Fall Home and Garden 2022

JWR meets people’s needs

While JWR continues to create custom designs for clients, Jerry W. Roetcisoender and his crew have built a sizeable ready-to-build stock building portfolio. Lucas and his wife Chloe Roetcisoender, at right, met in their school days. (Photos courtesy JWR)

By Elisa Claassen For the Tribune

JerryW. Roetcisoender is a longtime home designer. His JWR Design rm on Front Street in Lynden has been around for 30-plus years.

While JWR continues to create custom designs for clients, Roetcisoender and his crew have built a sizeable ready-to-build stock building portfolio.

Lucas Roetcisoender started working for his father in the eighth grade using computer-aided drawing (CAD). Now in his 20s, Lucas shares the lead designer po sition.

He also focuses on lead drafting techni

cian for high-end projects, and developing stock plans.

e plans are purchased and homes built around the country, especially in the southern United States such as Texas, Ala bama and Florida.

Lucas and his wife Chloe (Biscup) Roet cisoender met in their school days while each of their respective schools, Cedar Park Christian and Lynden Christian, had competitive volleyball teams that played against each other.

Chloe, 23, now playing middle on the Western Washington University Volleyball team, is a senior.

While in her junior year, the six-footer was selected to the West Regional All-

Tournament team, appeared in all 30 games, with 29 of them as a starter.

Chloe is also in her student teaching days to become an edu cator.

Lucas, 24, class of 2016 at LCHS, took his QB role to thenDordt College, now University.

After one-and-a-half years Lucas said he missed home and came back to Lynden to both his family business but also to fur ther his relationship with Chloe.

Chloe and Lucas also now have their rst home built in the Farmview Terrace neighborhood at the south side of Lynden with views of farmland and moun tains.

“We feel blessed to be in our own home,” Lucas said via a Zoom meeting, holding the com puter to show di erent features as his wife wasn’t feeling well.

Fortunately, even though the building process started during the rst part of COVID-19, con struction occurred from 2020 into 2021.

Fortunately, they ordered

lumber “before the crazy prices.”

Going inside

e entry is six feet by eight feet opening into the great room, consisting of kitchen, dining room and living room, on the right.

A staircase to the right goes to the second oor. A nine-foot ceil ing height extends to 12 feet in the vault of the great room. e focal point is the gas replace surrounded by shiplap surface and stucco-textured paint and a 65-inch television screen.

A light gray with white trim was painted on the outside by Kent Kamphouse of K & K Paint ing of Sumas and internally by Traditional Home Construction.

A leather couch was picked with retro styling from an online site since they went to both on line and local sources. Since his parents were getting rid of an old dining room table they stripped it and re nished it.

While Lucas did the design on The entry is six feet by eight feet opening into the great room, consisting of kitchen, dining room and living room, on the right. A staircase to the right goes to the second floor. (Photo courtesy JWR)

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Compost benefits both water conservation and water quality. It reduces erosion and increases water holding capacity.

added to soil, it improves soil structure, binding particles together.

CAD, he and Chloe made selec tions together. “It was a team e ort.” ey wanted a home they would enjoy living in but also that would be marketable and easy to sell when that time comes, Lucas said.

e kitchen is larger than the average with a U-shape island in the middle surrounded by white stools topped by a quartz counter top from Creative Stone Works in Bellingham. A walk-in pantry is fronted by a barn door.

e primary kitchen appli ances were selected from the GE Café’ line from DeWaard & Bode in a matte white nish.

A Kohler farmhouse sink sits beneath a window. e micro wave is hidden behind a cabi net door while the co ee bar is open to view with open shelves above.

e master bedroom, bath, and walk-in closet are also on the rst oor accessible to the laundry and garage and have both a tub and a shower in the suite and an additional powder room for guests. ey opted for acrylic and not glass panels on the shower for cost saving and

more marketability. Both JWR and the Roetcisoender family are family-oriented. Within the JWR o ce Emily Riddle is Lu cas’ sister and Heid Joostens is his cousin.

Also working from the bot tom level of the o ce is interior designer Drew Vander Meulen of Front & Main Studio who uses 3-D renderings to show design changes: frontandmain studio.com.

Upstairs are two 12 foot by 12 foot bedrooms, now for guests and later for growing family.

e restroom, with the ability to close o the toilet, helps other family use the sink. A 15-by12-foot bonus room has been placed not above the garage but over another section of the main oor as another way to watch overhead.

Lucas’ uncle, Del Roetciso ender, is the principal at Lyn den-based Traditional Home Construction. In addition to being a neighbor in the Farm view area, he also has served as a level-headed consulting ear on making decisions to get what they wanted and to save

The master bedroom, master bath and walk-in closet are on the first floor. Below left, Jerry Roetcisoender, left, and his son Lucas. (Photos courtesy JWR)

on costs by utilizing their budget where it mattered most to them.

What were the tips that bene tted their family and could help others?

•Avoid a steep roof pitch. Con sider a 6/12 pitch versus 10/12 or 12/12. Del said while many mod ern farmhouse styles favor this, it requires a truss, or pre-fabricated triangulated wooden structure.

e issue is the cost for an added feature.

e Roetcisoenders went for a craftsman style as a result be cause they still wanted character, he said.

•Keep the foundation as rect angular as possible. Del said the extra jogs in the base required more work – and more money.

•Two-story is more a ordable in terms of lumber used.

•Consider the slope of the property. eir lot has a threefoot slope and Del said to put their garage on high ground.

•Consider how many cabi nets. ey used an open décor in the kitchen and displayed their co ee area rather than buying

more cabinets.

•Ask the experts where to cost save and where to spend. Certain features will be comfortable and marketable with funds well spent. ey had a contractor and in terior decorator, Drew Vander Meulen of Front & Main Design Studio, that knew their needs and budget and worked with both. ey put more of their budget into certain signi cant light x tures.

•Be aware of your CC&Rs if in a development. is home is in a housing development, Blank ers Addition, which has cov enants, conditions and restric tions which requires a home to be 2,500 square feet and above. eir home is 2,505 square feet.

Using JWR Stock Designs

JWR’s website shows designs for mountain modern, coastal contemporary, hampton gam brel, daylight farmhouse, lake front contemporary farmhouse, Anacortes contemporary crafts

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Chloe and Lucas also now have their first home built in the Farmview Terrace neighborhood at the south side of Lynden with views of farmland and mountains. “We feel blessed to be in our own home,” Lucas said via a Zoom meeting, holding the computer to show di erent features as his wife wasn’t feeling well. (Photo courtesy JWR)

man, farmview contemporary, and contemporary Northwest.

e JWR website, shop.jwrde sign.com leads prospective homebuilders through a series of questions – style, bedroom count, bathroom count, square footage, house levels, lot width, and lot depth.

e site has 14 styles at pres ent to select from. From one bed room to more than ve, from one to more than four bathrooms, square footage under 1,500 square feet to more than 4,000, and options for living with a shop or having bonus rooms or base ments.

For anyone interested in the plans, they are also sold through out the country through nine other architectural publicationoriented sites such as House plans.com and architecturalde signs.com, lead designer Lucas Roetcisoender said. A Lyndenbased employee of a non-pro t and a marketing consultant, Steve Hortegas, helped them go to the next level to get more at tention than being a northwest Washington designer.

“We’ve enjoyed growing this business,” Roetcisoender said.

e plan portfolio has grown to having approximately 135 but the JWR team hopes to continue to grow the selection to 200 or even 250 styles.

Surprisingly, one particular style that has sold well is one that incorporates having a shop with a living space. “It’s called a barndominium,” he said. “We see young couples in their 30s and 40s who may choose to live in this while they build their pri mary home.”

Later this could be used as a secondary home as a rental or for housing parents. What about the permitting for this?

Roetcisoender said to check with permitting departments but generally the entire structure can’t exceed 2,500 square feet without a re code requiring a re suppression system.

He also said for anyone inter ested to check into the rules re garding the building of accessory dwelling units (ADU) which im pacts the square footage.

The JWR website, shop.jwrdesign.com leads prospective homebuilders through a series of questions – style, bedroom count, bathroom count, square footage, house levels, lot width, and lot depth. (Photo courtesy JWR)

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second honeymoon in iceland

Bank of the Pacific celebrates 50 years

By Jesse Sturgis Vice President and Marketing Director for Bank of the Pacific

It

was 1972. Lily Tomlin, Don Rickles and George Carlin made us laugh. Elvis Pres ley was making a comeback. Televisions across the country told us “Mikey likes it.”

It was also the year Bank of the Paci c got its start. What ever changes have come, they’ve been guide, partner, advisor and advocate throughout the Paci c Northwest.

From the beginning, Bank of the Paci c focused on commu nity. With a mission to be the best bank for our employees, customers, investors and com munities, Bank of the Paci c now has branches throughout Western Washington and North ern Oregon. e bank serves that mission to the letter in Lynden, whether sponsoring the NW Fair’s Grandstand Entertain ment Series or donating to local rotary and livestock clubs and organizations.

Residential Mortgage Lend ers Michelle Camping and Tana Tjoelker are the embodiment of that spirit of community.

Both are long-time Lynden residents, and work to build gen uine and trusting relationships with their clients. Together, they have 37 years combined bank ing experience. ere’s no better team to turn to with questions

about home loans and navi gating the sometimes complex world of real estate.

“We’ve seen it all, and work on all types of loans,” said Camp ing, whose family is fourth-gen eration Lynden. “HELOCs, rsttime buyers, re nances, FHA, VA, or USDA loans, construction loans, investment loans, you name it. And if we don’t know, we can connect you to the right person.”

For Camping, it’s all about taking the burden o the shoul ders of the client, “we think of ourselves as part of a team. We work hand-in-hand with real es tate agents, title companies and, of course, clients to close loans on time and make the process easier.” Above all, Camping and Tjoelker love to connect with

their neighbors and help out in any way they can.

“Regardless of whether they are purchasing their rst home or re nancing to purchase their next investment property, taking the time to meet, listen and col laborate with our clients to come up with the best loan options to meet their goals is what we en joy,” Tjoelker said.

Bank of the Paci c is celebrat ing its anniversary October 28. Camping, Tjoelker and everyone else at the branch would love to share in the celebration with the Lynden community.

Bank of the Paci c is at 1800 Front St., across from the Fair grounds, and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come for the cake, stay for the company.

Tana Tjoelker, left, and Michelle Camping of Bank of the Pacific’s Lynden branch. Both are long-time Lynden residents, and work to build genuine and trusting relationships with their clients. (Courtesy Bank of the Pacific)

Couples -time gardening

By Elisa Claassen For the Tribune

Severalyears ago, Cindy and John Alsum relocated to their then-rental home on Front Street across from the fairgrounds and the Fairway Center.

Since they enjoy gardening together, the Alsums worked on the gardens at their rental, a home that once had been the site of a rose garden and a pond.

As they dug, Cindy and John found portions of the former pond had been broken into piec es of concrete and buried. ey retrieved these and have made small walls.

e yard, which has great pub

lic access, gives glimpses of the dahlias but not the little garden rooms that have been developed out of view.

Cindy and John in herited a sizeable collec tion of bonsai items from a deceased family mem ber and John focuses es pecially on their care in a back portion of the yard which moves from sum mering outdoors to in doors in the winter along shelves in the garage.

e yard is also a place to play for their grandchildren and their lab dog.

Cindy loves to cre ate order. John has his own approach and they respect how it comes together. Interspersed are new varieties of dif ferent owers but Cindy has ordered a number of the dahlias from an Ore gon grower, Swan Island Dahlias.

FALL HOME & GARDEN

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, September 28, 2022| Ferndale Record

Cindy Alsum loves to create order. Her husband John has his own approach. Together, the Lynden residents respect how it comes together. (Courtesy photos)

STORY

Westside transfers to new owner pair

Brothers Bernie and Jayson Bovenkamp were involved together for 50plus years

By Cal Bratt For the Tribune

After working together in the fam ily business for more than 50 years, brothers Bernie and Jay son Bovenkamp have o cially turned over Westside Building Supply to a

new generation of ownership.

E ective Sept. 1, Bernie’s son Paul Bovenkamp and son-in-law Andrew Bright stepped into the role of directing one of Whatcom County’s largest lumber and building materials companies.

at continues the pattern of family partnership Bernie and Jayson had with their dad, business founder Jake Boven kamp, starting in 1978 and then on their own in 1990.

“It’s so positive. We feel really good about it,” Bernie said about the transition at 8353 Guide Meridian Road. “We will be around and they (Paul and Andrew) want that. We won’t get in the way, but we will be available for counsel or whatever they want.”

Although a plan of succession was de sired, this particular arrangement might not have been foreseen just a few years ago.

Family business

Paul, like his dad and uncle, grew up amidst the family business, but he had been with grandpa Jake at the salvage Bar gain Barn early on and then was in home construction himself for seven years.

When he became open to buying into Westside, he was encouraged to have a partner in the venture.

Andrew may be best known for more than 20 years with the improv-comedy Panic Squad, based in Lynden but doing shows cross-country.

at gig was stopped cold by COV ID-19 in 2020, and Andrew began working part-time in sales at the front counter of Westside.

“As the two of them worked together, it seemed to click,” Bernie said. Andrew realized he really enjoyed working with people in the business, both customers and sta .

Both new owners grew up in Lynden and can build on that foundation. Paul, of course, had Westside in the family back ground.

Andrew recalls coming into Westside with his dad, a building contractor, and being an instant fan of the free popcorn

Andrew Bright, Jayson Bovenkamp, Bernie Bovenkamp and Paul Bovenkamp, from left, in front of Westside Building Supply. (Photo courtesy/Mariana Hernandez)

there. He and his wife, Karla, now have four kids who might think the same way.

Bernie and Jason believe they have built “a tre mendous sta ” to get Paul and Andrew started. Gordy Harris has been general manager for 24 years, and Robert Clark and Nolan Voth have been 40-year employees.

Hard-work ethic

e core values they were taught by their dad, Bernie and Jayson said, were a hard-work ethic and to give good customer service -- and they believe those will be carried on. “ at’s what impresses us (about Paul and Andrew) as well, that they have the character of servants.”

Bernie and Jayson were already working as em ployees in the business by 1970.

Jake had been a building contractor when he be gan Westside in December 1959 on the Front Street site now occupied by a Whatcom Transportation Authority bus station. e operation moved out to the Guide Meridian mid-1970s and continued to expand, serving both do-it-yourselfers and build ing trades professionals.

In 1998 Bernie and his wife, Sheryl, started Star sh Ministries, meeting medical, school and or phanage needs in Haiti. He was in the poor Carib bean country multiple times per year.

About the same time, he also dealt with a lym phoma challenge. It all added up to Bernie not be

ing present full-time at Westside.

He is grateful to Jayson for being the more onsite partner.

“It has been an amazing partnership. We had our individual roles and we complemented each other, but it has worked out amazingly well,” he said, “serving with quality materials and competi tive prices. And, of course, God’s hand in it all is key. We are stewards of his.”

Bernie and Jayson will continue to own the land and buildings of the business for now.

Common thread

Andrew Bright is sometimes asked how he is handling a job that is so di erent from his former career in comedy.

As he thought through the question, it hit him that while on-the-road comedy and selling building materials might seem to be polar opposites, “in the end the core focus is the same -- to impact people.

“Whether on stage or behind the counter, the goal is to create an exceptional experience that cus tomers can feel. It’s a combination of excellence, attitude and relationship that not only serves, but lifts people.

“I may have traded a stage for a counter, but in a lot of ways my job is the same. (It is to) get to know you, make you smile, impact your day. We even have a few hecklers that come in now and then, so I feel right at home.”

Andrew Bright and Paul Bovenkamp at Westside. (Photo courtesy/Mariana Hernandez)

Overlooking Silver Lake, large cedar log cabin is magical

By Elisa Claassen For the Tribune

What would you expect to nd near the end of a former logging road in the woods, now private road to homes, on the east side of Silver Lake on the north end of Whatcom County?

Something both classic and casual, beautiful and comfortable. Is it a chalet? Is it a northwestern version of a castle rising above the mist on foggy days? Anyone along the lake may wonder.

e Frost Creek Road, in Maple Falls, property is on sale for $2 million as of August. It was built in 1999 on 4.6 acres fronting on Silver Lake. It has seven bedrooms, two full baths and four part baths within 5,260 square feet.

Built by Bob Skillman of Skillman Construction Company, Skillman is now a liated with the public works division of the City of Nooksack.

“Imagine a tranquil waterfront abode resting on the shore of a picture-book shing lake and embraced by an emerald forest close to Mount Baker recreation area where you nd world-famous hiking, skiing and snowboarding,” the listing reads. “It’s a three-story custom-designed log home built by craftsmen utilizing the nest materials. Envisioned for dual living, this enchanting home provides two kitchens hosting high-end appliances, two living and dining area.”

And large entertaining areas both inside and outside with a spacious series of decks overlooking the mountains and lake.

Silver Lake Park, at the base of 5,000-foot Black Mountain, is part of the Whatcom County Parks system and is one of several lakes by that name in the state. Black Mountain itself attracts those eager to y into the air with the aid of hang gliders.

e lake is 40 minutes from Bellingham and provides boating, shing, boat rentals,

When Mike Greenwood and his partner found the property in 1994, it was simply unimproved land at the end of a dirt road with lots of potential. They had been going to busy Whistler for skiing and heard of Mount Baker south of the border which was also noted for skiing, snowboarding, and summer hiking. (Photos by MNC Media)

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and camping. Camping season runs from mid-April to the end of October. One reference, revisitwa.org, cites an alternative name as Fish Lake.

e lake is 172.8 acres in size at the head of Maple Creek draining to the North Fork of the Nooksack River. From ghosttowns.com it considers Maple Falls to be a semi-ghost town since its heyday was over 100 years ago when it was an important railroad stop and center for logging.

After the Gold Rush had slowed, the former prospectors turned to lumber.

ere was also talk of the area’s use with little gin houses during Prohibition years, he had heard. It is close to the border.

Down the street, along Silver Lake Road, are the Gerdrum Historical House at the Black Mountain Forestry Center, otherwise it is a rural farming area. e nearest stores, churches, and eateries are along Mount Baker Highway several miles away.

e Saturna company and the Scouts have camps further down the lake shores.

When Mike Greenwood and his partner found the property in 1994, it was

simply unimproved land at the end of a dirt road with lots of potential.

ey had been going to busy Whistler for skiing and heard of Mount Baker south of the border which was also noted for skiing, snowboarding, and summer hiking.

ey started looking at options for a vacation property and initially sought one in Winthrop but saw how long it would take to drive there.

When having dinner at Milano’s, then located in Glacier, they started asking for ideas. Jeannie and Tom Debari, who founded the restaurant in 1990 and sold it in 2014, were friends of theirs from Mexico. ey pointed him much closer to them at Silver Lake.

“It’s a special area and Silver Lake ... no one knows that it’s here,” Greenwood said.

Well not quite no one knows.

Greenwood followed that comment up with more nding this sector of Whatcom County during the Pandemic when people could work away from o ces remotely and took the remote idea to new level.

is home, o -grid for much cellular services, has both internet connection with Ziply and Starlink.

e next few years were spent in obtaining needed building permits which also required upgrading the roads so re trucks could access the site and others with consideration of protected eagles nesting along the water – which also has shoreline concerns.

e size of the home also needed a sizeable septic system. Eventually the work he did has made access easier for a few additional neighbors further down the road. Former Bellingham-based Ernst & DelBoca did the design work.

e log cabin grew to be three oors with views from most windows and a green metal roof, an inviting place to come back to year after year.

Upon entering from a beautiful yellow wood front door with etched glass panels of northwest themes, the inside entry space then divides into two internal entrances for separate living spaces which he equated to being like a duplex.

While Greenwood structured his side for his use, his partner designed with some similarities their side for their likes and needs, he said. Wood has been featured inside and outside to a great extent with cedar logs for doors and trim, yellow cedar in places, old growth r and Brazilian cherry for exquisite ooring alongside marble and carpeting in select places.

e r was logged and milled locally. Some of the cedar was from Canada and the cherry were sent as logs and milled here.

For anyone not familiar with working with log home creation, Greenwood said it took several years to let the logs settle and so they delayed completing some of the internal work during that time.

According to www.nachi. org, walls built of green logs can settle up to three-quarters inch per foot with respect as well to air-dying on site and direction to allow several years for the whole process of wood shrinkage. It takes patience.

While it is a warm summer day outside, the house has incredible working air conditioning which is de nitely a plus for comfort.

His side has colorful art produced by a family member and more streamlined spaces with a taupe paint palette to pick up the color in the wood.

On the main oor, an onyx sink bowl sits on a stone counter

in a half bath with almost the length of a tree in a corner.

e kitchen with white cabinets and inset microwave and dishwasher has e cient Miele appliances and a Wolf restaurant-quality stove.

A bowl with lemons sits on the stone central kitchen island.

Upstairs are his grown son’s and his own bedroom spaces with a large bath. A small Juliet balcony can access the outdoors from one room.

Much larger access is from each oor with comfortable chairs to watch the sun set through the chairs. During summer solstice the light settles into a grove in a nearby mountain, h––e points. Who wants to take notes when they could stop and simply gaze upon this view -- and gaze some more.

His side of the basement, opened to the outside, has laundry, bath, and entertainment space for games and music. A guest room has been created to match one in a high-end hotel

with appropriate bedding and opaque glass doors for privacy.

e other side of the entire living space has duplicate needs being met with kitchen, dining, bedrooms and such – but has a bit more whimsy woven in.

Some décor re ects a love of skiing and the outdoors. River rock embedded in concrete in a bathroom with a raised tub, for example, with a shower stall edged by etched glass panels. e two sinks have artistic green-edged glass around them.

A several-foot-tall Native totem sits behind the wooden dining table with black leather chairs.

He doesn’t have the names of each artist but many artists were involved in these selections.

ey were not grabbed from a hardware store but commissioned.

After a tour of the home, we walk outside by a Japanese maple tree to steps made along the edge of trees to more easily walk down the steep slope toward the sandy edge of the water.

Greenwood’s brown-and-white Spaniel dog races ahead and jumps into the water and looks back urging participation.

e grassy area, edged by owers and shrubs and trees, has been used for playing catch, lawn darts, and bocce ball.

From the beach, they have gone kayaking and canoeing along the surface of the lake as well as shing. Neighbors and friends stop by. Hot dogs are roasted and s’mores created at the re pit.

“ ere’s great swimming,” he said, speaking from experience of not only living near a lake but fully enjoying it. e dog gets out of the lake, shakes o the water, and strolls by.

Sounds of groups of campers waft across the water from the park. It’s a happy sound.

A detached two-bay shop is across the road, built in 2013, has un nished second oor space that can be completed for living and has been used for rainy day inside entertaining as is. A short RV can t in one side.

It’s time for simplifying. Now that he has relocated from Vancouver, B.C. as his main home and business base to Calgary, he has sold a potential berry farm in Whatcom County recently and placed this long-time vacation home on the market, he said.

He is retaining an organic lemon farm he has in Mexico north of Cabo San Lucas which he has had for about 15 years.

He envisions this home being used by a large family which appreciates having spaces apart and then coming together for dinner.

ey may also enjoy going to Mount Baker to hike and ski with faster access than being in the city.

For anyone not familiar with working with log home creation, Mike Greenwood said it took several years to let the logs settle and so they delayed completing some of the internal work during that time. (Photos by MNC Media)

Local Airbnb’s provide home-like feel

See which places you’d like to visit

By Taras McCurdie For the Tribune

Assummer and its warmth fade away, and as the leaves on the trees begin to trickle down to the ground and change color from green to dark orange and brown, it’s time to start booking places in the area for fall and winter and their many scenic attractions.

Here’s a few of the area's stays and what each place has to o er.

Northwest Mill, “Observation Deck” Lynden

Hosted by Mark Wohlrab

summer [and] see what happen[ed].”

Wohlrab began renting the mill to guests just a few months ago around MayJune.

And when guests are actively staying at the mill, Wohlrab said he’s a few minutes away if anything needs to be done.

“From what I've learned, people really appreciate customer service. at's kind of one thing we've had in Lynden [with] a lot of businesses is they’re known for their customer service and really friendly attitude,” he said. “So, that's one of the things that I've tried to do [at the mill], and it's been really e ective [and] successful so far.

To continue succeeding in the Airbnb business, Wohlrab said he is open with guests and has asked them to judge their experiences as critically as they can.

Northwest Mill, “Observation Deck." Located in downtown Lynden, the Northwest Mill is the only windmill Airbnb in the state.

Located in downtown Lynden, the Northwest Mill is the only windmill Airbnb in the state. It’s four stories high and is situated at the intersection of Front and 7th streets, right across from e Newsroom Pub and post o ce.

It provides guests with bathroom, bedroom, laundry, kitchen and dining essentials, a dedicated workspace, WiFi, outdoor dining furniture and area, a patio/balcony and other amenities.

With a maximum of four guests allowed not including infants, the mill has one bath with a bedroom including one king and one sofa bed and a living room with one king bed and a couch.

For four guests: two adults (13 and older) and two children (between the ages of 2 and 12), the cost is $153 per night, but prices will vary depending on length of stay and number of guests. Pets are not permitted.

e mill has 37 reviews and a ve-star rating.

“Originally, [the mill] was a hotel. And I don't remember how many years ago, [but] the hotel closed and the wildland group, Youth With A Mission [YWAM], went in and leased the building and the tower,” Wohlrab said. “And all the rooms were for their students and sta . I was talking with them, and they didn't need as many rooms, [so] I thought: ‘You know, I can do something really nice there, right on the gateway of town.’ And so, I decided to give one room a test run through the

But, he’s obviously doing a good job since he said he hasn’t received much feedback as to what’s missing that could make guests’ experiences better.

“I've had fantastic compliments from people saying that I was super attentive to them, and numerous people saying that they have never ever stayed in [an] Airbnb bed and breakfast like this one,” Wohlrab said. “ ose are nice compliments to get. … People [are] happy. When I get [guests] to the room, one of my goals … [is] when I open that door to let them in, within the rst six feet, I need them to love that room. I need the rst impression to be, ‘Wow.’”

In the near future, Wohlrab said he is going to rent out the rooms on the third and fourth oors of the mill.

He said he and YWAM have agreed on a price, and they are now waiting on keys and getting the rooms ready for rental.

With summer leaving and fall arriving and winter soon to come, Wohlrab said: “People are so forthcoming with advice and information and have assured me that business will not drop o that much in the wintertime. [ ey say] there’s other people who are coming in for skiing or whatever else, so … that’s encouraging.”

“[ e mill is a] pretty good thing so far. I’ve enjoyed doing it,” he said. “It just took a long time to set up and get ready, [but] now that it's going, it's pretty hands o . It's like pushing it in a bike: You let go, and now it's kind of doing its own thing. So, for the most part, [the mill is] kind of running itself.”

Interested in the Northwest Mill?

Book a stay before dates ll up.

e Doll’s House Everson

Hosted by David and Christina

Located in Everson, e Doll's House is a 760 square-foot cabin that is 38 miles away from Mount Baker Ski Area and 11 miles away from Bellingham.

It provides guests with garden and mountain views, bathroom, bedroom, laundry, kitchen and dining essentials, a dedicated workspace, Wi-Fi, an indoor replace, public/shared beach access, a private patio/balcony, outdoor furniture and dining area, a hot tub, a re pit, a BBQ grill and other amenities.

If you are a biker, hiker, snowboarder or skier, this location is for you.

With a maximum of six guests allowed not including infants, the cabin includes 1.5 baths and two bedrooms: one bedroom with a king bed, another bedroom with a bunk bed and a living room with a sofa bed.

For four guests: two adults (13 and older) and two children (between the ages of 2 and 12), the cost is $160 per night, but prices will vary depending on length of stay and number of guests. Pets are not permitted. e cabin has 190 reviews and a 4.91-star rating.

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The Doll's House, Everson.

When guests are not staying, which is pretty rarely, Christina said, she and her husband have only stayed in it once.

One of her favorite memories, Christina said, was seeing a couple use the cabin as their base for a mountain wedding. David and Christina’s next project “is a quirky tiny house with a big outdoor living space, but [it’s] still in the design phase.”

Neptune Escape “Ocean-view retreat” Ferndale

Hosted by Cindy

Located in Ferndale, right along Neptune Beach, Neptune Escape is a “peaceful beachside getaway” with plenty of amenities to meet guests’ tastes. It provides ocean, beach, bay and harbor views along with public/shared beach access, bathroom, bedroom, laundry, kitchen and dining essentials, a dedicated workspace, Wi-Fi and many outdoor services such as a private patio/balcony, a re pit, outdoor furniture and dining area, a BBQ grill, kayaks and more.

With a maximum of six guests allowed not including infants, the house includes 2.5 baths and three bedrooms: one bedroom with a king bed and the other two bedrooms with queen beds.

For four guests: two adults (13 and

older) and two children (both between the ages of 2 and 12), the cost is $395 per night, but prices will vary depending on length of stay and number of guests. Pets are not permitted. e Neptune Escape has 65 reviews and a 4.89-star rating.

“My friends who live out at Sandy Point full-time down the road bought this property speci cally for Airbnb purposes.

I have always wanted to have and host a vacation rental and my friends are in real estate and knew the previous owners,” Cindy said. “ ey invested and after a lot of work and collaboration, we have created Neptune Escape. We wanted a name that re ected Neptune Beach, the space and vibe we created, an escape.”

With its perfect location and it being a

full-time Airbnb, Cindy said: “My guest[s] have snacks, co ee, a bottle of wine and complimentary use of kayaks. When a guest is having a special occasion, a birthday, anniversary and what not, I leave a special gift, owers, chocolates, champagne, [etc.]. During crabbing season, the owners will supply crab to our guest[s] [as well].”

In addition to Neptune Escape, Cindy also manages another Airbnb in Sandy Point.

“I am a stager and love designing and creating,” she said. “I have also designed and out tted other properties to be rentready for guest[s].

e Neptune Escape website states there are plenty of trails, wildlife and art sculptures nearby for guests to explore during their stay. Bellingham and its touristy attractions are also close enough for guests to visit.

“I love reading what is written in our guest book. One family wrote about their stay as a poem,” she said. “[It was] so creative and adorable. at’s what it’s all about: creating a space for memories and good times.”

For more local Airbnb options, visit LyndenTribune.com.

Neptune Escape (Photo by Kimber Mullen)