or hire it all done, the process is the same
20 FIREWISE BUILDING & LANDSCAPINGEven in fıre country, your home doesn’t have to burn
24 A WINDOW ON THE WORLDExpansive glass ‘walls’ connect indoors, outdoors in many Methow homes
Inside ...
See page 34. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
See page 38. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
See page 16. PHOTO BY RANDY BROOK
Methow Home 2015 5
LAURELLE WALSH is a Methow Valley News reporter and proofreader.
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.
ASHLEY LODATO is a Methow Valley News columnist.
26 RESTORING THE LAND
How to rehabilitate areas that were damaged by 2014’s fıres
28 AN EMPHATIC VIEWPOINT
A dramatic remodeling takes full advantage of Chewuch River valley views
30 RISING OUT OF THE MEADOWThe Quintanas’ Chechaquo Ranch home offer lots of usable space within a small footprint
34 LOOKING TO THE FUTUREThe Hamer home is designed for comfortable living for years to come
38 A NEW HOMECOMINGThe Bacons treasure a site and design that remind them of their roots
42 ABOVE THE EARTHWolf Creek ‘tree house’ complements active lifestyle
46 HAPPY RANCHERSMazama home offers coziness, style and flexibility, all on one floor
50 DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS
See page 28. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLINKSTON ARCHITECTS
See page 24. PHOTO DON NELSON
See page 30. PHOTO COURTESY OF BALANCE ARCHITECTS
ON THE COVER …The great room of the Bacon home featured on page 38.PHOTO BY MARY KIESAU
6 Methow Home 2015
Open spaces are more efficient and invite connections
BY ASHLEY LODATO
THE vast chambers and grand central halls of medieval castles may have
been the precursors to today’s multipurpose living areas, but it is mid-century real estate de-veloper Joseph Eichler who is credited with being the father of the modern great room.
Eichler, whose modernist homes built in California in the 1950s and 1960s, drew on the open floor plan styles of Frank Lloyd Wright to create central living spaces that served as the crossroads for the functions of formal and informal socializing, cooking and dining.
Although later architects and developers redefıned the great rooms to include the signature soaring ceilings, statement fıreplaces and expansive floor plans of great rooms in high-end homes, Eichler’s vision of
attractive and affordable hous-ing for middle-class American families endures in the genera-tions of Californians who were and continue to be raised in his light-fılled functional homes with the central common spaces.
(The year after graduating from college, I lived in a 5-minute Eichler. The airy Bay Area tract homes, stuffed with recent college graduates and young families, fell into two categories: 5-minute Eichlers and 10-minute Eichlers — the number indicat-ing approximately how long it would take the house to burn to the ground should fıre break out. This propensity for speedy combustion is allegedly due to the lack of insulation and interior wood paneling, taking a home, as one fıre chief put it, “from fab to slab” in about 7 minutes. Nonethe-less, it was a lovely house, and my four roommates and I spent nearly all of our time together in the common living/kitchen/din-ing room.)
The great room revolutionized the way modern Americans lived. No longer was mom (and yes, it was inevitably mom) isolated in the dark galley kitchen, while dad retired to his study, the kids watched TV in the family room, and the ceremonial living room collected dust. Now homework took place at the kitchen counter, guests in the living area chatted easily with the cook, and those
Great rooms can be designed any number of ways to incorporate living, dining and kitchen areas. PHOTOS BY STEVE KEATING PHOTOGRAPHY
FEATURES
The great thing about great rooms
Methow Home 2015 7
who couldn’t fıt at the dining table spilled over onto couches and bar stools. The great room became the heart of the house-hold, bringing families and friends together in a common space. Kind of like the old pioneer cabins, but with central heating and modern appliances.
Although those of us with mod-est central common areas are self-conscious about referring to these spaces as our “great rooms,” the alternative moniker — the “living slash kitchen slash dining
room” — is clunky. If our central spaces don’t have a cathedral ceil-ing, a soaring stone fıreplace, and 1,000 square feet of floor space, we resort to making quotation marks with our fıngers when calling them our “great rooms,” as if in apology. But we needn’t be so sheepish; in the case of great rooms — as in so many other situ-ations — size doesn’t really matter.
Lots of possibilitiesTake it from the experts. Mary
Johnston of Johnston Architects
says “Great rooms come in all shapes and sizes. Some do have tall ceilings and vast dimen-sions, but with a trend, at least in our practice, for more compact houses, the great rooms tend to be effıciently proportioned.” In fact, adds Johnston, great rooms are effıcient and economical uses of space in that they eliminate hallways, extra walls, and doors.
David Clinkston of Clinkston Architects agrees, saying “Great rooms must be scaled appropri-ately.” Addressing the vaulted two-story ceiling style, Clinkston says, “Some designers create spaces that approach being ecclesiastical, too grand. It ’s a fıne line. Intimacy of the space can become at risk. This is not a church — it’s a home.”
What makes a great room great is less its impressive size and more its key purpose. “The great room allows a family to be together while doing different things,” says Johnston. “In a vaca-tion home this is especially desir-able because vacations are when busy families have a chance to be together and share activities.” Al-though a great room is typically greater — larger — than any other in the house just by virtue of be-ing at least three spaces com-bined, it is also greater — more
signifıcant — because it fosters connections among people who care about each other. As John-ston says, “it allows people to share experiences in generous spaces.”
Although it’s only about 450 square feet, Danielle Micheletti and Andrew Nelson’s Cottonwood Meadows great room fosters exactly the type of experiences Johnston refers to. Says Miche-letti, “Probably the highlight of our great room is when we have people over for pizzas. It ’s hard to prepare them all ahead of time, so we assemble them when our guests are there and people like to just sit at our island and they watch and socialize as we assem-ble them and transfer them to the pizza stone for baking.”
Another benefıt of the open floor plan, Micheletti has found, is that while the parents cook dinner, the kids can work on their homework at the built-in desk in the space. “We like to be able to cook while still being a part of the action of the living and dining area,” says Micheletti.
This sentiment about being part of the action is echoed by Keri and Seth Miles, whose 600-square-foot great room is the venue for yoga, Taekwondo, Parkour, basketball practice
There’s no limit to kinds of activities a great room can accommodate. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
8 Methow Home 2015
(“unfortunately, yes,” says Keri), Nerf target practice, and Super Bowl parties, as well as for more traditional activities like eating dinner, doing homework, and playing board games.
“We deliberately kept the size reasonable for energy effıciency and warmth,” Keri says, “but it gives us enough space for our family and guests.” Although, she concedes, “perhaps 35 people at the Super Bowl party was too many.”
Things to considerWhen thinking about your
great room design, say both Johnston and Clinkston, consider light requirements (more for the kitchen area, less for the living area), ceiling height, views and traffıc patterns. “If you know you don’t like to see a messy kitchen from the living room,” Johnston says, “then you need some separa-tion of spaces or at least an island to hide parts of the kitchen work area.”
If you’re sensitive to noise you may want more of a bar-rier between the noisier, busier parts of the house than a typical great room would provide. And although the trend is defınitely away from formal dining rooms, people who lead more formal life-styles may not want to give those up. But most have shed the formal dining room without a tear. Says Johnston, “Just about all of our new houses have great rooms.”
Clinkston is more adamant about the value of great rooms, saying “I include one at every opportunity.” He adds, “To me it’s a no-brainer. If a great room is well-designed it simply enhances a family’s or individual’s lifestyle.”
Like Johnston, Clinkston points to the space saved by a great room. “The same individual areas, if taken from a great room floor plan, would each seem too small if compartmentalized. There’s a greater perception of square feet by virtue of each use borrowing a sense of area from
the other.” That is, a 400-square-foot great room feels much more generous than a kitchen, living room, and dining room with a combined total of 400 square feet.
Cost and space savings aside, say both architects, the main attraction of a great room is its social benefıt. “The social benefıt of a great room to a family and
visiting friends cannot be over-stated,” Clinkston says. “The cook remains in contact with the fam-ily and guests.” Johnston says she considers a great room to be “sort of a mixing chamber” — a public part of the house where cook-ing, eating, and socializing take place. Clinkston agrees, “I see the kitchen as command central.”
Great rooms don’t always need soaring ceilings. PHOTO COURTESY CAST ARCHITECTURE
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One of the particular benefıts of a great room in the Methow, Johnston points out, is that “all the public spaces in a house (the places we spend most of our time) enjoy equally good views of the beautiful surroundings.”
This, too, hearkens back to Eichler’s design, which sought to “bring the outside in.” Skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows let natural light into the cen-tral rooms; sliding glass doors opened straight from living area onto outdoor patios and decks. Indeed, newer Methow homes in-creasingly feature operable glass wall systems: wall-sized panel doors that slide or accordion- fold to open up the great room to the great outdoors, blurring the distinction between interior and exterior.
Great rooms, as it turns out, are all about relationships. The rela-tionship between inside and out; the relationship between people and spaces; and, as Clinkston puts it, “the relationship of one
area to another.” But mostly, great rooms help inhabitants of a house explore and defıne their relationships with each other, strengthening connections
through shared spaces. Through bringing families closer physi-cally, great rooms bring families closer emotionally. And that is pretty great. H
Fireplaces and/or wood stoves are typical fixtures of Methow Valley great rooms. PHOTO B Y DON NELSON
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10 Methow Home 2015
EVENTS
Check out the Chewuchin annual Home Tour
TAKE a drive — or a bike ride — up the Chewuch River valley for the annual
Methow Valley Home Tour, sched-uled for Aug. 8.
The theme of the tour —now in its 14th year — is “A River Runs through It: Homes and Cabins along the Chewuch River.”
The home tour is sponsored by Confluence Gallery & Art Center in Twisp. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include eight unique homes, from small weekend cabins to expansive residences. The route is bicycle-friendly. The Chewuch River valley is north of Winthrop and is accessible by West Chewuch and
East Chewuch roads.Tickets are $25 per person or
$20 per person for carpools of four. Tickets can be purchased at Confluence Gallery from Aug. 1 through Aug. 8. A driving map will be provided with tickets on the day of the tour.
For those contemplating build-ing 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.
For more information, call 997-2787, email [email protected] , or visit www.conflu-encegallery.com . H
The upper Chewuch River valley: a variety of landscapes. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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Methow Home 2015 11
Downsizing the master suiteHomebuilders increasingly prefer a great view to a big room
BY A N N MCCR E A RY
SPACIOUS and luxurious master bedroom suites may be de rigueur in
homes in some parts of the coun-try, but you’re not likely to fınd them in new homes being built in the Methow Valley these days.
Elsewhere, master suites in some high-end homes serve as separate living quarters with of-fıce space, exercise areas, librar-ies and reading nooks, wet bars, mini-kitchens, walk-in closets and large attached bathrooms with sinks and showers for two.
While the Methow has some variations on these, they are most likely to be found in homes
constructed before The Great Recession of 2008, architects and designers say.
“Homes got bigger and bigger leading up to the recession. Since the recession, they’ve gotten quite a bit smaller and have stayed there,” said Ray Johnston of John-ston Architects, based in Seattle.
In some cases, “people want the larger master suite with a walk-in closet to have clothes for every season, ” said Johnston, who has designed several homes in the valley. But, “in half the projects we’re doing, especially second homes, the master suite is small and the bathroom modest. They are nicely turned out, but not palatial.”
With generally smaller houses and tighter budgets since 2008, homebuilders “end up having to make a choice” about what they want to spend money on, he noted. “They’re asking, ‘Can I live with a regular bathroom for the master suite? Can I share a bathroom?”
“I really have to respect that, because they are focused more on where they are than what they
FEATURES
The outside is what draws people to the Methow Valley, and a nice view is usually the top priority in designing a master bedroom. PHOTO BY ANN MCCREARY
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12 Methow Home 2015
have. There is an awareness of not making the inside space compete with the outside,” Johnston said.
The outside perspectiveThe outside is what draws
people to build homes in the Methow Valley in the fırst place, Johnston said. And the home de-sign, including master bedrooms, is usually focused on showcasing what’s beyond the walls of the house.
The common denomina-tor — 90 percent — of most master bedroom designs in valley homes is not lots of space or luxurious décor, but “a really nice view,” Johnston said.
“They want to wake up in the master bedroom and see whatever that nice view is,” Johnston said.
Margo Aspholm, an archi-tect with Balance Associates in Winthrop, fınds that same priority — connecting with the outdoors — among the people she works with to design homes in the Methow Valley.
“Most people are here to spend time outdoors. They want their master suite to be nicely crafted and pleasant to be in, but they’re more excited to be outdoors,” Aspholm said.
“They defınitely want to wake up to a beautiful view. It ’s waking up in the valley and celebrating the valley,” Aspholm said.
To support that desire, “the master suite design will consider how that room is sited,” to take best advantage of the views, she said.
“We spend a lot of time
thinking about that corner of the house and what the view will be,” Aspholm said.
“A lot of people want their bedroom on the east side” of the home, said Howard Cherrington of Integrated Design Concepts in Twisp. “It keeps the late summer sun from heating the room up. In the morning you can get nice sun on your patio or small covered porch, or even a screened porch with an entry from the bedroom,” he said.
Some amenities matter“Palatial size” is not usually a
priority for the master bedroom design, “even in our larger, more elegantly fınished houses,” As-pholm said.
But some amenities, such as soaking tubs and direct access to the outdoors, are frequently included in master bedrooms in valley homes.
“We have some people with master suites that have a special soaking tub that has a really nice view. One house has a Japanese soaking tub and the whole family can use it. It ’s kind of the focal point of the house. It ’s unique in that the tub is for the whole fam-ily. It can be closed off from the master suite,” Aspholm said.
“Sometimes there will be a little offıce in the master bedroom,” she said. “But a lot of work we’re doing is vacation homes and people don’t necessarily want their computer right there in their bedroom.”
Another common feature of master bedrooms or suites in
the Methow is connection to the outdoors through glass doors leading to a deck or patio.
“I don’t know how many people hop out of bed and walk out-doors. But when we have hot days it’s nice to be able to have the doors open and wake up to the cool air,” Aspholm said.
“People come here for the environment,” said Cherrington. “They want to be able to walk out — they like that connection to the environment.”
Multiple-use spacesIn some cases people want a
suite that provides a separate, adjoining space to work out or do yoga. Or they just want to create
a room large enough to permit them to exercise, “rather than spend money for a whole room that’s used for one thing,” said Cherrington.
“People are not creating single-use spaces. They’re saying, ‘If I’m going to create a space, I want to be able to do a lot of different things in it,’” he said.
Even so, “master suites are defınitely smaller than a decade ago,” Cherrington said. “Rather than wanting a sitting area and a library and entertainment center in the bedroom, people are more interested in value,” he said.
“People are saying, ‘If I want a master suite, I’m mainly sleeping there. I’ve got my entertainment
A partial wall in a master suite offers a creative approach to dividing space . PHOTO BY ANN MCCREARY
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center out in the main room.”“People are just much more
concerned about budgets,” he added. “I’ve run into people who don’t even do master suites. They have a larger bedroom and a second bedroom is primarily an offıce, and there’s just one bathroom. You can save a lot of money by not doing a bathroom.”
On the downsizing front, bathtubs — once considered requirements in any master bathroom — seem to be losing importance.
“The rule of thumb used to be that you had to have a bath-tub. Now it’s really rare to see a bathtub. People are much more concerned with accessible show-ers, walk-in showers. I do a lot of homes where there’s not a tub in the house,” Cherrington said.
“People tend to have a lot more hot tubs … on patio spaces next to the master suite is common,” he said. “If you want to soak, you go outside and soak under the stars.” H
A “headboard wall” separates the sleeping area from the rest of the master bedroom suite, while maintaining a feeling of openness in the room. PHOTO BY ANN MCCREARY
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14 Methow Home 2015
LIVING
Looking to our towns for sustainable growthAffordable housing could enhance the valley’s futureBY RAY JOH NSTON
HOW do we preserve the natural beauty of our val-ley? By providing places
to live, work and play, we can protect our uplands and river valleys and the wonderful natural environment that we love. A little more population in our towns will help to make our businesses
successful and our population multi-generational and vibrant.
Twisp and Winthrop are well-positioned to provide homes for people who work and live in the Methow. The zoning in our towns allows for single-family houses on generous lots, but it also makes it possible to provide smaller, more-affordable housing in the town centers.
The ancient model of the apartment above the shop is a viable one and would allow for the young, the old and those just entering the job market to fınd a place to live. This idea is not without challenges. In Twisp, for example, water issues are still at play. Whether it is through conservation, infrastructure repair, sustainable strategies or the relaxation of water limitations in town, the addition of housing is
an important step in the life of a small rural town.
So much of the draw of the Methow is the natural setting, but we are lucky to also have a rich cultural life. Part of sustaining that culture depends on accom-modating a diverse group of citi-zens: second-homers, long-time valley residents, young people including a new generation of farmers and ranchers, retired folks and entrepreneurs bringing new jobs to the valley. All these people bring diversity but they also bring density.
And density has a price. The shrub steppe, the pine forests and the rocky bluffs were not made to hold large populations. That’s where the growth of our towns comes into play. Imagine, as one of my friends in the valley does, that you could move from your
rural compound to a nice place in town, a stone’s throw from the river, a short walk to Hank’s Har-vest Foods and a quick hike or a saunter along the steelhead-laden shores of the Twisp River. Maybe there is a coffee shop nearby and in my friend’s version of this story a nurse’s station, so when he lands that big steelhead off the back porch and has a coronary, the pushing of a button would bring help. This kind of small-lot density could happen on the edges of our towns.
Imagine this ...How about Glover Street or Riv-
erside Avenue? Imagine a second story on the storefronts of Twisp or Winthrop occupied by apart-ments and a few offıces. Imagine a small cluster of townhouses or apartments along the river trail
Glover Street in Twisp as it now exists, with businesses only. DRAWING COURTESY OF JOHNSTON ARCHITECTS
Methow Home 2015 15
within town. Imagine the res-taurants full even on weekdays, chess and checkers games taking place at sidewalk cafes.
We are approaching the critical mass that makes these visions possible. Those seeking jobs in the farming, service and recre-ation industries and, today, in the remotely enabled dot-com industry, have trouble fınding a home in the Methow. Those who have lived their lives on the banks of the Twisp, Chewuch and Methow rivers look to Wenatchee and Brewster for elder care and
comfort. This is not the way it should be. And, there is no reason for it to continue in this exclu-sionary mode.
So, imagine for a while that we can add this density to Twisp, Winthrop and Carlton. The market is there. People turn away with no viable place to live and explore their vision in other places. Sustainable strategies allow us to provide the water and energy necessary. Imagine apart-ments and homes that feed the commerce of our town centers on a constant basis — through mud
season, through the heat of sum-mer and through the post-winter holiday blues.
How would this look? Our wide streets would have slightly taller buildings on each side. Instead of tumbleweed, there would be people visiting stores and shops. Jobs would become more stable with dependable off-season commerce.
In recent years, the storefronts of Twisp have become full. The Methow Valley News classifıed advertisements lack long-term rentals and the search for a home
or just a foothold in the Methow has become intense. Commerce is alive and well with Methow Made products, TwispWorks is full and new shops are opening and thriv-ing. But still, folks work two or three jobs to get by.
The Methow actually had snow this year and the fıshing, hiking and music scene are all excep-tional. So, let’s build our towns, create space for those who have been in the Okanogan for genera-tions and for those visitors who would share this exceptional environment. H
Glover Street re-imagined with second-floor housing. DRAWING COURTESY OF JOHNSTON ARCHITECTS
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16 Methow Home 2015
Building it, from A to ZWhether you are intensely involved or hire it all done, the process is the same
BY LAU R ELLE WA LSH
SO, you found your little piece of heaven here in the Methow Valley: a chunk of
raw land on which to build your dream home or cabin.
You’ve wanted this for some time: a place to call your own, a home that reflects your individu-ality, a house you can proudly tell people you built yourself.
But what does that involve, building your own house? For some people that means hiring a contractor and standing back to let the professionals do their magic. For others, building a house means picking up tools and expending their own sweat and labor.
Either way, the steps that fol-low — from raw land to moving in — look remarkably the same, as
do the entities involved through-out the process.
Owner-builderFirst, and perhaps most im-
portantly, are you going to hire a general contractor or do the contracting yourself?
Naturally, experience and know-how come into play, but fınancing could also be a factor; in general, construction loans
CONSTRUCTION
David Perez and Crystal Elliot-Perez’s farmhouse-style home outside Winthrop was wrapped and dried-in before snow fell around Thanksgiving. “Achieving that felt really good,” said Perez, who’s doing most of the construction himself. The Perezes expect to move in sometime this summer. PHOTO BY LAURELLE WALSH
Methow Home 2015 17
are only available if you have documented success building a home. If that’s not an issue, and you have the knowledge, organi-zational skills and time to be your own contractor, you could save from 10 to 25 percent on the cost of construction — if everything goes right, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But mistakes can be expensive. To increase your odds of suc-cess as owner-builder, you might share the general contracting with a trusted lead carpenter or construction manager who will troubleshoot and oversee the job site, according to buildingadvisor.com.
General contractors are licensed, bonded and insured. If you do it yourself, talk to an insurance agent about a course-of-construction policy for the duration of the building project.
Even if he or she never picks up a hammer, the owner-builder should be prepared to:• Get all permits and schedule
inspections.• Order materials, schedule and
receive deliveries. Most building supplies you will need are avail-able from local vendors, or they can order them for you.
• Hire and supervise subcontractors.
• Do the bookkeeping and pay the bills.Methow Valley real estate bro-
ker Patsy Rowland hired a fleet of local subcontractors to construct her home overlooking Big Twin
Lake, but contracted and oversaw the entire process herself. “I ap-preciated doing it myself because I learned so much in the process,” Rowland said.
David Perez began construc-tion of his East Chewuch home in October, got it dried-in by Thanksgiving, and was wiring the interior at the end of February. He has 20 years of carpentry experi-ence, but this is the fırst house he’s built himself. “You need to have a lot of energy and patience,” he said. The Perezes hope to move in sometime this summer.
Hire a contractorIf owner-builder doesn’t sound
like you, a contractor will get your house built, start to fınish. Some folks are more than happy to hand off all the decisions to the contractor. Other people are at the job site all the time and want to be involved in decision-making. Figure out what kind of person you are.
If you want to get your hands dirty, talk to your contractor about doing a little or a lot of the work yourself, such as cleaning
up the job site, laying tile or painting trim. You may also be able to save some money by doing your own shopping for things like cabinets, fıxtures and faucets.
Get bids from and check the availability of several contrac-tors — they get busy in the build-ing season. Talk to past clients. Ask what, if any, contractor discounts will be passed along to you. Ask about the cost of change orders. Finally, choose a contractor.
Whether a general contractor
will be in charge, or you’re go-ing run the show, your project will go through of the following steps — not necessarily in this order — as the house is built.
Site prep• Get a well permit from the
health department and fınd a local contractor to dig a well.
• Get a perc test and locate your drain fıeld. Again, there are lo-cal companies that will fınd the right site.
• Verify from the PUD or electric
co-op that power is at your prop-erty line.
Get a house planIt starts with design. Many local
and Seattle-area architects and designers have created plans for Methow Valley homes and are familiar with design trends. It ’s important to fınd an architect you feel comfortable with, who listens to your ideas, and who ad-vises you about costs, materials and site considerations with your budget in mind.
Also, architects who have designed houses in the valley work with local builders and have formed good relationships with them. Ask who they are familiar with and would recommend to build your house.
Some people choose to develop a house design without an archi-tect. It ’s possible to fınd a stock plan online and tweak it to your needs, but beware that such plans may need some engineering. Others choose to buy a pre-fab kit — for example a panelized, a modular or log home.
Patsy Rowland found a style that she liked online and worked with two engineers to get the house design she wanted. “I didn’t want to pay $20,000 for an architect to draw up my plans,” she said.
David Perez and his wife, Crystal, designed their farm-house-style home “based on things we really liked,” Perez said. “We kept it as simple as possible,” and avoided
"You need to have a lot of energy
and patience"
David Perez, on building his own home
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engineering costs, he said.Rowland recommends consult-
ing with an experienced local builder before fınalizing your house plans.
Site prep, continued• Go to the planning department
with your site plan showing property lines, driveway, foot-print, well, septic and utilities. They will inform you of any set-back or density requirements, location of adjacent wells and/or drain fıelds.
• Get an engineered septic plan. Get a septic permit from the health department. Build a sep-tic system.
Note: Some planned communi-ties, such as Pine Forest and parts of Edelweiss and Lost River, have community water systems and/or shared drain fıelds.
• Go to the building department and get your building permit.
• Get a temporary electric meter installed by the PUD or electric co-op.
Construction beginsRemember that even the most
capable do-it-yourselfer will need help with many of these tasks, and you don’t have to look beyond the Methow to fınd an ex-perienced company in any phase of construction.• Survey and stake the lot. Local
surveyors are familiar with valley properties and can ensure the legal defınition of your property.
• Hire an excavator to grade the driveway, grade/level the house pad, and dig a “house hole,” crawlspace or basement. Local excavators will know what kinds of conditions they are dealing with. Build retaining walls, if necessary.
• Bring water, septic, power, and telecommunications to the footprint.
• Rough-in the plumbing.• Hire a concrete company to
pour the foundation, basement or slab.
• Get lumber and labor bids for framing. Frame the house.
• Get a windows package bid. Install windows and exterior doors.
• Get a roofıng bid. Put a roof on.• Wrap the house.
Congratulations, the house is now dried-in. Bring on winter weather!
• Install HVAC (heating, ventila-tion, air conditioning), mechani-cal and water heaters.
• Rough-in electrical and plumbing.
• Install insulation.• Install siding.• Do interior drywall. Hang inte-
rior doors.• Paint.• Finish electrical and plumbing
fıxtures.• Do interior fınishes — cabinets,
countertops, trim, flooring.• Install appliances.• Finish exterior hard-
scape — walkways, concrete flatwork, patios, decks. Finish the driveway.
• Do landscaping — there are
several local landscapers who can help with this. Ask about Firewise considerations to pro-tect your property.
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Firewise building & landscaping
Even in fıre country, your home doesn’t
have to burnBY KIRSTE N COOK
OK A NOGA N CONSERVATION DISTR ICT
There are some constants about living in the Methow Val-ley: fall color from larch and aspen, winter snows for the ski trails, beautiful balsamroot blooms in the springtime — and summer wildfıres. The ecosystem in the Methow is fıre-adapted, and the human community can be also. A fıre-adapted community knows that wildfıre is a part of the natural landscape and takes responsibility for preparing for this risk. Homeowners are a key piece of the puzzle, because fuels treatments on public property are of limited value if private property owners do not create de-fensible space or use fıre-resistant building materials.
As the local Firewise Program coordinator, I’ve worked with many Methow homeowners to help them become more pre-pared for wildfıre. The Okanogan Conservation District offers free risk assessments for those who would like personalized recom-mendations for their property, either before or after construc-tion. Our suggestions are based on solid fıre science research into how homes ignite. I see many of the same areas of concern at the
homes I evaluate for wildfıre risk. This article highlights some of the most important things to keep in mind when you are building or remodeling a home in fıre country.
Know what you can controlWildfıre behavior is influenced
by three main factors: topogra-phy, weather and fuel (vegeta-tion and man-made structures). You can’t do anything about the weather, but you can make important choices about topogra-phy and fuels.
When you decide where to put a new house, be aware that topog-raphy influences the intensity and spread of fıre. Fires tend to move upslope, and the steeper the slope, the faster they move. Placing a home at the edge of a slope puts the home directly in the line of fıre, especially if there is an overhanging deck. A better choice is to set the home back at least 30 feet from the edge.
A house at the top of a “chim-ney” is at increased risk as well. A chimney effect occurs when an area such as a drainage, gulch or ravine retains heat and chan-nels wind, causing fıre to burn even hotter and faster up the hill. If your existing home matches either of those descriptions, you
will need to increase your defen-sible space, on the downhill side especially, by reducing fuels.
Fuel is the main thing we can influence. Debris like pine nee-dles left on decks, in gutters, and strewn across lawns can ignite from flying embers. Fire moving along the ground’s surface can “ladder” into shrubs and low-hanging tree limbs to create lon-ger flames and more heat. If your home has flammable features or vulnerable openings, it can also serve as fuel for the fıre, and become part of a disastrous chain of ignitions to other surrounding
homes and structures.
Know how homes igniteMost homes that burn during
a wildfıre are ignited by embers or fırebrands landing on the roof, in gutters, on or under decks and porches, or in vents or other openings in the home. Other homes burn from small flames that touch the house — perhaps from dry grass that allows a fıre to run right up to the wood siding.
A home’s ignition risk is determined by its immediate surroundings and the home’s
SAFETY
Methow Home 2015 21
A continuous path of fuel leads to this flammable wood deck. COURTESY OKANOGAN CONSERVATION DISTRICT
This home has two vulnerabilities: flammable material next to wood siding, and a vent screen that is large enough to admit embers. COURTESY OKANOGAN CONSERVATION DISTRICT
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construction materials. The “home ignition zone” is defıned as the home and the area around it up to 200 feet. If your home ignition zone overlaps with your neighbors, work together to re-duce your risks. Start at the house and work your way out: • Home zone: Harden the
structure against wildfıre, in-cluding fences, decks, porches, carports and other attachments. Use non-flammable or low-flam-mability construction materi-als — especially for roofs, siding and windows. Cement-fıber sid-ing products have come a long way and will fool most people
into thinking they are wood. Deck material varies in combus-tibility, but most decks ignite because of flammable material kept under or on the deck, not the deck boards themselves. A 1/8-inch metal mesh is a crucial material to have on hand. Use it to screen gable and eave vents and the areas below decks to keep embers out.
It ’s important to ensure that there isn’t a continuous path of fuel up to the house, so keep flammable items, including plants and mulch, at least 5 feet away from your home’s perimeter.
• Zone 1: This area encircles the structure for at least 30 feet on all sides and provides space for fıre suppression equipment in the event of an emergency. Keep fırewood stacks and propane tanks out of this zone. If you have lawn, it should be kept green and mowed. Plantings should be limited to care-fully spaced, low-flammability
species, and kept well-irrigated. Xeriscaping is an option if ir-rigation isn’t feasible, or if you are away from your property frequently during fıre season.
• Zone 2: This area encircles 30 to 100 feet from the home. Low-flammability plant materi-als should be used here. Plants should be low-growing and the irrigation system should extend into this section. Shrubs and trees should be limbed up and spaced to prevent crowns of trees from touching.
• Zone 3: This area encompasses 100 to 200 feet from the home. Keep trees and shrubs well-spaced in this area, remem-bering to keep the volume of vegetation low. If you’re like me and have a lot of bitterbrush and sagebrush in this zone, create islands of vegetation to break up the fuel load.
Work with your builderIt ’s easy to assume that archi-
tects, designers and builders in
A surface fire here would carry flame directly to this wood-shingle siding. COURTESY OKANOGAN CONSERVATION DISTRICT
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fıre country know how to create a Firewise home, but based on my experience that isn’t usually the case. As you screen potential professionals for your job, add “knowledge of Firewise building strategies” to your list of selec-tion criteria. Alternatively, do the research yourself and specify the Firewise designs and materials that you want to include.
The State of California has im-plemented building code require-ments for construction in fıre-prone areas and has a number of excellent resources available online. Two of my favorites are Home Survival in Wildfıre-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations, at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8393.pdf ; and the CALFIRE website, http://osfm.fıre.ca.gov/codedevel-opment/wildfıreprotection.php. And Firewise.org, of course.
Ultimately, homeowners can and must take primary responsi-bility for wildfıre safety actions around their homes. There are
not enough fırefıghting resources to protect every house during se-vere wildfıres, and with shrinking budgets it means we need to do more with less. Firefıghters are trained to safely and effıciently suppress wildland fıres, but their effectiveness is reduced when they must sweep decks, or move woodpiles and patio furniture while trying to fıght a fıre. Ac-cording to fıre science research, individual efforts do make a difference even in the face of a catastrophic wildfıre. In the case of the 2014 Carlton Complex Fire, of the properties that completed fuels reduction projects as part of a Department of Natural Resourc-es (DNR) cost-share program, 59 of 67 structures on those proper-ties were saved.
The fırst step in preparedness is knowledge. To get started, contact the Okanogan Conservation District at (509) 422-0855, the DNR Landowner Assistance offıce at (509) 684-7474, or your local fıre district. H
An example of a Firewise home: fiber cement siding, metal roof, nonflammable apron around home, and good defensible space. COURTESY OKANOGAN CONSERVATION DISTRICT
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A window on the world
Expansive glass ‘walls’ connect indoors, outdoors in many
Methow homes
BY MA RC Y STA MPER
BEING able to savor the out-doors — while being warm and dry — has spurred
more and more people to maxi-mize the transparency of their living space.
While many people choose a big expanse of windows to enjoy the view, incorporating a wall of windows is really more about establishing a seamless connec-tion between the indoors and out.
“We like our glass,” said Stefan Hampden, a principal at CAST Architecture in Seattle, who has designed several projects in the Methow Valley that emphasize the link between the interior and exterior.
“People want to enjoy their property as much as possible.
They don’t spend a lot of time inside, even in the winter,” said Margo Peterson-Aspholm, an architect at Balance Associates in Winthrop. “We strive to make the house as light as possible and to let the outside in.”
Architects and designers often use glass doors even more than windows so that the boundaries between the interior and exterior spaces almost disappear. These doors transform the space, said Hampden. “It becomes an out-door room, not just a window,” he said.
Glass patio doors offer the abil-ity to create an opening up to 12-feet wide, said Peterson-Aspholm. “The whole room becomes a part of the outdoors,” she said. “It doubles your openness.” A wall of glass also makes a small space seem larger, said Hampden.
Balance Associates strives to create a gradual progression from the interior to the exterior. A design will transition from the main living space to a deck, then down a set of stairs to a landscaped area, and then to the native vegetation beyond, said Peterson-Aspholm.
“There’s an element of delight in being able to occupy a place with a direct connection to the
exterior,” said Nathan Brant-ley, production manager with David Coleman Architecture in Seattle.
Human beings like a sense of control, said Brantley. Having an expanse of glass gives them a commanding view while they are safe and comfortable, he said.
Peterson-Aspholm enjoys the way her home outside Winthrop connects to the world outside.
FEATURES
Many homes in the Methow Valley are designed to minimize the boundaries between indoors and out. This house — a virtual glass box – provides a sense of immediacy with the environment while incorporating substantial overhangs to protect from the elements. PHOTO COURTESY CAST ARCHITECTURE
A window on
architect at Balance Associates in Winthrop. “We strive to make the
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Methow Home 2015 25
“We just love waking up after a snowfall and feeling our bed is outdoors,” she said.
There are standard, practi-cal limits to height and width of windows, but even these keep shrinking as technology evolves. “With newer technology, it can be fun to peel away a whole side of a house,” said Hampden. “The bud-get becomes the limiting factor.”
Depending on the size and location of windows, different types of structural support may be needed. The largest expanses of glass require steel supports, which are more expensive than wood, said Peterson-Aspholm.
Energy considerationsThere are other limits to what
can be achieved with glass when it comes to heating and cooling. So, if your primary concern is en-ergy effıciency, you should avoid a vast expanse of glass.
Even with the latest technology for thermally effıcient windows, glass will never provide the same degree of insulation as a wall, said Hampden. “They’re never as good as a 6- or 8-inch wall fılled with insulation,” he said.
New technology includes special coatings that reflect heat. These coatings, referred to as low-E, for low-emissivity, bounce heated air back into the house in winter and send the summer’s heat back outside.
Effıcient windows also have a layer of inert gas between a sand-wich of glass — ideally three lay-ers of glass — to keep the window from transmitting heat.
Triple-glazed windows can be from 5- to 25-percent more costly than double-pane windows, but within four or fıve years the energy savings — in heating and cooling bills — will pay for the in-vestment, said Wayne Fisher with North Cascade Builders Supply in Winthrop.
“You still pay the price for hav-ing a lot of windows, no matter what you do, but window manu-facturers have improved the tech-nology,” said Peterson-Aspholm.
A well-insulated window with a low U-value, which rates the amount of outside air that is allowed to infıltrate through a window, will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, and can be opened and closed throughout the day as needed, said Peterson-Aspholm.
The orientation of a house — and of the walls with windows — is another impor-tant factor. East- and west-facing windows usually have blinds or other window coverings to block strong light at certain times of day and year. Light through south-facing windows is best controlled with overhangs, said Peterson-Aspholm.
“It’s usually not great to have a lot of north windows,” since that is also the coldest side of the house, said Peterson-Aspholm. Still, they can be useful in certain applications where someone desires an unchanging source of light, such as for an art studio. “The upside is the light is con-stant, since it isn’t affected by the angle of the sun,” she said.
In passive-solar designs, win-dows are placed to cast light on a slab floor for heat in the winter, and then shaded in the summer to block heat.
“Windows are not just things you’re looking through, but they will save you energy,” said Howard Cherrington, owner of Integrated Design Concepts in Twisp. Shades or other window coverings can help regulate the temperature by adding another layer of insulation and by block-ing the sun, said Cherrington.
You can balance the desire for a connection with the environ-ment with a respect for how you live in it. Ellen Lamiman, owner of Energy Solutions in Winthrop, encourages people to frame a view rather than build a wall of windows and, in particular, to use window coverings to control the temperature.
In addition to the concerns for heating and cooling, hav-ing a wall of windows reduces the space available to display art. Sometimes that is an in-tentional choice. “There is less artwork on the walls — the main event is the view outside,” said Peterson-Aspholm.
Glass, birds and other wildlife
Windows will change the way your house coexists with the more mobile parts of nature.
“If you care about birds, you might want to think about glass,” said Peterson-Aspholm. The reflective property of glass and its impact — literally — on birds is
“a really big downside” of a large expanse of glass, she said.
The American Bird Conser-vancy estimates that hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in this country from collisions with glass. Reflections of sky, clouds and vegetation at-tract birds, which try to fly to the familiar-looking habitat.
The problem is exacerbated by windows on two sides of a building, since birds will think they can fly right through, said Peterson-Aspholm.
Many people hang tinsel strips or affıx decals of hawks to their windows. Some of these interven-tions are of limited effectiveness, but some designs, particularly when properly spaced, have prov-en to be deterrents, according to the bird conservancy.
The bird conservancy and the Audubon Society have been working on technology and to in-crease awareness to reduce bird collisions. They have developed standards that allow architects and designers to earn credits to-ward green-building certifıcation for incorporating strategies that reduce bird collisions.
The techniques integrate what is called “visual noise,” using color, texture and modifying reflectivity so that birds don’t fly into the windows.
Deer, on the other hand, will approach a window with-out harming themselves. “We see deer about two feet from us. They’re really curi-ous about the reflection,” said Peterson-Aspholm. H
Contact David Clinkston (206) 286-2000
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26 Methow Home 2015
Restoring the landHow to rehabilitate areas that were damaged by 2014’s fires
BY THE METHOW CONSERVA NC Y
THE Methow and Okanogan valleys experienced the largest wildfıre in Wash-
ington state history in July 2014. As we work to rebuild the human community, our natural commu-nities are already starting their recovery process.
Our native habitats are adapted to fıre and will recover quickly in most circumstances without intervention. In many places, as early as last fall, bluebunch wheatgrass, lupine and yarrow were already shooting up from the burned ground, and burned chokecherries, currants and elderberry were resprouting from healthy root systems.
While nature will do most of the work, there are places where simple land restoration work will be an important part of the recovery pro-cess. Here, we outline basic strate-gies for rehabilitating steep slopes, previously weedy areas, forests, newly built fırelines with disturbed soil, and deeply burned soil.
Forested areasApproximately 25 percent of the
Carlton Complex Fire was on for-ested lands. Some areas partially
burned while others experienced stand-replacing fıres. Ponderosa pine and Douglas fır will regener-ate more slowly than grasses and shrubs. Some forest may initially actually convert into more grass-land communities. It’s important to remember that burned trees that do not threaten personal safety or property provide important wild-life habitat.
Many trees, even those with signifıcant loss of foliage, will likely recover, as long as they have some green needles, but conifers that experienced high fıre intensity with total loss of needles will not. The Wash-ington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has staff avail-able to provide technical exper-tise related specifıcally to tree damage, merchantability, and recovery actions. Steve Harris is their local contact and he can be reached at (509) 684-7474.
Areas with previous weed infestations
If you have burned areas that were previously weedy or disturbed or near such areas, this is a good oppor-tunity to seed with perennial grasses to outcompete weedy species.
For dryland pastures areas that have been burned, reseeding with a dryland pasture mix for the desired purpose and character of the site will be helpful in mini-mizing the weed population.
This will be an important year in the reestablishment of plant com-munities. Next year, aggressive weed control will be important. Plan ahead to monitor all burned areas for weeds and establish a weed control plan.
Firelines and other soil disturbances
Restoring fırelines is one of the most important post-fıre reha-bilitation tasks. Without prompt
attention, fırelines are at risk of weed colonization and erosion. Tips for landowners or landscap-ing services include:
• Avoid soil compaction.• Reseed before winter with
habitat-appropriate seed mix. Use native seeds for fırelines within native shrub-steppe, forest or riparian habitat. Use bluebunch wheatgrass for shrub-steppe and dry forest and blue wild rye for ri-parian areas — 15 pounds per acre.
• After heavy rain, look at water bars or log “dams” that fıre crews may have installed on steep slopes to ensure they functioned properly.
• Control weeds for a couple of seasons until grass is established.
Areas with burned soilIf you have large areas of
deep ash (over 2 inches), particu-larly in a drainage or on a steep slope, consult a resource profes-sional from the list provided. It is
FEATURES
Meadows, grasslands, shrub-steppe and riparian areas will flourish with flowers, grass and shrubs in the year ahead. PHOTO BY MARY KIESAU
Methow Home 2015 27
important to leave existing burnt or dead vegetation in place if the plants do not threaten personal safety or property because they help stabilize the soil.
Steep slopesIf you have a steep slope that
has burned and there are homes or signifıcant infrastructure below or adjacent to this slope, call the Okanogan Conservation District (OCD). There may be a risk of flooding or debris flow.
Property owners with burned
properties or who are downhill from burned properties should consider purchasing a National Flood Insurance policy. Contact your insurance agent for details on obtaining flood insurance for possible flash floods post-fıre.
For general inquiries about post-fıre restoration or if you would like to have a natural resource professional evaluate your property for recovery ac-tions, please contact the Methow Conservancy at (509) 996-2870 or www.methowconservancy.org. H
To seed or not to seed
Large portions of the burn will recover naturally and do not need to be seeded. In some cases, seeding can actually slow natural recovery by providing additional competition. Initially seeding efforts should be focused on firelines and other fire fighting soil disturbances. Hydro-seeding is effective on stabiliz-ing steep slopes and enhancing germination.
Recommended native seed species by habitat zone:• Shrub-steppe and/or dry for-
ests — bluebunch wheatgrass. • Disturbed areas along roads — sand
dropseed (1 pound per acre).• Riparian areas — blue wild rye.
Consider a site visit by a profession-al before any seeding to get advice on the species and seeding rate that best fit your situation and budget.
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28 Methow Home 2015
An emphatic viewpointA dramatic remodeling takes full advantage of Chewuch River valley views
BY DON NELSON
MIKE Tuggy and Peggy Sarjeant had no inten-tion of buying a house
when they went looking for Methow Valley property. But the Chewuch Heights site they fell in love with because of its expansive up-river views toward the Pasay-ten Wilderness happened to come with one.
That the house had design issues became quickly apparent. Among them: an awkward entrance and stairway from the lower fl oor to the upper level; oddly divided spaces in the lower level; an orientation that largely ignored the big views; and a roof design that dumped snow all around the house in the winter and accumulated so many icicles that it was almost impossible to see out.
“It wasn’t the house,” Sarjeant said. “It was the view.”
Tuggy and Sarjeant, both physicians in Seattle, knew they needed to do something about the house eventually. “It wasn’t what we wanted but it was usable,” Sarjeant said. “We used it for several years and it was fi ne.”
Tuggy and Sarjeant started
coming to the valley years ago to backpack and otherwise recreate with their children. They had a family cabin near Mount Baker and owned property in the San Juan Islands that they held onto in anticipation of eventually building there.
About 15 years ago, Sarjeant said, the couple came to the conclusion that they were never going to build in the San Juans. “We’re mountain people, not island people,” she said, and they decided to sell the San Juan property.
The search for Methow Valley property eventually took them to the Chewuch Heights site — and an instant epiphany.
“We were going to buy property, and then this place came up,” Sarjeant said. “We both realized that ‘this is it.’”
“It encapsulates everything we
love about the valley,” she said. “It spoke to us.”
Motivated to remodelThat was enough to keep the
couple and their family coming back to the site, but the need for a remodel was always apparent.
“Winter gave us the most motivation” to remodel, Sarjeant said. “We had to chip our way into the house through snow berms.”
The decision to undertake a massive remodeling came “sooner than we intended,” Sarjeant said. But they decided that the real estate crash of several years back actually was opportune in that it meant architects and contractors were looking for work.
Not surprisingly, “It became daunting when we started talking about design possibilities,” she said. “We didn’t want to
expand dramatically and we were working on a budget. We needed to use as much of the infrastructure as possible.”
All of that was the challenge handed to Seattle-based architect David Clingston — who happened to be a patient of Tuggy’s. Clingston started coming up with a variety of ideas and plans, and worked closely with the couple to narrow down the options.
“He was really easy to work with,” Sarjeant said.
“What struck me right away was that it was kind of neither here nor there,” Clingston said
HOMES
Remodeling was based on the foundation of the original house, right, but a great room was added and changes made to the interior layout. PHOTOS COURTESY CLINKSTON ARCHITECTS
Methow Home 2015 29
of the existing house. The design was “very awkward,” he said.
Ultimately, Sarjeant said, “we went with a plan that was over our budget but was want we wanted.”
Most dramatically, that plan included adding a glass-enclosed, high-ceiling great room that opened up to the treasured views. “The extension was always in the plans, to maximize the views,” Sarjeant said.
The remodeled home is built on the same foundation as the previous building. Beyond that, the house underwent dramatic changes. The back entrance was entirely rebuilt with a “bumped out” stairway that is fl ooded with light. The kitchen was reoriented so that it would open to the rest of the house and people could interact with each other. Mike
Hilton was the contractor. “He was great,” Sarjeant said.
Embracing the viewClingston suggested adding
the great room and creating one continuous “mono-pitch” roofl ine, all oriented to the view. “I said they should reach straight out toward the view … this is why you bought the property,” Clingston said.
“On a clear night, it ’s like being in a planetarium,” Clingston said of the great room with its three glass walls.
The roof has wide overhangs that help moderate temperatures and sun exposure year-round, Clingston said. The siding is a combination of cedar and fi reproof Hardie (fi ber cement) panels, both notable for their durability and minimal
maintenance.The window walls in the great
room also have several doors to the outdoors decks, allowing for cross-ventilation in the summer, Clingston said. And there is a solar power array nearby.
The overall effect is that it ’s a new home, Clingston said.
Unlike many people who build in the Methow, Tuggy and Sarjeant decided against concrete fl oors. “We wanted lots of wood,” she said. “Concrete felt fl at and cold. We wanted it softer and warmer.”
So there are fi r cabinets, wood-trimmed windows, and fl ooring of an unusual wood that Sarjeant fell in love with called strand-woven poplar, manufactured from recycled furniture. It has a rich, highly textured fi nish that is so distinct that it pretty much dictates other furnishing decisions, Sarjeant said.
“It’s very busy,” Sarjeant said of the fl ooring. “It evokes the landscape.”
It is also very hard and durable, she added.
“It was a bold choice,” Clingston concurred (of the fl ooring). “It has quite a personality.”
“Peggy and I collaborated on a lot of aspects of the kitchen,” Clingston added. She picked the fi r cabinet material and also selected the backsplash tiles.
“I really love it when a client is really engaged,” Clingston said. “My philosophy is that it ’s your house, not a monument to my ego.” H
The new great room is oriented to views up the Chewuch River valley. PHOTO COURTESY CLINKSTON ARCHITECTS
Big roof overhangs are designed to keep conditions comfortable in any season. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
The new entranceway takes advantage of southern light. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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30 Methow Home 2015
Rising out of the meadowThe Quintanas’ Chechaquo Ranch home offer lots of usable space within a small footprint
BY DON NELSON
LIKE a lot of people who be- come enamored of the Methow Valley and want
to build here, Jason and Cheryl Quintana did their research.
“We rode our bikes on every back road we could, from Winthrop to Lost River,” Jason said. “If we saw a ‘for sale’ sign we followed it.” Their wish list for the ideal property included proximity to cross country ski trails and to U.S. Forest Service land.
The Quintanas found their dream property, made an offer and went back to their home in the Portland area.
Unlike most people, however, the Quintanas did that all in one trip — their fi rst ever visit to the Methow, to celebrate Cheryl’s birthday.
The Quintanas didn’t build on the Chechaquo Ranch site near Mazama for several years, but when they did, they also had a wish list in mind for their Methow second home. They wanted something that was mid-century modern, not too large, on a single level, with more square footage devoted to the common living areas and less to the bedrooms.
“It was more about style and size,” Jason said. “We wanted an open, airy space.”
Architect Tom Lenchek of Balance Associates listened to the Quintanas’ ideas, considered their budget, and came up with a design that creates the illusion of a much bigger house than its 1,000-square-foot layout while keeping a low profi le.
Lenchek did that largely by creating a sizable “outdoor room” — a deep porch with lots of space for furniture and access to a double-sided fi replace that also opens into the home’s living area. Most of the house is devoted an open living-dining-kitchen area, and the bedrooms are indeed small. Lenchek also factored in a garage, which the Quintanas made a priority.
Site challengesThe Quintanas’ birthday
celebration trip came about because Jason had seen article about the valley’s cross country skiing in an airline magazine while on a business trip. “We love
skiing and outdoors activities,” Jason said. He fi led away the information, and the couple eventually decided to check it out.
“We really loved it,” Jason said. Then came the search and action portion of the trip. “It was a whirlwind decision to buy.”
When it came time to build,
HOMES
The home’s two-sided fireplace can be enjoyed in any season. PHOTO COURTESY OF BALANCE ARCHITECTS
A large porch becomes an “outdoor room” that expands the living space. PHOTO COURTESY OF BALANCE ARCHITECTS
Methow Home 2015 31
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32 Methow Home 2015
“We wanted an architect with a local connection,” Jason said. Seattle-based Balance has a
Winthrop offi ce and has designed more than 30 homes in the valley, Lenchek said. Balance
was completing another project nearby the Quintanas’ property, which prompted the couple to
contact the architectural fi rm. “It seemed like a good fi t,” Jason said.
Lenchek said one challenge for the site was that, unlike many Methow Valley properties, it doesn’t have a “big view.” The view usually dictates how the house is oriented, he said.
The Quintanas’ property — basically a meadow populated by Ponderosa pine trees — has a road in front of it and backs up to a rocky hillside. “The question was, where does the house go?” Lenchek said. “We decided to push it all the way back to the hill.”
There was “no compelling reason” to go up two stories, Lenchek said. “It wouldn’t help them get a view.”
Lenchek showed the Quintanas two general design schemes that were quite different. “We settled pretty quickly” on the design that became their home, Jason said. The builder was Tom Bjornsen of Bjornsen Construction.
The home smoothly integrates the indoor and outdoor spaces,
Design emphasis was on an all-purpose living space, rather than on large bedrooms. PHOTO COURTESY OF BALANCE ARCHITECTS
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something that the Quintanas emphasized. The two bedrooms are, Jason said, “small and very small.” There is one bathroom.
The living spaces are closer to the hill, Lenchek said, and the bedrooms are closer to the road. “It ’s just a place to sleep,” Lenchek said of the small bedroom (and by extension, the really small bedroom).
The metal roofi ng wraps around the back of the house. The rest of the exterior is dark stained wood. The underside of the roof is plywood, which carries into the interior to create continuity. The cement fl oors have electric radiant heat.
The living/dining/kitchen space has high ceilings that create a sense of more space, and that concept carries through to the deep overhanging roof above the porch.
The home is situated on a small rise, and “the effect is to make the long and lean cabin seem to hover gracefully above the meadow grasses,” Balance says on
its website.
Choosing the materialsThe design contract came with
a tight but workable budget, Lenchek said.
“We were willing to skimp on some things,” Jason said. Lenchek said that using materials such as plywood, metal roofi ng and siding, and rolled steel for the fi replace creates a durable home that looks attractive and doesn’t need a lot of adornment.
“Let them be what they are,” Lenchek said of the materials. “You don’t need to dress them up.”
For now, the Chechaquo Ranch house is a second home, but over time the Quintanas intend to spend more time there. Jason is a computer engineer; Cheryl works in computer support, both for large companies.
The home, completed about a year ago, was instantly comfortable — so much so, Jason said, that “we never want to leave. We’re always eager for whatever we’re going to do the next day.” H
The home backs up to a steep hillside and looks out on a meadow. PHOTO COURTESY OF BALANCE ARCHITECTS
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34 Methow Home 2015
Looking to the futureThe Hamer home is designed for comfortable living for years to come
BY DON NELSON
JEFF and Susan Hamer lived and worked overseas for many years, but always were
on the lookout for a stateside “home base” where they could eventually retire.
They found it on a hillside overlooking Twisp River Road, where they built a distinctive home that suits their personal interests and their long-term plans.
The Hamers had toured the Cascade Loop, stopping in communities along the way to assess possibilities. They found and purchased a cabin several miles west of Twisp that they used as a vacation spot for many years. There was also an old, rickety barn on the property.
The cabin is still there, the barn is gone, and the Hamers’ home is now the central feature. The house was designed by Howard Cherrington, owner of Integrated Design Concepts, who happens to be the Hamers’ neighbor.
The Hamers were familiar enough with Cherrington’s work that when it came time to design their home, they were amenable to handling most of the process
by long-distance while they were overseas. Ideas and responses fl owed back and forth as the plan for the house emerged.
Cherrington suggested some reading for the Hamers — books about particular housing designs — which helped them settle on their own ideas, Jeff said.
“I try to listen to my clients and take cues from them,” Cherrington said. “It ’s a fi ne line between listening and then giving them a palette they can use to fi ll in the picture.”
“Howard was good at listening and guiding,” Jeff affi rmed.
Some of the earliest discussions
were about how large the house should be, and whether it should have two stories. “Howard got us to consider the size of the house
with a long-term view,” Jeff said. That is, a house the Hamers could live in for many years to come.
To that end, the house is
HOMES
Above, a massive river rock fireplace is the centerpiece of the living area. Right, the vaulted living room gives way to a lower ceiling as the room extends toward the kitchen. PHOTOS BY DON NELSON
Methow Home 2015 35
mostly on one level, with guest bedrooms and a bath in a small second-story extension. Everything in the house — including fi xtures, door widths, and door handles that turn easily — is designed with ease of movement and access in mind. Making the home “impediment-free” was a priority, Cherrington said. But it is all subtly done and consistent with an overall atmosphere of comfort and utility.
Defined areasThe main living area of the
house is all one long space, but with distinctly defi ned areas according to use. At the end nearest the main entry is the living room, with two back-to-back sets of inviting furniture — one group of couches and chairs facing the massive river rock fi replace, the other set oriented in the other direction toward a TV in a large cabinet, which separates the living room
from the dining room. In the dining area, the living room’s vaulted ceiling gives way to a lower, beamed ceiling, creating a sense of transition without ever leaving the same contiguous space. The tongue-and-groove ceiling in the dining room is also the fl oor of the upper level.
Cherrington said the house’s interior post-and-beam construction “gives it the feel of a timbered home.”
Past the dining area is the
The dining area defines its own space between the living room and kitchen. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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36 Methow Home 2015
bright kitchen, which takes good advantage of southern light.
The interior walls are sheetrock. “Houses can get
over-wooded on the inside,” Cherrington said. “It can become too dominant and dark.” Instead, he uses wood as an accent to
other interior elements. “Sheet rock is a good thing. It ’s versatile, can be decorated, and offers more fl exibility,” he said.
The home has about 2,500 square feet of space, including 600 square feet on the second fl oor where two cheery bedrooms are bathed by light streaming through south-facing windows.
The fl ooring is actually tile that looks remarkably like wood — enough to fool all but the most attentive observer. “It looks like wood but performs like tile,” Cherrington said.
Using tiles also allows for radiant electric heat, Cherrington added. And the effi cient wood-burning fi replace easily heats the entire house, Jeff said.
No crittersThe house is surrounded on
three sides by roof overhangs that create outdoor space, notably on the east end of the house where a patio area can be a breakfast spot on a summer
morning, and offer relief from the afternoon sun later in the day. “It ’s a great morning porch,” Jeff said. The main entryway is also covered. A detached shop is an easy walk from the house.
An important priority for the Hamers was that the house be, as Jeff noted, “critter free.” The house is designed on a slab, which deters varmints and also helps moderate the home’s temperature year-round, Cherrington said. Passive solar is an important part of the home’s design and orientation.
The majority of the exterior siding is cement-board planking that is fi re resistant.
The contractor was Jeff Brown, who made his own suggestions as the construction progressed, Jeff Hamer said. “He’s a great builder,” Jeff said. “Working with the right people is important.”
Jeff said that he and Susan considered a log home, but decided against it because of maintenance issues — and the
The east end of the home is “a great morning porch.” PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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Guest bedrooms are cheery and light-filled. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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38 Methow Home 2015
A new homecoming
The Bacons treasure a site and design that remind them of their childhood rootsBY DON NELSON
DAVE and Lisa Bacon like to joke that their Gunn Ranch Road home site,
which commands a sweeping view of the Methow Valley, the Cascades and beyond, was built around the impressive telescope that anchors a corner of the house’s great room.
But the home, which nestles into a hillside just below a copse
of aspen trees, is much more than a view with a house attached. It ’s a comfortable, versatile space that can accommodate a lot of guests — and constantly invites you to cast your gaze, telescopically enhanced or not, in every direction.
The house literally feels like home to the Bacons, who grew up in rural communities in northern California that are reminiscent of the Methow Valley, they say.
HOMES
An outdoor sleeping platform expands the home’s guest capacity. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
The great room offers expansive views of the Methow Valley. PHOTO BY MARY KIESAU
Methow Home 2015 39
“When we fi rst started coming here and posting pictures, people asked us if we were home [in California],” Lisa said.
That familiar feeling is important in another way, the Bacons say: they wanted their 5-year-old son to have the same experience of growing up in a rural area with room to run around. “We wanted to give him the experience, the idea of space and freedom,” Dave said.
The Bacons had visited the valley for many years and stayed all over, always on the lookout for the right spot. They explored a lot of back roads to fi nd inspiration for the home they intended to build. “We needed to have unobstructed views and decent road access in the winter,” Lisa said.
The Gunn Ranch Road site instantly affi rmed their search. “The moment we got out on the land, there was just no question,” Lisa said. “It took us a long time to decide on a site, and then it clicked very fast.”
Familiar, but uniqueThe Bacons say they had been
“stalking” Methow Valley projects designed by Johnston Architects, the Seattle-based fi rm that has designed many homes in the valley. “I contacted Ray and Mary [Johnston] before the ink was dry” on the purchase agreement, Lisa said. “We liked their esthetic.”
To help describe their own esthetic, the Bacons wrote an essay about homes that had been important or made impressions
in their lives. Ideas came from a variety of places. “We wanted the house to be familiar but done in a unique way … an unexpected experience,” Lisa said.
Parts of the house were inspired by their diverse experiences. One example: the big Argentinian style barbecue on the south-facing deck — an elaborate contraption that includes a fl ue that was Johnston’s idea. The bath is based on a
Light fills a sleeping alcove at the rear of the home. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
Couches fold out in the den to sleep several more guests. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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Ray Johnston came up with two potential designs — one traditional, and one not so much. “He was testing to see what we wanted,” Dave said.
“We liked that it [Johnston’s non-traditional design] was radical,” Lisa said, “that everything about it was going to be unexpected.”
At the same time, she said, “we wanted to have lots of guests but not a big house. And our son needed his own space.”
How to do that? One way was to create what might otherwise be considered a den off of the living/dining area that is also accessible from the entry hallway — in each case through large, sliding barn doors made not of wood but rather tin. The room has couches that convert to beds. At the end of the hallway to the master bedroom is another alcove-like space with a sleeping area.
Their son’s sleeping area is tucked behind a curtain off the hallway. He also can reach a “hideout” above his bed by way of a short stairway. There is even a suspended sleeping platform hovering over the deck outside. Thus, a one-bedroom house can sleep up to 11 in the summer.
Window walls surround the living area, which merges almost seamlessly with the outdoor deck.
A small but effi cient kitchen brightly defi nes its own space just off the main living area.
There is a wood stove rather than a fi replace, and concrete fl oors provide radiant heat. Other features include outdoor shower off the bedroom and a detached garage.
Materials importantThe east side of the house is a
nearly unbroken wall but for a couple of small windows and the main entry door. When you come through the main door, you see all the way through the house to The bathroom is designed on a Japanese motif. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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the view beyond “We talked a lot about
materials,” Lisa said. “We wanted a modern, industrial look that was also timeless.” Rough cedar is used inside the house; most of the exterior is “weathering steel” that develops its own rich patina
over time.Builders Jim Salter and Jerry
Newman “made a huge difference, not just as builders but as artisans,” Lisa said. Newman is also a glass artist who created pieces for a small niche just inside the main entrance. Rick
Swenson did the cabinets.Johnston said the house, which
is on a 20-acre site, is situated in relation to various visible peaks such as Gardner Mountain. “The lines point at different mountains,” he said.
“We created a steel shell that
shelters a pavilion of glass and cedar. The result is a dynamic harmony between sculptural and tectonic elements,” the Johnstons say on their fi rm’s website.
The Bacons call the house “New Caelifera,” after the scientifi c name for grasshoppers — hosts of which they encountered the fi rst time they toured the site, “as if to say, ‘this is your home,’” Lisa said. The name is also a nod to “New California,” or “our home-away-from-the-childhood-homes that we love so much,” she said.
Dave, a former University of Washington professor, now works for Google, Lisa works at Nintendo, and they live in Seattle. Full-time in the valley would be great, the Bacons say, but for now they are in the Methow as often as possible, in any season. When they arrive here, the transition from urban to rural is instantaneous and complete.
“There’s nothing I look at and say we should have done it differently,” Lisa said. H
The front door, and the sliding barn to the left, are made of tin. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
The kitchen nook is an extension of the great room. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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42 Methow Home 2015
HOMES
Above the earthWolf Creek ‘tree house’ complements active lifestyleBY DON NELSON
When Jamie and Wendy Harri-son wanted to get an idea of what the view would be from their new home site above Wolf Creek, they popped open the top of their camper van, stood on a bunk, poked their heads out and looked around.
That experiment helped the Harrisons and architects Ray and Mary Johnston fıgure out how to orient the house to take maxi-mum advantage of the views and terrain.
The result is a light-fılled home that is perfectly suited to the Har-risons’ active lifestyle.
The centerpiece is a three-sided, window-walled great room that — with its ample deck and extended roof overhang carry-ing the home’s defıning lines
forward — seems poised to vault away on its own accord.
No such thing is going to happen, of course, but the result is a space that the Harrisons and Johnstons agree feels like a tree house — which was the intended effect.
“The concept came from a desire to feel like you are in a tree house with an awareness of up, down and across the valley, through the treetops,” Ray John-ston said, “and a strong desire to connect with and hear Wolf Creek below.”
The Harrisons, who live in Whistler, B.C., were Methow Valley visitors for several years before they considered building here. “It slowly dawned on us that we really liked this place,” Wendy said. They spent a fair amount of
time looking for land before they came a spot that had everything they wanted: meadow, creek, for-est, views.
The Harrisons’ search for an architect led them to the Seattle-based Johnstons’ site, where they saw a Methow Valley house that they particularly liked. In the kind of serendipity that seems common in the Methow, the Har-risons soon met the owners of that home when they all intro-duced their dogs to each other.
Knowing what they wantedWendy said camping out on the
site “was a great way to fıgure out where things should go on the property.”
The Harrisons knew they didn’t want a particularly big house.
Their wish list included taking advantage of the lot’s slope, a daylight basement that could be
HOMES
The home’s great room aggressively extends toward panoramic views. PHOTO COURTESY JOHNSTON ARCHITECTS
A daylight basement offers a cool respite in the summer. PHOTO COURTESY JOHNSTON ARCHITECTS
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a cool refuge in the summer, a guest room with some separa-tion and privacy, and a kitchen that wasn’t too large, but still big enough so people wouldn’t bump into each other.
The master bedroom, which overlooks the great room, is ef-fectively an extension of that big space. “All you can see is meadow and sky,” Wendy said of the bed-room. But it also can be made pri-vate by closing a sliding barn door.
A desire for low maintenance influenced choices of materials. “We wanted modern, but not cold and modern,” Wendy said. The Harrisons opted for wood floors rather than concrete. The exterior is clad in a combination of wood and metal siding. Phil Dietz of Lost River Construction was the contractor. Phil Woras did the cabinetwork.
Wendy said that another feature they appreciate is the number of built-ins. “With the window seat and built-in bed with drawers, plus the walk-in closet, The Harrisons wanted to feel like they were in a treehouse – and they got that effect. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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44 Methow Home 2015
we don’t need other dressers and stuff in the bedroom, so we can keep the look uncluttered and the views unobstructed,” she said. The kitchen also has a walk-in pantry. The kitchen sink area,
which has grooves in the coun-tertop for drainage, is tucked in a corner where it can’t be seen from the great room.
The home also is bathed in what Wendy called “layers of
lighting.”“It was all overwhelming at
fırst, trying to fıgure out the light-ing … Other than the fact that we have about 10 light switches in the hall by the fridge, we can control
the lighting really well, from task lighting in kitchen to really low lighting in the evening,” she said.
Wendy said she and Jamie also appreciate the design of the stairs off the entryway. “When you come in the front door, the stairs are there, but you can see through them, so they don’t block the entrance in,” she said.
A special touch is a climbing wall in the garage, where the Harrisons can practice their rock moves. They are also enthusiasts for alpine and Nordic skiing, as well as mountain biking.
The Harrisons are both actuar-ies — Jamie is retired; Wendy is a principal in a Vancouver, B.C., fırm. She said they understood that it would be a long trip from home to the Methow in the win-ter, but it ’s well worth it. And four-day weekends in the summer are quite manageable, she said.
In any season, Wendy said, the Harrises are both looking forward to morning coffee in the bedroom. HThe kitchen sink is tucked into a corner where piled-up dishes can’t be seen from the living area. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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The top-floor bedroom opens up with a balcony over the great room. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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46 Methow Home 2015
HOMES
Happy ranchersMazama home offers coziness, style and flexibility, all on one floorBY DON NELSON
JAY and Karla Gorham visited the Methow Valley for years without thinking they’d ever
live here. Now that they’ve built a house near Mazama, they can’t contemplate living anywhere else.
The Gorhams, whose principal residence is in Wenatchee where Jay is a cardiologist, were year-round visitors, staying all over the valley. They had fl irted with the notion of buying property without fi nding just the right place, until Windermere Real Estate agent Delene Monetta showed them property off of Highway 20. It was near the ski trails, far enough from the road to escape most of the noise, close enough to Mazama that they could walk to the store — and
offered a striking up-valley view.After the Gorhams bought the
property, they started paying more attention to homes as they drove around the valley, collecting ideas. They considered a log cabin, but shied away from that idea after doing some research. Also on the list of possibilities were a ranch style house or the popular shed roof design.
After they settled on the ranch
house style, the Gorhams found an existing house they liked and asked around to fi nd out who designed it. That was how they connected with designer/builder Don Miller of Shadowline Construction and quickly concluded they would like to work with him.
The Gorhams had a short list of general guidelines: not too big, all on one fl oor, attached garage to avoid dashing from car to house
in bad weather. They reviewed a number of house plans with Miller to start forming a more detailed concept.
“He [Miller] was easy to work with,” Karla said. “He listened to our ideas and told us if he thought something wouldn’t work.”
Jay said that throughout the design and construction process, Miller “gave us options every step of the way.”
The Mazama ranch house is oriented to take advantage of up-valley views. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHADOWLINE CONSTRUCTION
Laura Ruud and Jerry Merz designed several light fixtures. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
Methow Home 2015 47
Seeing the potentialMiller remembers his fi rst
meeting with the Gorhams on the property — “one of my favorite times as a builder/designer,” he says, because he can visualize all the possibilities and practicalities of the site. “I can see the potential from the fi rst day.” He describes the Gorham site as a “pastoral
tree farm,” and said they were conscious of keeping as many trees as possible.
Miller liked the Gorhams’ idea of a ranch style house because “I thought it was a natural spot for one.”
However, Miller said he was not a fan of the attached garage because he feared it would
make the home look like a tract house. The enclosed breezeway was, Karla said, “a compromise between Don and myself.” The breezeway has windows and doors on both sides, so “it looks like it’s open,” she said.
The breezeway, with its low-maintenance concrete fl oor, is where the Gorhams and their guests shed outdoor clothing and gear before going into house. It has benches and a rack for hanging skis that was Miller’s idea.
The breezeway, Miller said, is “a huge asset to their lifestyle.”
Although the house isn’t overly large, it does have two guest bedrooms (the Moose Room and the Paris Room, because of their individual decor touches) and a kid-friendly loft off of the great room — a vaulted space that includes the living area, kitchen and a soaring stone fireplace.
Right, built-ins enhance the dining area off of the great room. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHADOWLINE CONSTRUCTION
The “Moose Room” welcomes guests. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
A River Runs through It:Homes & Cabins along
the Chewuch River
The 14th Annual Methow Valley
Home TourSaturday, August 8th
10am-5pm
Featuring 8 unique homes; from small weekend cabins to expansive residences. The tour route is bicycle friendly; bring your bikes or rent from local bike shops. Tickets are $25 per person or $20 per person carpools of fourand can be purchased at Confluence Gallery Aug 1st – Aug 8th. A map will be provided.
For additional information: 509-997-2787 or [email protected]
Looking for info about the Methow Valley?
The Methow Valley News has got you covered! Our print and online versions will keep you
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Visit or subscribe today:methowvalleynews.com
(509) 997-7011
48 Methow Home 2015
The fl oor of the loft helps create a separate space for the dining area and for a short, enclosed vestibule between the main entrance and the living area. Visitors coming in the main entrance can see into the great room and through the opposite window wall to the captivating view. Transom-like panes over windows and doors in the living area create a consistent design scheme throughout the space, and let in extra light.
The master bedroom is at the far end of the house, providing some separation and privacy for the Gorhams when the house is full of guests.
Special touchesBuilt-ins throughout the house
create storage space and cut down on the need for furniture. Local artists and crafts people played a major role in helping make the home distinct. Laura Ruud and Jerry Merz combined forces to create the light fi xtures
in the vestibule and elsewhere. Barry Stromberger fabricated the railings and ladder for the loft. Chuck Szafas installed the counter tops. Phil Woras did the extensive cabinetry including the gorgeous sideboard/cupboard in the kitchen.
Miller said the Gorhams opted for materials that are “high quality without being exotic,” such as the western red cedar siding — which will weather well and last for years. Inside, the fl oorboards are made from recycled beams. Pine, fi r and tamarack are used for the windows and doors — “colors that enhance each other,” Miller said.
The kitchen features soapstone counter tops, and a zinc surface on the center island — an old-fashioned, durable material. The cabinets are covered with a transparent stain.
Outbuildings nearby provide storage space for yard equipment and other maintenance gear. An enclosed breezeway connects the house and detached garage. PHOTO BY DON NELSON
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Methow Home 2015 49
The Gorhams maintain an apartment in Wenatchee but spend most of their time in the valley. “I’m nearly retired,” Jay said, although he still practices in Wenatchee, Omak and Winthrop.
For the Gorhams, the home is their tranquility base. “It ’s a stress-free feeling” to arrive at the house, Jay said.
“I like the coziness of it,” Karla said. “It still feels like a vacation place.” H
James Salter509-341-4326
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50 Methow Home 2015
Directory Of Advertisers
RESOURCES
Architects & DesignersAiello Architecture .....................................31Balance Associates Architects ......51Cast Architecture .......................................27Clinkston Architects ...............................25David Coleman Architecture ......... 36FabCab ...................................................................52Integrated Design Concepts ...............9Johnston Architects ...................................2Lawrence Architecture .........................51Offıce of Shackitecture .........................43Patricia Brennan Architects .......... 48Pinto Design ......................................................22Shadowline Design
& Construction ............................................3
Artists & ArtisansBruce Morrison Sculpture ................ 49Swanson Woodcraft .................................. 17The Slagworks,
Barry Stromberger .............................. 37
Building SuppliesMethow Valley Lumber ........................13North Valley Lumber ...............................33
Builders & ContractorsB & S Contracting ...................................... 39Big Valley Builders .................................... 29Blackcap Builders Collective .......... 49Chuck Szafas Services ........................... 39D. McLane Construction .....................43Eagle Handcrafted Homes ....................2Evans Concrete Construction ........35Hall Construction .........................................41Hilton Construction .....................................2Hungry Mountain Construction ....... 40Libbey Construction ................................32North Cascades Construction ............35Palm Construction ....................................18Parks Construction ................................. 48Rhinehart Construction Co. ............45Schuler Build Co. .........................................15Shadowline Design
& Construction ...........................................3Valley True Construction ..................44Wolf Creek Design
+ Construction .........................................32
CabinetryAlpine Designs ............................................... 17Swanson Woodcraft .................................. 17
Cafés & Coffee RoastersBlue Star Coffee Roasters .......................9
Concrete & GravelCascade Concrete ........................................23Evans Concrete Construction ...........35
Concrete & Gravel, Cont.Five Star Concrete ......................................35J.A. Wright Construction ...........22, 49Palm Construction ......................................18
Conservation ConsultantsMethow Conservancy ................................8Okanogan Conservation
District ............................................................... 37Plantas East ........................................................35RW Thorpe & Associates .......................10
Damage RestorationHungry Mountain Construction ....... 40
ElectriciansA & J Electric .................................................... 40
Solar Energy Design/Consultation
Derosa Edwards .............................................41
Engineering & DesignFL Cooley & Associates ....................... 36
Equipment Sales & RentalCascade Concrete ........................................23Washington Tractor ..................................51
EventsConfluence Gallery ................................... 47
ExcavationB & B Excavating ..........................................42Doug Haase Excavating ..........................8J.A. Wright Construction ............ 22,49 McHugh’s Excavating ..............................43Palm Construction ......................................18
Financial ServicesJ. Bart Bradshaw, CPA .............................24
FlooringHarmony House Interiors ....................31Methow Valley Lumber ..........................13North Valley Lumber ...............................33
GalleriesConfluence Gallery ................................... 47
Garbage & Recycling ServicesWasteWise Methow .....................................19
Geothermal ServicesFisher Refrigeration ...................................41
Glass Supply & DesignWenatchee Valley Glass ........................44
Heating & Air ConditioningALJU Stove & Fireplace .........................35Cascade Mechanical ...............................45
Heating & Air Conditioning, Cont.
Fisher Refrigeration ...................................41North Valley Lumber ...............................33Washington Tractor ...................................51
Home FurnishingsHarmony House Interiors ....................31
Home & Garden DecorAspen Grove ......................................................23
Interior DesignFabCab ...................................................................52Harmony House Interiors ..................31
InsulationCascade Mechanical ...............................45Methow Valley Lumber ..........................13North Valley Lumber ...............................33
Irrigation Services & SuppliesCarlton Landscape
Construction ...............................................27Cascade Pipe & Feed ..................................10Doug Haase Excavating ..........................8Lester’s Well Pump Service ................18MVM Quality Drilling ..............................21Washington Tractor ..................................51
Land Use Permits RW Thorpe & Associates ..................... 10
Landscaping Services & Supplies
24-7 Property Maintenance ............. 40Carlton Landscape
Construction ...............................................27Cascade Concrete ........................................23Cascade Pipe & Feed ..................................10Chuck Szafas Services ........................... 39Eastern Green Hydroseeding ............ 29J.A. Wright Construction .........22, 49Plantas East ........................................................35Rick Fulcher Landscapes ....................42Washington Tractor ..................................51Windy Valley Landscaping .............. 37
LodgingCentral Reservations ..............................52
MasonryWindy Valley Landscaping .............. 37
Metal WorkersThe Slagworks,
Barry Stromberger .............................. 37
OrganizationsMethow Conservancy ................................8
PavingOmak Paving ................................................... 40
Portable Toilet RentalsJ.A. Wright Construction .......... 22,49
Property Maintenance24-7 Property Maintenance ............. 40
Propane Sales & ServicesOkanogan County
Energy, Inc. ....................................................15North Cascades Propane. .....................19
RadioKTRT..........................................................................45
Real EstateBlue Sky Real Estate ...................................12Coldwell Banker
Winthrop Realty ........................................3Methow Valley Associates .................... 11Windermere Real Estate .........................8
Retail Aspen Grove ....................................................23Mazama Store ..................................................10Methow Cycle & Sport ............................18
RoofıngTriple T Roofıng ............................................12
Septic DesignFL Cooley & Associates ....................... 36J.A. Wright Construction .........22, 49 Monetta & Associates ...............................24
SurveyorsTackman Surveying .................................22
Tile Design & InstallationMountain Home Tiling ..........................32
Tree Services24-7 Property Maintenance ............. 40Okanogan Conservation
District ............................................................... 37
Well Drilling & PumpSales/Service
Beaver Creek Well Services .............22Lester’s Well Pump Service ...............18MVM Quality Drilling ............................21
Windows & DoorsMethow Valley Lumber ........................13North Valley Lumber ...............................33Wenatchee Valley Glass ........................44
WoodworkersAlpine Designs ............................................... 17Bruce Morrison Sculpture ................ 49Swanson Woodcraft .................................. 17
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