Methow Valley Building

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Methow Valley Building 2011 Methow Valley

Building 2011

Paul Butler, publisher John Hanron, editor Sue Misao, design Marilyn Bardin, office manager Robin Doggett, ad manager Callie Fink, ad sales Dana Sphar, ad design, production Linda Day, ad design Janet Mehus, office assistant

Contributors Joyce Campbell Patrick Hannigan Ray Johnston Ashley Lodato Mike Maltais Ann McCreary Patrick McGann Amy Stork Marcy Stamper Laurelle Walsh

Cover photo by Will Austin Photography/ Johnston Architects

Page 3

Gimme shelter “Oh, a storm is threat’ning My very life today If I don’t get some shelter Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away.”

We all need shelter. Whether it be a 20-foot diameter yurt or a 4,000-square-foot refuge, we need a roof over our heads and walls to keep the storms at bay.

The Methow Valley is the place we call home, and this annual Building guide is a great starting point to building, buying or renovating your shelter in this magical place.

Take the time to weigh your options, consider your choices and manifest your dreams. Keep this guide handy – it is filled with ideas for you to ponder, and information about architects, contractors and suppliers. Good luck and good building!

CONTENTS A SENSE OF PLACE

FIND THE PERFECT SPOT TO LIVE, AND KEEP IT THAT WAY.................................4

METHOW REAL ESTATE

THE LOCAL MARKET IS SLOWLY REAWAKENING...................................................6

STATE OF CONSTRUCTION TRADES

PEOPLE ARE BUILDING THINGS............................................................................. 9

TO BUILD OR TO BUY

NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE, WHICH SHOULD IT BE?..............................................12

STICKS, STONES, STRAW, MUD

A PLETHORA OF BUILDING MATERIALS - NATURAL TO SYNTHETIC...................14

PICKING AN ARCHITECT

COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE................................................17

MANY USES OF CONCRETE

IT’S NOT JUST FOR PRISONS ANY MORE.............................................................19

PHOTO GALLERY

ITS A FINE DAY TO BUILD A HOUSE.................................................................... 22

BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN

FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T DECIDE WHETHER TO STAY IN OR GO OUTSIDE............24

HOUSES HAVE NINE LIVES

ONE MAN’S GARBAGE IS ANOTHER MAN’S GOLD................................................ 28

A publication of the

Methow Valley News P.O. Box 97 101 N. Glover St. Twisp, WA 98856 509.997.7011 fax 509.997.3277 editor@methowvalleynews.com www.methowvalleynews.com also on Facebook & Twitter

COUNTER INTELLIGENCE

ROLL OUT YOUR BREAD DOUGH ON THESE......................................................... 31

NO REGRETS

OWNER-BUILDERS REVISIT THEIR BUILDING DECISIONS................................... 34

GARDEN DESIGN

BEAUTIFUL AND EDIBLE..................................................................................... 38

GLOSSARY OF BUILDING TERMS

YOU DO KNOW WHAT A “FACE-NAIL” IS, DON’T YOU?....................................... .40

ONE MORE THING

DON’T FORGET THE CLOTHESLINE......................................................................41

DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS

WHO THEY ARE, WHERE TO FIND THEM.............................................................42

Page 4

Methow Valley Building 2011

A sense of place

By Ray Johnston

A

forested glen, the rush of a nearby stream, mountain vistas, neighbors close by (or far away)? Which of these conditions resonate?

Perhaps a combination of these with a liberal blend of recreational opportunity is key.

When we are looking for land to occupy it is always difficult to imagine the way it might look with a new house, a driveway, the impact of development.

Without care, the wonderful spot on a piece of property that we fall in love with disappears. The tendency to build upon that spot is great.

Then, when all is done, we

wonder where that wonderful little meadow or terrace disappeared to.

Frequently it’s still there, but under the house, its character destroyed or replaced with something different.

Good site design avoids this problem and can help to enhance and create a sense of place.

The practicalities should provide a baseline: How hard will it be to get there?

Is there enough water? Will we be off the grid or is power nearby? Does the ground perk to allow for a septic system? Will it be warmed by the sun in the winter or baked in the summer?

If the answers are that access is viable (not too steep or too much across a

Photo by Sue Misao

Envision your paradise with a house and driveway. side hill) and that the basic conditions are hospitable – there is water, the ground perks and the sun hits the site in the deep winter, then we are in good shape.

The next question is one of layout. Where will the essentials go? There are usually wise choices available for power access (or off-grid design), well location, septic system, potentially a cistern

to promote gravity-based water pressure and, in the Methow Valley, for photovoltaic or solar hot water energy collection.

These basics are key to the potential for success, but what will make a new home exceptional? The answer lies in the details, but also in the will to think personally rather than generically.

If you fall in love with

the lay of the land, you may be on the right track.

What will it take to make it home while preserving the essential ingredients that make it compelling in the first place? What layout will preserve the special part of the land that is at the heart of its appeal? The answer lies in careful (and somewhat creative) analysis.

After assessing the

Methow Valley Building 2011 availability of the basics, it’s good to look at the land in an experiential way. By walking the land, we can identify the best route for vehicles, but sometimes the best route for people is a bit different. Does the obvious vehicular route minimize disruption to the land? If it does, then, how does this route introduce you to the site and to the spot that you will occupy?

One technique is to approach the building location from a point of view opposite any vista or outdoor special place. Then, the curvature of the road, the placement of buildings and the entry to the house can act as a sequence that introduces visitors to the site at each arrival. A well-designed site transports visitors from previous concerns of navigating jobs, traffic and the denselybuilt environment to a warm and inviting refuge that is personal and nurturing and possesses a sense of place.

By this point, we have a good sense that the land will accommodate basic needs and that it has some other hard-to-define appeal that draws us toward it. We have determined appropriate places for basic systems and have a rough idea of where the house will go.

Page 5

Photo by Will Austin Photography

Topography is perhaps the most important factor in designing a house.

The next step is to think through the conditions that will impact the design of the house itself.

The most important factor in many ways is topography. A flat building site

will suggest a different kind of solution than a highly sloped site. A moderate slope presents opportunities that might not make sense in other conditions. In the Methow Valley, the po-

Photo by Sue Misao

A lot of thought goes into choosing some land to occupy.

tential for indoor/outdoor living is high. This issue of topography will determine the nature of the indoor/outdoor solution. For example, a moderate slope may suggest a house that opens to a terrace garden. With a steeper slope, living space might need to open out to a deck. On a flat site, the living area can flow directly into the landscape. A variety of permutations are possible.

With a daylight basement extending beyond a second floor, the lower floor may have direct access to the ground and also provide the framed assembly for a deck accessible from the upper floor. All of these aspects that we might describe as the topographic constraints of design will come into play as the house is designed and may color your thinking about the site.

Solar access is also part of this equation. A western exposure on a sunny but cold afternoon, sheltered from the wind can be a wonderful thing. The location and shape

of the house, its relationship to southern exposure and its relationship to the ground will determine its degree of solar access. A site design that has the potential to open to the south and shelter with deep eaves on the other three sides is likely to reap great benefits from solar heating in the winter while having the potential to keep cool in the summer.

These paragraphs describe a few of the factors involved in site design and in the creation of a sense of place. The hardest aspects to define are the intangibles: those things about a place that create memories. If the basics of approach, comfort, exposure, outlook, proportion, texture, and a sense of drama in the appropriate place (to name a few), are taken care of, then memories will follow. The process is an exciting one and the results can be phenomenal.

Ray Johnston is an architect and lives part time in the Methow Valley.

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Methow Valley Building 2011

Methow real estate market shows signs of life

By Amy Stork

A

few years ago you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a newly sold property in the Methow – or a newly minted Realtor.

Then the housing bubble burst and credit markets went dry. Real estate sales plummeted, from a height of 425 transactions in 2005 to just 103 in 2009, according to Northwest Multiple Listing Service data supplied to the newspaper by Dave Thomsen, designated broker and owner at Coldwell Banker Winthrop Realty.

Thomsen interprets the 122 homes, land parcels and commercial properties that changed hands in 2010 as a reawakening of the market.

But things still aren’t moving like they were even a decade ago, when 188 sales went through in 2001.

“In the Methow Valley in 2009 [we saw] a virtual standstill. 2010 was better, with significantly more

activity, but you have to look at it and say it’s still really low,” Thomsen said.

Annual dollar volume – Methow Valley sales

Low-priced properties While Thomsen’s report shows a small increase in the average sale price for all types of property, the average price of homes in the valley fell five percent from 2009 to 2010, from $285,000 to $269,600.

What average price doesn’t show is an even more telling statistic – an overall redistribution of sales into lower cost brackets.

According to the Multiple Listing Service data, 35 percent of home sales in 2010 were below $200,000, and 72 percent were below $300,000. Thomsen says that’s a major shift from the mid-2000s, when it was hard to find a home for under $200,000.

Jim White, chief appraiser for Okanogan County, says that the market adjustment is bringing sale prices closer to assessed values. Between

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Graph courtesy of Dave Thomsen/Coldwell Banker Winthrop Realty

2007 and 2010, the ratio of assessed value to sale price rose from 77.9 to 86.4 percent.

“That’s either a reduction in value or better valuation on our part,” White said.

Methow Valley Building 2011

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Annual transactions – Methow Valley

Graph courtesy of Dave Thomsen/Coldwell Banker Winthrop Realty

A buyer’s market Linda Schmal, designated broker and owner for John L. Scott Methow Valley Realty, has worked in the business since 1995, and in the valley since 2001. She thinks falling prices can be a good thing.

“When I first came here, I thought

at the time that the prices were incredibly high, and then they continued to rise because so many people wanted to be here,” Schmal said. “So when we got hit hard in 2008, I think we needed that adjustment. You can’t keep climbing and climbing and still have anything affordable.”

Sellers, meanwhile, may need to adjust their expectations. White says the inventory of properties on the market in the Methow remains high, and he doesn’t see people lowering prices enough to move them more quickly.

Schmal tells clients they need to forget about the prices of the past, and be realistic about what they can get for their home or land today.

“This is a buyer’s market, and they have gotten pretty picky about what they are willing to spend their money on. I tell sellers ‘If you get an offer, don’t be insulted; be ecstatic’.”

“There still are going to be properties that are so incredible they will sell no matter what, but that’s not a broad number of properties,” Dave Thomsen agreed. “If you are willing to be aggressive on price, you have a realistic chance of selling.”

But even those unique properties in higher price brackets are seeing a decline in value in this market.

Thomsen points to a Mazama business property that sold in 2010 for $1.2 million.

“If you take that transaction, that’s a lot of money. But the [sellers] had spent $1.5 million, then spent a

lot of money doing improvements.

So the high sale was a positive sign, but the value is not on a level par by any sense.”

Changing landscape The real estate crisis of the past few years has changed the landscape not only for buyers and sellers, but real estate professionals as well.

Regional statistics aren’t available, but figures from the Washington Department of Licensing show a decline of 27 percent in the number of active real estate brokers in Washington state, from a high of 32,500 in 2007 to about 23,750 in 2010.

Greg Wright, a Douglas County real estate agent and past president of the statewide industry group Washington Realtors, says the burden of paperwork and regulations has raised the bar for people in his line of work.

“Over the last couple years, we have seen transactions become exponentially more cumbersome on the agents. Because the field is changing so quickly, almost on a daily basis, it requires a lot of research and education on the side.”

Continued on page 8

Concept through Construction Pierre Maré Architects & North Cascades Construction

Rick Mills : rick@nccmethow.com, t 509.996.3125, www.nccmethow.com

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Page 8

Methow Valley Building 2011

Photos by John Hanron

While almost half of all raw land sales in the valley were for under $100,000, there are still some big, expensive deals to be found. The highest sale made last year in the Methow was for $910,000.

For that reason, Wright suggests choosing an agent carefully, and looking for someone with additional education and industry certifications.

“We’ve been in some tough times. Gone are the curious and the compulsive, and the agents that are still out there are the ones that made a commitment that this is the career where we are going to make a stand,” Wright said.

Schmal agrees. “Every agent who wants to make a living is working harder than they have ever worked in their lives,” Schmal said. “You have to shift to add higher customer services and more

working hours or you won’t survive.”

The crystal ball The U.S. housing market may be alive, but it’s not looking very healthy.

The National Home Buying institute predicts a decline of 6 to 9 percent in home prices in the United States in 2011, despite mortgage interest rates below 5 percent. The Institute also says foreclosures could increase by 20 percent in 2011.

In January, The Seattle Times reported that sales volume and total value of all houses sold in King County declined by about half be-

tween 2005 and 2010. The Times also reported that foreclosures in the Seattle area have increased dramatically – with lenders repossessing more homes in King County in September 2010 than they did in King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties

combined in 2006.

These trends matter to the Methow, says Dave Thomsen.

“The West Coast has remained somewhat more lightly touched, but seems to be changing now,” Thomsen said. “What really drives the

market train here in the valley is money from the west side.

If you have properties that are softer in price [there], that translates to us, if not immediately, then eventually.”

Despite the murky outlook, Schmal is reassured by what she says is a noticeable uptick of activity in her office over the last several months.

“When you read all the doom and gloom that comes from large newspapers you think ‘Oh my God, are we going to survive?’ but I don’t have much evidence to show me that we won’t. We aren’t seeing a huge amount of sales, but we are seeing sales.”

Photo by Sue Misao

After four years of decline, property sales are beginning to pick up, slowly.

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Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 9

State of the construction trade

W

hen housing took a header into an ocean of insolvency several years back, there was no bulkhead to protect even the idyllic Methow Valley from the financial backwash that came to be known as the Great Recession. As a consequence, the last few years have been tough sledding for the building trades here.

But 2011 is a new year and, with spring just around the corner, the question on many minds is, “What is the state of the local construction trade now?”

But a few deductions are evident: Contractors are running leaner; financing is tighter; projects are fewer and smaller; land is cheaper; labor costs have declined; prices for materials are softer; and the building backlog is gone.

Or, as David Rudholm, of David

By Mike Maltais

Rudholm Constuction, in Twisp, put it: “It’s certainly not 2005.”

True enough. The financial crisis that nearly trampled the national economy certainly did turn the stampede that was the robust second-home market here.

“The emphasis has changed from the fairly large, second home to a more modest first home; or a remodel of an existing home and upgrades to meet needs,” Rudholm said. As was the case last year, Rudholm said business has slowed and he is working a smaller crew than normal.

“Everything we do is pretty much custom,” Rudholm said.

“And it’s an ideal time for clients to build now. With fewer projects, the response from client to contractor and vice versa is more rapid.”

Tom Bjornsen, owner of Bjornsen Construction in Winthrop, is seeing that firsthand. Bjornsen,

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Times are leaner, but some builders are finding work. well into an extensive remodel of a home in Mazama’s Lost River community, said recently the more competitive conditions offer just

another challenge. “In some ways for me the process has been somewhat healthy,” Bjornsen said, reflecting Continued on page 10

Page 10

Methow Valley Building 2011 back on his 30-plus years of putting up homes in the valley. “I’m learning a lot in a whole different building climate,” he added.

That means working with homeowners who are having to scale down plans, make wise choices on what they can afford and invest in improvements that make energy sense down the road.

Everyone has felt the pinch. “You can’t have that much wealth evaporate and not feel the effect,” Bjornsen said.

Andy Hover, of North Valley Lumber, is cautiously optimistic that builders are adjusting to the loss of what amounts to an unsustainable rate of growth.

“Losing from an overinflated standpoint is not losing, it’s adjusting,” Hover observed. “I’m hoping for the best and I’m seeing some activity going on,” Hover said. “I don’t think we’re going backward.”

Okanogan County assessor Scott Fuhrman said the Seattle economy drives a lot of what we do and the county always seems to be about a year behind what happens there. “We’ve been bumping along the bottom for awhile now,” Fuhrman said. “And the housing industry is still working through a lot of foreclosures.”

Based on recent developments on the west side, that Seattle connection could forecast a 2011 not much improved from last year.

The city that thought it had dodged the effects of the nationwide home collapse didn’t. Home values have declined 31 percent since their peak and lost 12 percent last year alone, according to a recent CBS report. Values are expected to continue to drop through 2011.

On the plus side, Boeing Company was just awarded a 10-year Air Force contract for air refueling tankers valued at $35 billion that is estimated to bring 11,000 jobs directly or indirectly to Washington state.

Fuel costs are another important element in the

Photo by Sue Misao

Some homeowners are scaling back, but they all need a roof, eventually. housing equation since they are customarily passed on to the consumer by building material suppliers. Until very recently, those costs were relatively stable. As of this writing civil unrest in Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, and who knows where else, has spiked petroleum prices, which had already been on a slow, steady ascent from $38 a barrel two years ago to just over $100 today, and they could go substantially higher.

Dan Higbee of the Okanogan County Building Department says the number of building permits have dropped about 35 percent from the boom days. “Interestingly enough, however, in 2010 the Methow saw more applications for single-family residences than in 2009,”

Higbee pointed out. Applications for all other structures such as outbuildings did show a downturn.

“January is always slow,” Higbee said, adding that he did receive applications for single-family permits earlier this year than the same time in 2009.

“There has been a huge reduction in spec homes,” Higbee said, “But we haven’t suffered like some other areas of the country because the valley has not been involved in large tract house projects.”

Julie Palm, owner of Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply, said the septic systems business provides a good gauge for the pace of new home starts. “In the fall of 2009, the decline in the number of septic permits was drastic,”

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 11

WINTHROP

Photo courtesy of Phil Dietz/Lost River Construction

Builders are building, while weighing every cost.

Palm recalls. “That was the first time in 15 years. Last year it slowly started to improve,” she said.

“The nature of our work has changed a little bit with more clients coming to us looking for more quality in a smaller h o m e , ” said Margo PetersonAspholm of Balance Associates.

Scott Anderson, president and chief executive officer of North Cascades National Bank is confident that the local building economy is heading in the right direction. He adds, however, that it’s certainly a buyer’s market and with more quality contractors available at more competitive prices.

“The backlog is gone,” Anderson said. “But we’re starting to see sticks in the air and the number of building permits slowly increasing.”

Interest rates on construction loans are also very favorable when compared with the last 20 to 30 years, Anderson said.

Contractor Bjornsen views the changed landscape as a new learning curve in a process of reeducation in the art of what is possible in scaled down thinking and budgets.

“In this business, you’re always looking for the next job, and today is no different,” Bjornsen said. “I like what I do.

There is no reason to want to leave. People will continue to want to come here and make a home here.”

“....we’re starting to see sticks in the air....”

Photo by Mike Maltais

Contractor Tom Bjornsen, who has worked in the valley for more than 30 years, says he is learning a lot in the new building climate.

Page 12

Methow Valley Building 2011

To build or to buy?

W

hen you become enchanted enough to want your own home or vacation cabin in the Methow Valley, you start slowing down for signs heralding “Land For Sale” and “Home For Sale.”

After falling in love with the Methow, prospective buyers can look for a parcel of raw land to develop their dream home or search for an existing home that speaks to them and meets their needs.

But which should you buy – raw land or an existing building?

The valley’s cadre of real estate agents are skilled at matching people with properties from Mazama to Pateros. Agents can help people who don’t know what they are looking for define their needs and find that right place.

By Joyce Campbell

Photo courtesy of Lawrence Archtecture

New buyers are looking for a home that “speaks to them.”

“Building your own house fulfills a dream for a lot of people. It’s their own creation, ” said John Caesar,

owner of RE/MAX Valley Life in Winthrop. He said that often people who plan to build have a clear idea

of what they want.

Some arrive at the decision to build after looking around and not finding what they want, according to Mary Lockman, managing broker and owner of John L. Scott in Winthrop. After researching and considering all the variables, they decide they want something else.

Others simply don’t want to buy somebody else’s dream.

“Building a house is an artistic and emotional journey,” said Lockman. “The Methow is really special and building a home can be a perfect marriage with the land.”

The cost of land in the valley is as variable as the landscape and the location. Riverfront and view properties command high end prices while parcels in the lower valley may be less expensive.

People who know they want to build and are ready to buy land and

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 13

Photo courtesy of Lawrence Archtecture

A small cabin in the woods may suit your style. begin planning can get help from experts in architecture and design, site planning, excavation, construction and problem solving particular to their site and individual needs. Local well drillers, landscapers and building suppliers are available to keep your project on track.

Younger buyers or those with less disposable income target lower priced undeveloped properties and may wait to build, according to Dave Thomsen, broker and owner of Coldwell Banker in Winthrop. When building is outside the present budget, they will purchase land with an eye toward building when they have the funds, more income or retire. After paying for the land, they may not have enough money for a home, but they get into the valley and the market and wait.

The budget-minded buyer and people ready to make a move will consider lookng at existing homes. If you decide on something already built, you won’t have to make decisions about design, construction, access and driveway, water, waste water, utilities and the myriad of unknowns facing the builder.

You may be able to move in a relatively short time, but you may want to remodel or add-on to suit your needs.

Older homes may have electrical, plumbing, structural or cosmetic issues. Be prepared for some planning and decision making.

“There are so many hidden issues with remodels and

additions,” said contractor Jerry Laverty of Laverty Construction in Mazama. He recommends people come up with a pretty good plan so a contractor can give an accurate estimate.

“I love a comprehensive spec list,” said Laverty. He provides clients with a list that spells out the whole project and they fill in the details – what kind of windows, siding, trim, flooring and all the products that are wanted.

After looking and weighing the choices in terms of costs in time and money to build or buy an existing home, buyers need to consider the emotional factor involved in their purchase.

“Not everything important is measurable,” said Frank Kline, independent real estate appraiser. Kline prepares appraisals for lending institutions, using criteria specific to the loan market.

There is no Blue Book for home buyers and he recommends relying on the expertise of the valley’s real estate agents.

“You can’t go wrong trusting your real estate broker. They are looking at the market every day from the buyer and seller’s standpoint,” said Kline.

While it may be important for the home buyer to know the number of bedrooms, baths and where the water supply comes from, there is an emotional element that can’t be defined. Kline said, “Emotion is where the value is in real estate.”

Harmony y House I N TE R I O R S

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Methow Valley Building 2011

L Because it takes us all to care for a place as special as the Methow.

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Sticks, stones,

et us assume that you have decided to drop anchor in the pristine reaches of the Methow Valley. If you are going to be a new homebuilder, one of the first questions you will confront, after acquiring a suitable site, will be the manner of habitation to select.

Here in the Methow, a wide variety of residential building options have been pursued, from traditional stick, log and timber frame to modular, strawbale and yurt. And as the struggling construction trade digs out of the current housing slump, more emphasis is being focused on greener, smaller, more economical and energy efficient structures.

Sifting through all the materials and systems available, just what would the perfect Methow house be made of? The answer involves more than energy facts and dollar figures alone. It also includes personal taste, property influences, design features, construction elements and utility.

Judging by the new residential building permits issued by the Okanogan County

Photo by MacLeod Pappidas

Harkening back to earlier times.

Building Department for 2010, stick frame is still king around these parts. All but one of the 42 permits issued last year fell into that category.

Stick frame is the most common method used in North America. Also called light frame construction, its core elements using standard dimensional studs, joints and rafters remain one of the most economical ways to enclose a large area. Stick frame appeals to most homebuilders because the two-by-four and two-by-six structure allows

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 15

straw and mud for an almost infinite variety of options and designs. Its wide appeal to designers and builders also gives the homebuilder a greater selection of contractors to choose from and work with.

Post and beam or timber frame is the heavyweight alternative to stick frame. Its principal trademark incorporates larger uprights and cross members traditionally joined by pegged mortise and tenon joints. Modern versions employ a creative variety of metal brackets and braces to augment joints. The advantage of post and beam is found in the greater open floor space it provides because the need for interior supporting walls is less. Larger window spaces

between uprights afford another big benefit of this type of structure.

Log homes harken back to earlier times when homes could be constructed simply from felled trees readily at hand. Many innovations have refined the basic structure since then with the availability of precut, milled and faux logs that give all the appearance of the real thing minus some of the inherent problems.

Log “settling” and weathering makes regular maintenance more mandatory in a log structure but many of the new treatments, sealants and caulks help extend the life and improve the insulating quality of log homes.

Strawbale homes have become popular the valley

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even though 2010 didn’t see a single new home permit for a strawbale residence.

Bales offer a high insulating value, are relatively easy to work with and accommodate a variety of exterior finishes, the most common being plaster and stucco. So long as the roof and exterior offer ample protection against moisture getting to the wall interior, strawbales provide a very effective insulation barrier.

Beginning with caves, earth-sheltered housing has been with us since we were carrying clubs. Modern earth-sheltered structures are designed to utilize earth as a thermal mass to facilitate heating and cooling. In the Methow, building sites on south-facing slopes offer terrain most conducive to in-

Photo by Sue Misao

Around these parts, stick frame is still king. hill or earth-bermed homes.

Theseareuniquecreationsand typically feature an aggregate or concrete retaining wall or a rammed-earth bulkhead to get the most benefit out of the design.

Moisture buildup can be a problem, so good ventilation is critical. And while professional builders experienced in earth-bermed homes are fewer, for the owner who likes to pitch in on a project, this type provides plenty of room for sweat equity.

Rastra insulated concrete forms (think Lego block) accounted for the only new residential, non-stick frame permit issued by the county building department last year.

Some users swear by these recycled Styrofoam units

that use reinforcing rod and concrete fill to create strong structural walls with high R-value, non-combustible, sound absorbing qualities.

Another plus for Rastra is critter resistance; rodents and insects don’t like them.

The seven-and-a-halffoot long contoured blocks can be shaved to shape and accommodate many exterior finishes, most commonly stucco.

Manufactured and modular homes have come a long way in terms of design elements and energy efficiency. A popular shelter in the county, mobile and modular homes have a quick factory-to-site-to-occupancy turnaround at prices below Continued on page 16

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Methow Valley Building 2011

comparable site-built homes. Many manufacturers now prefer the term “systems-built” to describe the process whereby the home is constructed at a factory in accordance with codes that meet or exceed local building codes. Where insulation is concerned, for example, exceeding local codes can be a wise add-on for the cold months here.

So-called pocket homes are becoming more popular as homebuilders focus on smaller square footage kits that offer snug little structures – some portable – that provide energy efficient cabin comforts in spaces from less than 100 square feet to upwards of 700 square feet.

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are sandwiched panels that integrate the elements of studs, joists, insulation, vapor barrier and air barrier into the composite unit.

They consist of an insulating layer of polymer form between two layers of structural board, such as OSB. The beauty of these panels lies in their utility for use in exterior wall, roof, floor and foundation applications.

SIP costs are higher than comparable frame construction but their counter claim is that they

✩ 5

provide a tighter building envelope in a well built home and contribute higher insulating properties.

Autoclaved aerated concrete is a lightweight, precast, steam-cured and expanded building material that provides insulation value much higher than ordinary concrete. In addition to being both fire and bug resistant, the product affords the combination of low air infiltration in an insulating thermal mass.

As the name implies, insulated sandwich panel systems are prefab sandwich panels with a rigid foam interior between sheets of galvanized steel mesh rather than structural board. The panels are then sprayed with a high-pressure concrete mix – shotcrete – on site to create a strong support with high insulating qualities that increase in proportion to the thickness of the interior foam.

Upgrades and remodels of existing homes open the door to many innovative products and technologies, and in the current building economy, many homeowners are heading in that direction.

Winthrop contractor Tom Bjornsen sees increased energy efficiency as just one of the gains from

Photo by Mike Maltais

This remodeled house is post and beam, sided with corrugated metal. the advances in today’s insulation, heating and electrical products.

“There’s an energy revolution going on,” Bjornsen said. “You can see it right here in our local co-op; energy is an investment.”

Rick Keene of Methow Valley Lumber says the framing aspects of home building haven’t changed much in the past five years, but there has been gravitation away from natural wood sidings in favor of more maintenance-friendly

materials.

“Fiber cement products are becoming popular in exterior sidings,” Keene said. “They require almost zero maintenance, offer longevity, are fireproof, and woodpecker-proof.”

What the choice amounts to now is re-evaluating needs in light of new realities.

“It’s picking and choosing from what you can and cannot afford,” Bjornsen said.

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 17

Picking the best right architect

I

n a nutshell, what architects do is sit down with you, pick your brain and figure out where your head is going to be at 8:30 on a Thursday night in seven or 17 years. Then they reach in their bag of tricks and come up with something made of wood or stone or steel, the site you’ve selected, and bare space to do the balancing act and problem solving that best accommodates your needs.

“Architects simplify enormously complicated projects and help the client see their undetected or unconsidered options,” said Ray Johnston of Johnston Architects, based both here in the Methow and in Seattle. “They help maximize the value of your living space at a day-to-day level and they do that in what ultimately must be a very personal discussion.”

They probe into how you live. Mostly indoors, mostly out of doors? Gardening? A home office?

They visualize how you’ll move through the space, how the light falls, which windows you’ll press your nose against waiting for spring.

So selecting an architect is much less about getting the “best” one and much more about getting the right one.

By Patrick McGann

Photo by Sue Misao

A good architect will notice your four children and suggest including extra bedrooms in your new home.

“I think the most important consideration is how well you get along,” said Johnston.

“And there’s only one way to find that out, by talking.”

But before you go there, you need to ask

yourself whether you need one at all. If your priorities are chiefly utilitarian, or if cost concerns override your aesthetic values or your objective is temporary, or if your ego simply won’t allow you to consult an expert, then maybe you don’t need an architect any more than you’d need to ask directions at a gas station when you’re lost in L.A. But if you are building a home instead of a house, if you want your home to support your lifestyle rather than your lifestyle supporting your home, or if you just appreciate having a professional who’s been there and done that a hundred times, then the right architect can get you there, save you money and prevent the costly construction of some permanent annoyances.

So how do you know you’re getting the right one?

Two things. First, do you like what he or she’s done in the past? And secondly, do you click? And it is those two things not necessarily in equal measure.

Some architects have a distinctive style they Continued on page 18

Page 18 stay with and some are more willing to subvert a particular style to the desires of the client.

All architects make their clients central to the design process, but it is a question of balance.

In the first case, say, a Frank Lloyd Wright, it is up to the client to make the decision on whether the architect’s style will fit his needs, because that style is what they’re going to get in any event. In the second case, what matters is the ability of the architect and the client to communicate effectively, honestly and completely.

“Working with the client, discovering their needs, is the springboard of creativity. Each client is different so each project must be different,” Johnston noted, adding, “That’s the fun part.”

If you aren’t a good communicator – and I should stop here and say that being honest with yourself about your own limitations is a

Methow Valley Building 2011 very valuable thing when you’re about to part with six or seven figures – then it might be best to go with a style and just let the architect run with the ball. If you do like to analyze, go with the second type, and you’ll be rewarded with a custom design that specifically fits your lifestyle.

It’s easy to find out an architect’s style. They all have websites and portfolios and leave evidence of their activities all over the area. A really good place to find local architects and links to their sites is on the Methow Valley News business directory at www.methowvalleynews.com/ local-business-directory.php.

You will be able to see the architects whose styles are very consistent and those who do very different designs each time. It’s safe to say that with a consistent style, you’d better like that style if you want to work with that architect.

And all of their websites have phone numbers.

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Some architects have a distinctive style.

Don’t call just one. Call all the ones whose work you find interesting. It’s not a long list here in the valley.

And what do you ask?

Ask how busy they are, what their design priorities are. Ask about certifications, such as LEEDS certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which is the cutting edge of green construction.

Ask about older projects

Andy McConkey 509-429-9456 fishbag@methownet.com

locally. Especially locally. We have a challenging building environment here; architects need to know it like the back of their hand.

Try to zero in on projects that match the size of yours on a site that has similar problems as yours (grade, views, drainages, etc.) Look at photos. Ask if the architect will e-mail you more photos of projects you like. Get addresses and names and

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numbers so you can go talk to former clients about what it was like to work with that architect.

Ask how busy they are.

Yes, you’re trying to see how popular he or she is, but also how much time will be devoted to your project.

Ask how much personal time you’ll have with the architect and how much of the project will be handled by the architect and how much by associates.

Ask which contractors and subcontractors they like to work with. Then go talk to them about the architect.

You’d be surprised how much you can learn.

And don’t be bashful about asking about costs or time frames. Architects work intimately with the costs of materials and construction and time frames. It’s not a delicate topic with them, and you’ll find that if a custom home is what you want, then an architect is one of the most cost-effective investments you can make.

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 19

The many uses of concrete

W

hen my husband and I were building our house, a friend from New England asked what we were using for flooring. When I replied “concrete,” his response was “Concrete. Hmm, I guess it’s not just for prisons anymore.”

Concrete is a building material created primarily from combining cement (frequently known as Portland Cement), aggregate (sand and gravel or crushed rock), and water, which causes the other ingredients to bond together and solidify. The most commonly used manmade building material, concrete has long been used for struc-

By Ashley Lodato

tural purposes. Some say the Egyptians even used concrete in their pyramids.

Today, nearly all of us live in homes sitting on concrete foundations and the concrete basement is ubiquitous in modern American homes.

Concrete does not rust, rot, or burn and is thus one of the most popular choices for large commercial buildings such as schools, banks, government buildings, and, yes, prisons. Its use in residential construction is on the rise, too. According to the National Association of Home Builders and the Portland Cement Association, one out of every six new homes built in the United States is made of concrete.

Many new concrete homes are made from In-

Photo courtesy of Ashley Lodato

If you have a home, it’s probably sitting on concrete. sulating Concrete Forms (ICFs), which are high-density plastic forms that are

filled on-site with concrete and steel reinforcement.

Chad Patterson, co-owner

of Cascade Concrete, says that ICFs were initially met Continued on page 20

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Methow Valley Building 2011

Photo by Ashley Lodato

Jon Albright grinds a concrete kitchen countertop, which is no longer considered lowbrow.

with skepticism but now that manufacturing them is limited to a few companies that have built up a reputation for high-quality products, the building industry has embraced them wholeheartedly. ICF construction results in houses that are super-insulated and cost-effective, as well as fire-resistant and extremely durable.

In additional to its structural durability and affordability, concrete has other advantages, many of them environmental. Concrete houses have a high thermal mass, allowing for heat and cold retention, which facilitates lower energy outputs needed to heat and cool houses. Concrete is produced locally, often from recycled materials, and is delivered in close proximity to its place of manufacture. The cement in concrete is typically made from limestone, which is more abundant than any other mineral on earth.

Concrete is also one of the least harmful build-

ing materials, emitting no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) as long as it is stained and sealed with non-toxic finishes. Structures made from ICFs protect indoor air quality by reducing exposure to interior air toxins such as mold and mildew.

But despite its compelling advantages, concrete has been infrequently used for interior decorative purposes, primarily because of its reputation as dull, flat, and grey. In an era of carpeted basements, hardwood floors, and marble or laminate countertops, concrete is a relative latecomer to the field of building materials worthy of prominent residential display.

Of course, anyone who has moved out of his parents’ home and into a house or apartment of his own is familiar with the utility and versatility of the humble concrete block; bookshelves and coffee tables made of concrete blocks are practically de rigueur for 20-

somethings, particularly those seeking something a little more edgy than the milk crate bookshelf. But still, using concrete for interior design was until recently considered pretty lowbrow.

That’s all changing though, says Patterson. And a tour of Methow homes built in the last 10 years belies the impression of concrete as unattractive and purely utilitarian. Concrete countertops now rival those made from granite in aesthetics and are far simpler to customize in terms of color, shaping, and embedded fixtures such as sinks, drain boards, and trivets. Concrete can be personalized to reflect an owner’s tastes through color, patterns, or special inlays like coins and other metal objects, exposed rocks, and even fiber-optic lighting, which can be cast directly into the concrete. Concrete floors can be stained, stamped, and scored into focal points of

Methow Valley Building 2011 home décor or into subtle backdrops for a homeowner’s furniture and art.

Concrete floors, along with tile and natural stone flooring, are unparalleled when combined with radiant heating. They’re durable, require little maintenance, and are easy to clean with a broom and mop. In places like the Methow Valley, where the bottoms of one’s shoes are almost always covered with snow, mud or dust, a concrete floor provides peace of mind – no worries about needing to refinish the floor every year.

Patterson says the local concrete plant delivers from 7,000 to 10,000 yards of concrete every year (a typical 12-foot by 15-foot patio would take about three yards). Most of this is used in foundations, interior slabs, and patios, but with the growing interest in ICFs the concrete plant is increasingly filling orders for structural walls. “Use of ICFs is really exploding,” says Patterson.

W W W

KAMRON COLEMAN ARTISAN

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Page 21 “We now carry the ICFs, which we didn’t use to, so it’s even easier for builders to use the products.”

Demand is growing for concrete countertops and other decorative concrete, too. Now that more local homes feature concrete floors and countertops, says Patterson, people are seeing how beautifully they can be done and they want them in their own homes. From floors and countertops, the list of decorative and functional options for concrete goes on: sinks, pavers, outdoor fireplaces, water features, landscape borders, benches, and, for those who simply can’t get enough concrete, indoor furniture.

Local contractor Andy McConkey notes, “It’s pretty neat to take this material that’s super heavy and unwieldy and transform it into precise, delicate stuff. It’s fun to see it evolve. The end product is so incongruous with the raw material you start out with.” Lest anyone

think concrete work itself is fun, however, McConkey hastens to add, “I don’t think anyone really likes working with concrete. It’s heavy, it’s hard work, and your hands get all dried out. But the end results really validate the process. You like what concrete can do, so it’s worth it to work with it.”

McConkey echoes the benefits of using concrete as a construction and finish material in the Methow, including the heating and cooling advantages. He also points out that homes with concrete floors have lower profiles than homes with wood floors. “You save about a foot in height with a concrete floor,” he says, “and concrete houses are easier to berm in.”

Chad Patterson concurs.

“Around here there’s no bad use for concrete,” says Patterson. “It’s just the most versatile building material.

You can make it any shape, any color. You can do anything with it.”

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Methow Valley Building 2011

It’s a fine day Photo by Sue Misao

Photo by Joyce Campbell

Photo by John Hanron

Photo by Sue Misao Photo by Sue Misao

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 23

Photo by Sue Misao

Photo by Sue Misao

Photo by Sue Misao

Photo by Ashley Lodato

Photo by Sue Misao

to build a house

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Methow Valley Building 2011

Bringing the outside in

T

he interior living spaces of homes in the Methow Valley reflect the values that draw people to this place – an appreciation for the natural surroundings, a sense of connection to nature and the outdoors, and a desire for simplicity.

Creating a connection between the living space of a home and the outdoors is a central theme of homes designed by Balance Associates of Winthrop and Seattle, said architect Margo PetersonAspholm.

“We create the feeling of being inside and outside at the same time,” said Peterson-Aspholm. “We merge the interior and exterior. It’s

By Ann McCreary

definitely what clients want from us.”

Many of the homes Peterson-Aspholm designs are vacation getaways. “People with vacation homes aren’t coming here to be inside,” she notes.

The sense of merging interior and exterior is accomplished in a number of ways, including using the same materials inside and outside the home, PetersonAspholm said. A concrete floor on the inside will merge with concrete on the exterior.

“Sometimes material that is used in [exterior] siding will come into the house. Maybe just a strip of it for the transition.”

The interior/exterior feeling is also attained through

Photo by Joyce Campbell

Some homes create the feeling of being inside and outside at the same time.

Methow Valley Building 2011 the use of large expanses of glass that create transparent walls between inside and outside. “Being able to see the roof plane go from the interior ceiling to exterior soffets” creates that flow between living inside and outside, Peterson-Aspholm said.

Improvements in insulation for large windows and glass doors make using so much glass more energy efficient than in the past, Peterson-Aspholm said. Doublepane and triple-pane designs keep the cold out and warmth in, she said.

In keeping with the concept of living spaces connected to the outdoors, a growing number of homes include what Peterson-Aspholm calls an “outdoor room” – a space created outdoors but connected to the indoor space and offering some shelter.

“Often in the work we’re doing, and I see it in other architects’ work, is the idea of an outdoor room…a space that’s a little protected that’s an exterior space,” Peterson-

Page 25 Aspholm said.

“You can situate an outdoor space protected from the wind or shaded during the hottest part of the day… spots where people can comfortably move from interior to exterior,” she said.

Whether a home is a primary residence or a second home, the idea of a communal living area – the “great room” concept – is the prevalent design choice, said PetersonAspholm.

“People love the idea of the great room. An open kitchen with an island, one space that all flows together.

What people realize is everybody always ends up in the kitchen, so why not make it the heart of the home?”

Along with that open design, however, often comes a desire to create some private living spaces, Peterson-Aspholm said. “The idea of having an ‘away room’ has accompanied the idea of communal living. People ask for an away-room that maybe doubles as an office or extra

Photo by Sue Misao

Improved insulation makes big windows and glass doors more energy efficient. bedroom. A place of privacy to make a phone call or read a book… like an eddy out of the stream.”

The away-room may be a space that can remain open, or perhaps be separated by

a large barn door that slides shut to create a wall, providing an option for privacy, Peterson-Aspholm said.

Twisp architect Howard Cherrington said the open, interior space that characterizes

most homes can be creatively separated into distinct living spaces without the use of walls. He uses bookcases, columns, entertainment centers Continued on page 26

Page 26 and fireplaces to differentiate one space from another, so “there’s still visual connectivity.”

Many people want their great room to have higher ceilings, to create a sense of more space. Employing different ceiling heights, such as a lower ceiling in the kitchen area, also differentiates the spaces, Cherrington said.

As the economy has pushed people to build smaller homes, designers are challenged to create interiors that provide a separation of public and private living spaces, Cherrington said. “Especially with the great room concept, it’s not unusual to have a master bedroom enter into a great room.”

Recessing the door to the bedroom into a shallow alcove creates that transition from public to private space, Cherrington said. “It breaks up the wall area, and visually separates that private space from public space.”

The way light enters a room has a great deal to do

Methow Valley Building 2011

Photo by Sue Misao

There are several ways to provide separation between rooms. with how the space feels, Cherrington said. Sizes and locations of windows and the types of windows have significant impacts.

“Some people like a cottage look, with smaller windows and divided panes.

They tend to visually separate you more from the outside and the view you are looking at,” he said.

Cherrington likes to bring additional natural light into the home through clerestory windows that are set high in

the walls near the ceiling, or dormers that light the living area from above.

Lighting fixtures are moving away from incandescent ceiling cans once so popular toward more energy efficient low voltage and fluorescent

lighting. Cherrington uses wooden valances mounted high on the walls with fluorescent fixtures behind them to provide indirect light that brightens the interior space.

The valances can be wood, or painted to match the walls.

“It’s a great way to light vaulted ceilings, and gives a nice wash to the room.”

Many people moving to the Methow Valley from Puget Sound or other urban areas “want houses that reflect the rugged West,” Cherrington said. “They come over here with the idea of a cabin with a lot of wood on the interior.

Coming from the city, people will say I don’t want any sheetrock.” Cherrington said that because wood tends to absorb light, “it’s easy to overwood a house,” resulting in interiors that feel darker.

People building a home may want the look of exposed beams or rafters, and Cherrington has found that using trusses for roof construction and installing “faux” beams on the interior gives the

Methow Valley Building 2011 impression that the home is stick built or post and beam, without the expense of those types of construction.

“With the downturn in the economy, people want smaller and more modest spaces,” observed Peterson-Aspholm. These smaller homes require creative use of the available space, she said.

“It puts more demands on spaces of the house to have multiple uses. A smaller space demands each portion of the house work a little harder,” she said. Use of features like barntype doors that act as a sliding wall allows a space to be opened up for parties or guests, but closed off for office space or other uses, PetersonAspholm said.

In one vacation home designed by Balance Associates, the plan called for small bedrooms. To maximize space in the bedrooms, designers chose a different approach and located closets along a hallway leading to the bedrooms, Peterson-Aspholm said.

Though the homes may be smaller, owners still seek quality, Cherrington said. “People are looking more critically at square footage, but sticking with finer finishes,” he said. “People like their finishes whether they are tile floors or stone-

Page 27

Photo by Sue Misao

Letting natural light in enhances any room. work around the fireplace. Because they’ve elected to build a smaller house, they have a little more money to spend on finishes.”

Designer Doug Potter said simplicity has become the dominant theme for his home designs over the years. His living spaces have become progressively simpler and smaller.

“It’s intimacy of scale. It can’t be too big, especially in winter when you’re

trying to be cozy,” Potter said.

“I’m not into designing elaborate spaces. Simplicity is something I’ve evolved toward. It seems I leave more and more out of every design. If we have a nice simple space that functions properly, I think that’s good,” Potter said. “There is a combination of things that go into the interior of the house that creates that space.

We’re the main players in there. The

simpler the architecture, the better off you are.”

Potter tends away from the high, vaulted ceilings of some great rooms, and says he sees little use for second stories on homes these days. He likes using only a few materials or colors for the interior finishes to maintain a feeling of simplicity that is similar to Japanese or Scandinavian designs.

Potter said he may combine only two or three different elements, such as maple floors, plywood walls and chipboard ceilings.

“I’m kind of trying to squint, and have everything look the same,” Potter said.

He likes to eliminate traditional finishes, such as baseboards and window trims. Achieving those clean, simple lines requires a skilled carpenter, Potter noted.

He seeks to create a living space that allows the inhabitants to tune in to their surroundings. “I think it’s important that you wake up in a space…that connects you to the outside, so you can figure out where you are,” Potter said. “Every morning I wake up looking at Mount Gardner.

We have this chance in the Methow Valley to be able to design a space… to get that connection.”

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Methow Valley Building 2011

Houses, too, can have nine lives

M

any people have gotten the message when it comes to recycling aluminum cans and office paper, but what about the really large discards that also clutter landfills? When an old house or building is dismantled, is there some way to put the materials to more productive use than slow – or no – decomposition?

More than a century ago, oldgrowth forests – trees with impressive strength and handsome grain – were regularly cut to build houses, offices and factories. Today, Duluth Timber, one of the major firms involved in reclaiming building materials, likes to think of this wood as “our industrial forest.”

Many local builders and designers strive to use recycled materials whenever possible, both to satisfy aesthetics and principle. Gary Phil-

By Marcy Stamper

Photo by Sue Misao

You can build a new house out of pieces of an old house. lips of GP Designs in Winthrop said one of his earliest memories of the construction industry came when

he was building condominiums in Colorado and hauling scrap lumber to the dump at the end of each workday.

He got to know a man who waited for the “delivery.”

“He said he was building a house,” said Phillips, who decried the waste that is common in the industry.

Today he uses 80 percent recycled materials in his design/build work, both for structural members and exterior walls.

Not only are those old timbers gorgeous, but they also add a personal story to a house, said Twisp-based contractor and builder Donald McLane.

McLane recalled one project in which he used wood speckled with traces of buckshot and another where a dismantled shed that had been on the owners’ property was incorporated into a kitchen island, keeping a link with the old homestead.

One valley builder fashioned her kitchen cabinets and counters from an old gymnasium floor. McLane said he often uses barn board for paneling or

Methow Valley Building 2011 wainscoting. Crushed bottles have become lovely glass tiles and discarded tires have been turned into everything from composite roofing to linoleum-style floors.

There is no shortage of salvaged material out there, said Phillips; the main stumbling block is finding wood that is affordable. He has used “incredible” – but not cheap – longleaf pine milled from huge logs that had spent decades in a river in North Carolina before being rescued. Many builders keep an eye out for old lumber and buy beams whenever they find them, knowing they will serve as the inspiration for a design.

Designer Doug Potter of the Office of Shackitecture in Twisp is committed to using recycled building materials.

He clad the exterior of one local project in redwood salvaged from a water tank he found in Alaska. In the interior, Potter used glu-lams (glued, laminated timbers) that started their life in a

Page 29

Photo by MacLeod Pappidas

Old timbers add beauty and history to a home.

Yakima Safeway and rafters, still flecked with traces of gray and white paint, from a Tacoma warehouse.

“It’s about taking pieces and putting them together in a way that’s timeless,” said Potter. “It allows the materials to be the strong point, and the combination of the materials to be the piece.”

Beyond the expense of extracting and re-milling old lumber, there can be added costs because salvaged ma-

terials can be more difficult to work with. Some carpenters find that old wood has become extremely hard, making it time-consuming to nail, or that one of its more desirable characteristics – a lack of uniformity – requires extra care.

Phillips generally does not find reclaimed wood harder to work with and said most of his customers seek out the rougher, more organic Continued on page 30

David Rudholm Construction, Inc.

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Methow Valley Building 2011

MRR’s inventory varlook because they don’t ies. Some weeks there are want “a basic cookie-cutter quality windows and doors; house.” He obtains recycled other times there are shower wood from Havillah Shake in stalls, ceramic floor tiles Tonasket and several sources and irrigation line. There in the Seattle area, including are usually nuts and bolts, Duluth Timber. lighting fixtures and miscelOne way to reclaim wood laneous hardware. They typiand save money is to look cally have a good selection of for what lumberyards someplywood and dimensional times call “farmer packages” lumber that makes good – warped and twisted lumber Photo by John Hanron shelves and chicken coops, that they would otherwise Cover those salvaged boards until you are ready to use them in your project. said Pederson. throw away, according to Volunteers at MRR colMcLane. “Every lumberyard has a pile of that stuff, which no one soybeans, said Phillips. new and salvaged building materials lect the materials themselves and will buy. It’s kind of a grab bag,” but A broader view of recycling is Methow Resource Recovery, started urge remodelers and contractors to it can be very affordable and can spur also encompasses trees that would six years ago to harness the value of make arrangements to drop them off creativity, said Phillips. otherwise be left in the forest in fire- building materials that were being at their sales yard just south of Twisp.

While many look to reclaimed prone stands. Local processors have tossed into landfills. The group salvag- The items that have proven most valumaterials for their beauty and charac- taken this small-diameter fir and es building and landscape materials able to their customers are vinyl-clad ter, there are also ways to incorporate created tongue-and-groove flooring from new construction, remodels and windows that meet building codes recycled materials in the parts of a and furniture, available through local demolitions and resells them at about (vintage wood-frame windows are house that will not be seen. Phillips lumberyards. one-third of the new price, according valued primarily for their aesthetuses cellulose insulation made from Increasingly, people can shop for to MRR board president Bryn Peder- ics), metal roofing, low-flow toilets recycled, shredded newspaper and reclaimed building materials online. son. Donors get a tax deduction and and interior and exterior doors, said has used cement made with fly ash, Seattle Building Salvage now operates customers get inexpensive supplies Pederson.

Whether you are taking apart a byproduct of burning coal. Rastra entirely over the Internet. Second Use to launch or finish a project. block, a highly insulating and fire- has more than 4,000 items listed on “If you think that normally a an existing building or putting toproof structural material, is 85 percent its website, including windows and person would just throw the stuff in gether a new one, remember that recycled polystyrene. Some gypsum doors, plumbing supplies and decora- the garbage – it’s polluting, it doesn’t those beams and tiles can live on in wallboard is made with recycled com- tive architectural components. develop any money locally, and it your next house – or in the house next door. ponents and other boards incorporate A local source for inexpensive wastes money,” said Pederson.

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Counter intelligence

Y

ou can get countertops made from wood or slabs of granite or soapstone, manufactured from plastic laminate or quartz crystals, or sculpted from concrete or clad in stainless steel.

You can even find durable, sustainable counters made from paper.

“I tend to be really practical when I design kitchens,” said Margo Peterson-Aspholm, project architect with Balance Associates in Winthrop. “I look at how they’re used, what’s easiest to care for, what fits the budget and what wears well. Aesthetics are important, but there are so many options – equally nice – that

By Marcy Stamper

practicality comes first.”

Once upon a time, people had two basic choices – wood or laminate – but in the past two decades, the options have expanded dramatically. “All the old rules went out the window,” said Marc Robertson, who supplies countertops and other building materials through Winthrop-based Alpine Designs. “People are mixing all kinds of things.”

Plastic laminate remains popular among people building small vacation cabins because it is affordable, said Peterson-Aspholm. “And there are millions of options – it can be as wild or as sedate as possible.”

Granite was all the rage Continued on page 32

Photo by Sue Misao

Wooden countertops were favored by Julia Child, no less.

Page 32 for about 10 years and is still quite desirable, often considered a signifier of a high-quality kitchen, said Peterson-Aspholm. While the price of granite has come down, natural stone still hovers at the pricey end of countertop materials.

Because stone is porous, it will stain, and acidic substances, such as wine, lemon juice or tomato, can etch the surface, said Robertson. As a result, those who do not want their counters to tell a story of late-night parties and early cooking experiments often look to what is known as “cultured stone.”

This includes synthetic products such as Zodiaq or Silestone, designed to look like granite but made from quartz crystals and a small amount of resin, which plugs the pores and prevents moisture from penetrating, said Robertson.

While these simulatedstone surfaces are more durable, in terms of appearance, they are more limited

Methow Valley Building 2011 than the real thing, which occurs in nature’s infinite range of color variations and patterns. “Granite is pretty grainy, and it is amazing because of the grain,” said Robertson.

However, that durability can make your other kitchen items less so, because the stone slabs are so hard that glasses and dishware will break easily if knocked over.

Other stone options include slate, which comes in a surprisingly wide range of colors, from the predictable bluish-gray to green and reddish hues, but fractures and chips easily, said Peterson-Aspholm. Marble can be prohibitively costly if used throughout the kitchen, but an inset slab of the luxurious stone makes a practical and affordable feature for serious bakers for kneading or rolling dough.

Not all prime chefs seek out high-end materials. Julia Child favored butcher block because it was the most

practical, said Peterson-Aspholm. Because it is made from small pieces of wood, often scraps from milled pieces, butcher block can be sustainable. The most common wood is maple.

Butcher block does require some care, but it will last forever, said PetersonAspholm. It needs to be oiled and can be sanded periodically to remove nicks and stains.

Other sustainable choices include PaperStone, which, because it was originally designed for science labs, is especially resilient.

It is tough enough to stand up to chemicals, but it is not as hard as stone, so a glass is less likely to break if knocked over. Another environmentally oriented material is made from recycled glass chips and epoxy, but it can be quite expensive because the market for it is limited, said Robertson.

Commercial kitchens commonly use stainless steel for practicality, and metal

Photo courtesy of Kamron Coleman

A concrete countertop can be shaped any way you want. countertops, including galvanized steel, copper and zinc, appeal to people seeking a high-tech, industrial look. These metals must be

covered with a clear coat to prevent them from rusting, and some, like copper and zinc, require special care to be sure that water does

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 33 guarantee that concrete will not crack; in fact he uses a formula that will develop thousands of minute cracks, similar to the surface of raku pottery. And it will definitely stain, he said. “The more staining, the better – the imperfections are what makes this beautiful.”

Concrete can be made in many colors, whether through the addition of a mixed-in pigment, or through an acid stain on the surface. Pigmented concrete is the same color all the way through, even if it chips or cracks, said Coleman.

The price of countertops varies widely, from roughly $40 per lineal foot (by two feet in depth) to $200 or more, according to Robertson. Plastic laminate is the least expensive, followed by butcher block and solidsurface materials such as Corian. Granite and other natural stones, along with some of the newer, sustainable products, tend to be at the high end of the scale, he

not accumulate because the chemical composition will change and the metal will begin to disintegrate, noted Peterson-Aspholm.

Tile countertops may look charming but tend to be impractical, because the grout collects food and can be hard to keep clean.

Kamron Coleman fell in love with the possibilities of concrete “because it can be sculpted into any shape you want – and for its utility.” Coleman, who recently relocated his business, Primitive Craft, from the Methow to Walla Walla, specializes in sculptural concrete – he once created an island countertop in the shape of a horse, complete with incised details.

Nevertheless, the first thing Coleman does when a prospective client asks him about concrete is to try to talk people out of it. “If I can’t, then concrete is the right product for them,” he said.

Coleman said he cannot

Photo by Sue Misao

Stainless steel countertops are favored for their practicality, say some people. said. Concrete has become more expensive recently, but granite has gotten cheaper as it becomes more widespread – even showing up in highway rest stops, said Coleman.

Coleman also appreci-

ates concrete for its ability to incorporate almost anything. While rocks, shells and glass are the most common additives, “The funniest thing I ever embedded in a countertop was a 24inch wrench,” he said. One Got land. Now what?

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[ultimately satisfied] client, one half of a couple who had tussled over the details of their kitchen remodel, asked him to include it to symbolize “the wrench her husband put into the whole project.”

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Methow Valley Building 2011

No Regrets?

Owner-builders revisit their building decisions

W

hen our family moved to the Methow Valley we boldly (and somewhat naively) announced that we were about to begin living the dream – “the dream” being working full time (him) or half time (me), having children and building our own house. Sympathetic and supportive friends who had been there and done that kindly cautioned us to set realistic expectations for ourselves and particularly for our house. “It takes three times,” they told us, “before you really get it right.”

Although getting it “right” the first time is what all owner-builders strive for, there is some truth to the saying that the third time’s a charm.

By Ashley Lodato It makes sense: the first time is pretty much a gamble and an experiment, the second time your skills are more refined and your tastes are more defined, and the third time you are able to articulate your priorities, reconcile your vision with your resources, and find creative solutions to problems.

In talking with other local owner-builders as well as reviewing my own experience, however, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that most home-building regrets are fairly minor. No one I talked to lies awake at night bemoaning big, irreparable decisions they made regarding their house. Quite possibly, they’re too exhausted from building the house to lie awake at night for any reason, but most likely it’s

Photo by Ashley Lodato

Perhaps you wanted a one-story house, but ended up with a twostory house. Life could be worse.

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“Being here is everything we ever thought it would be and more. And the house, oh my god, you did such a great job - everything is just perfect!”

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Methow Valley Building 2011 because they’re generally satisfied.

Instead of focusing on that charmed third house, which lies another one or two major construction projects away, owner-builders are embracing the concept of not sweating the small stuff.

None of the owner-builders I spoke with is eager to dive right into building their next, better home; however, all of us are able to come up with lists of things we would do differently next time. These small regrets tend to fall into several categories, the titles of which, conveniently, also can serve as words of hard-won wisdom for those who are considering building. I’ll call them “Love the One You’re With,” “Don’t Change Horses in Midstream,” “Size Matters,” and “Don’t Believe Everything You Read.”

“Love the One You’re With” (LTOYW) housebuilding regrets refer to the construction decisions that were made deliberately and thoughtfully with regard to house site and budget, but which were in opposition to the

Page 35 owner-builder’s original idea of the way something would be. Your site and your budget dictate a large portion of your building decisions and at some point – preferably early in the building process – you need to embrace this.

One example would be my two-story house, which I had been hoping would be a one-story house.

But single-story houses involve more excavation, bigger footprints, and more roofing, and the expenses that accompany those features. A quick budget consultation told us that two-story was more economical, so we accepted our budget constraints and built vertically.

Keri Miles’ initial desire to build a one-story house also falls into the LTOYW category. Her site is sloped toward the northeast, however, so a single-story house would have had very little southe r n e x p o s u re .

The Miles home has an extensive active solar system and it seemed incongruous to orient their house away from the south and the pas-

“It takes three times before you get it right.”

Photo by John Hanron

The best-laid plans are subject to change once the work gets underway. sive solar gain, and the expense of excavating the site to accommodate a single-story house on an east-west axis would have been substantial.

“I know that my one-story house would have only worked on a different site,” says Keri, “but I still daydream about it.”

“Don’t Change Horses in Midstream” (DCHIM) construction laments encompass building

decisions that are made as changes without fully grasping all the potential consequences of the change. You plan to do one thing but you change your plans along the way. Andy McConkey, for example, regrets covering his Twin Lakes house (now a rental) with synthetic stucco instead of traditional stucco. At the time, Continued on page 36

Page 36

Methow Valley Building 2011

synthetic stucco seemed to make sense as a simpler and less expensive alternative to traditional stucco, but as he later watched flickers drill holes in the synthetic stucco faster than he could recoat it, he realized he’d made a mistake. “No way I’d do it again,” he says, “not a chance.” (All of Andy’s subsequent building projects have involved traditional stucco, quite successfully.)

Keri Miles’ DCHIM regret is that due to a mid-project switch from 2x6inch stud-framed walls to concrete walls (13.5 inches) and SIPs walls (9-inch Structural Insulated Panels), several of their rooms lost some square footage.

“When we decided to use the concrete and the SIPs,” says Miles, “we chose not to adjust the exterior dimensions of the house, so some of the interior rooms were encroached upon.” This ended up meaning that the guest bedroom and the office didn’t really have space for closets, which would have been nice for additional storage as well as for increasing the appraised value of the house. “I guess

we learned about making materials decisions before versus during the building process,” Miles adds.

Keri Miles’ thicker walls issue also falls into the “Size Matters” (SM) category, in which owner-builders learn that the dimensions they had hoped would be ample for certain spaces or features really aren’t. When asked about her building regrets, owner-builder Danielle Micheletti sighs.

“Our great room,” she says, making quotation marks with her fingers to emphasize “great.”

“I wish it were greater.” Micheletti is quick to point out that in general she and her family are very comfortable and happy in their home, but she wishes she had spent even more time assessing the space they designed for common living spaces. “We did spend tons of time on it,” she adds, “but I guess I wish I had spent just a bit more.”

Cottonwood Meadows (Wolf Creek) owner-builder Kris Borgias wishes he had spent more time with

“No way I’d do it again... not a chance.”

Photo by Sue Misao

Wish you’d built the window two feet to the left? Relax. Some people don’t even have windows. his window dimensions. Kris had some pretty specific ideas about what he wanted from his windows, but because he was buying a home kit he was faced with a deadline for submitting dimensions for all his openings so the company could assemble the kit. Kris fell into man-

aging his own construction project because at the time he was building, local contractors were booked up for a couple of years. (Those were the days, eh boys?) “I played around with the windows on CAD software quite a bit,” says Borgias, “but I made some last-minute decisions

Methow Valley Building 2011 that I’m not 100 percent happy with.

The window size isn’t exactly what I wanted.”

The final lesson, which all of the owner-builders I spoke with referred to at some point, is the “Don’t Believe Everything You Read” (DBEYR) warning. Borgias speaks of spending hours poring over architecture books and fine home-building magazines, contemplating others’ dream homes.

“For years I looked at all these homes that were described in such reverential tones,” he says, “and I started to feel despair, realizing how far out of my reach this type of building was.”

Borgias eventually found some balance, though, and learned to work within his budget to achieve a simple, lovely home. “There were bits of extravagance,” he says, “but I had to put away the books and magazines to really get a clear vision of what was possible for my family and our home.”

Keri Miles and I were similarly influenced by beautiful homes in

Page 37 magazines and we both entered our building projects with the desire to incorporate large amounts of salvaged building materials, especially after reading about how much money we could save by using reclaimed products. The only problem was that neither of us really had any reclaimed materials on hand and we quickly learned that seeking out, purchasing, and then adapting salvaged products for use in our own homes was exponentially more time-consuming and at least twice as expensive as buying new materials.

The experience that really brought this DBEYR lesson home to me was the time that Jon and I took a precious day away from the jobsite and drove to Seattle to buy used interior doors. After a day, 500 miles in the truck, and $350, we came home with four fir interior doors with no jambs, which meant that Jon had to spend hours building custom jambs for each one. We later bought three new fir doors locally, with jambs, in about five minutes, with 15 miles in

“Our ‘great’ room...

I wish it were greater.”

Photo courtesy of Ashley Lodato

After the stress and hard work of building your house, it’s great to be able to just live in it. the truck, for about $400.

Both Miles and I ended up with some recycled materials in our houses but we often look around and yearn for that rusty metal, old wood, funky doors kind of look. And even though we know why we don’t have that look, we still wish we did.

On the whole, though, it seems that local owner-builders are happy with the fruits of their labor, tolerat-

ing the mistakes as simply part of the process. Kris Borgias represents the group when he speaks about how surprisingly easy it is to live with few regrets. It’s all relative, he observes. After the stress and hard work of building a house, Borgias says just living in it and not working on it is simply bliss.

He smiles. “It’s like being in heaven every day.”

Page 38

Methow Valley Building 2011

Garden design

W

hen we imagine a home, a garden overflowing with flowers, vegetables and perhaps a few fruit trees is often a part of the picture.

But failing to plan for a garden during the chaotic and stressful process of actually building a home is a common and costly mistake.

Integrating plans for a garden into the design and construction process will save you time and money in the long run.

Start with a site plan.

A site plan is a drawing of your property that shows the relative locations of existing or planned improvements such as driveways, houses, outbuildings, utilities, etc., and their relationship to the characteristics of your land such as sun exposure, prevailing wind, topography, etc. Include a garden in the site plan.

How does the garden relate to the homesite? How does it work with the microclimate specific to your land?

How do you get from house to garden? How will a house affect the sun and shade in the garden? How do you get water to the garden? These questions are best considered

By Patrick Hannigan long before you break ground on a house.

Keep it close. A garden that is near to your home will generally get more attention than a distant garden. Another benefit to placing the garden near the house is that the irrigated green space can serve double-duty as a buffer zone that can help protect your home from wildfire.

Keep in mind that gardens in the Methow generally require a six-foot deer fence.

How will a fence affect your view and the sense of space around your home?

Consider edible landscaping. Water is precious in the Methow, so it makes sense to use what little we have to grow edible plants rather than spending water and money on landscaping that is strictly for show. A functional

arrangement of annuals such as lettuce, cilantro, basil, beans, parsley, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, carrots, beets, kale, chard, broccoli and cabbage can complement a perennial structure of oregano, mint, sage, thyme, marjoram, strawberries and raspberries in the zone near your house. In particular, it’s nice to locate culinary herbs near your kitchen.

Toss a few ornamentals and flowers into the mix and you have a landscape that is beautiful and delicious.

C re a t e a n o u t d o o r “room.” Despite the bugs, outdoor living is pretty pleasant for three seasons a year in the Methow Valley. Before you build, take time to think about how a garden space just out the door could act

Photo by Sue Misao

Your garden can be both beautiful and delicious. an extension of your home.

It’s a cheap way to make a small house seem bigger.

One important element in an outdoor “room” is a sense of definition. Imagine a few chairs and a table nestled within a nook of berry bushes and flowers or a sun-speckled hammock tucked under an arbor of grape vines.

All of the above may seem like distant dreams if you’ve not yet even broken ground for a house, but the time to think about them is before you begin building.

Photo by Sue Misao

When planning your garden site, think about sun, wind, and deer.

So you have a site plan that includes a garden – what’s next?

Do all the excavating at once. Moving dirt is expensive, so it makes sense to move it as few times as possible. Once you have decided where the garden will be, have the excavator stub an irrigation line (and perhaps some electrical conduit) to the garden site at the same time they are roughing utilities into your home site. This is cheaper and easier than going back later and trying to locate, dig up and tap into a buried water line.

Save your topsoil. Topsoil is a rare commodity in the Methow – don’t waste it.

When your excavator begins digging your foundation, have them scrape the topsoil off the foundation area and pile it in an out-of-the-way spot. Better yet, have the excavator stash or spread the topsoil at the site of your future garden. To prevent the exposed topsoil from turning into a weed farm, cover it

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 39

Photo by Joyce Campbell

Dare to dream of a garden overflowing with fruits, vegetables and flowers. with a tarp or mulch it with straw until you are ready to use it. Saving topsoil costs a little more up front, but will save you a lot of money and migraines in the long run.

Put fill and rocks to use.

You’ve saved your topsoil, but what to do with the tens or hundreds of cubic yards of rocks and subsoil that must be removed from your new

foundation? This is where a detailed site plan again comes in handy. Instead of paying thousands of dollars to have the excavator haul away the dirt, what use could you make of it on your site? In some situations, a berm that serves as a noise or visual break might add to your homestead. A berm can be layered with topsoil and

planted with berries, fruit trees or restored with native shrubs and grasses.

Flat ground is at a premium on many upland homesites around the Methow.

In those situations, using the spoils from excavation to rough-in lawn or garden terraces is an economical use for these soils. When it comes time to backfill the founda-

tion, have the excavator top the terraces with the topsoil you stashed nearby.

As you dig the foundation for your home, have a plan for the big rocks you are likely to unearth in the process. Now is the time to set those rocks too big to move by hand in place. With them you can create retaining walls for cuts or terraces or landscape and garden features. Smaller volleyball- to basketball-sized rocks can be piled aside for later use in raised garden beds, rock walls, steps or paths.

Dare to dream. A garden should be a primary design consideration when building a new home. The inclusion of a garden plan during the excavation phase of construction will save you money over time and the end result will be an aesthetic and functional outdoor space that complements your home. This doesn’t necessarily require a landscape architect; it just requires a lot of forethought and a little dreaming.

Page 40

Methow Valley Building 2011

Glossary of building terms

By Patrick Hannigan

Appraisal – An expert valuation of land or home that is dependent on who is getting paid how much for appraising what.

Architect – One who has completed a course of study in the theory of building and is licensed by the state to draw up blueprints that would befuddle M.C. Escher.

Basement – A cold, unfinished void below a house that is usually filled with junk.

Board and batten – Siding composed of narrow strips of wood used to cover joints between vertical boards. Firefighters in the Methow refer to these structures as “tinderboxes.”

Bedrock – A subsurface layer of earth commonly encountered when digging a foundation in the Methow.

See “cost overrun.”

Bid - A formal offer by a contractor to complete certain work at a certain price that occurs prior to filing of lawsuits.

perform impossible feats of magic, such as interpreting plans drawn up by an architect.

when plumbing, electrical, heating, carpentry and other components are installed in the wrong places.

Do-it-yourselfer – A person that begins a construction project believing they can do it all but never ever finishes anything.

Safety meeting – A time to relax, roast and reflect on the hazards of monomania and ambition. OSHA says, “Safety first!”

Dry-in – To weatherproof a new structure by installing a roof. Typically occurs during a blizzard in December.

Square – The third most expensive element of any construction project.

Stud – 1) A vertical wood framing member. 2) A common source of lewd jobsite jokes.

Electrician – A professional who can prevent owner-builders from getting megahertz while messing with their electrical panel.

Tongue and groove – 1) Joint made by fitting the tongue of one board into the matching groove of another.

2) A common source of lewd jobsite jokes.

Estimate – A wild guess as to how much money and time it will take to complete a project. For a more realistic figure, simply double the time and money of any estimate.

Face nail – An accident related to the use of a nail gun. See “toe nail.”

Framer – A carpenter who (in between safety meetings) installs the wood structure of the home.

Toenailing – To drive a nail at a slant into one’s toe.

Photo by Patrick Hannigan

When building a home, it’s helpful to know the tools and terms of the trade. or build homes, reaps the profits, then offloads losses onto the taxpayers.

Building codes – Community ordinances governing the manner in which a home may be constructed that are enforced (or not) depending on the mood of the building inspector.

Ground – Refers to electricity’s habit of seeking the shortest route to earth, usually through the body of a do-it-yourselfer.

Butt joint – The view afforded by a plumber who is working under the sink.

Insulation – An itchy material (usually fiberglass) commonly placed in the walls and ceiling of a home - also known as “itchulation.”

Crawl space – A shallow space below the living quarters of a house normally occupied by black widows, snakes, mice, packrats and skunks.

Level – True horizontal, the first most expensive element in any construction project.

Permit – A governmental municipal authorization theoretically required to perform any building process such as constructing a birdhouse, siding the chicken coop or roofing the doghouse.

Mortgage company – A private company that lends money to consumers to buy

Persuade – An attempt to achieve square, level and plumb via the judicious

Contractor – A company or individual licensed to

Owner-builder – A doit-yourselfer suffering from a limited budget and delusions of grandeur.

Paint – A combination of pigments at the root of many domestic disagreements.

application of a sledgehammer.

Plumb – Exactly vertical and perpendicular. The second most expensive element in any construction project.

Plumber – See “butt joint.”

Reflective insulation – 1) A sheet of insulation covered with aluminum foil. 2) A popular finish siding material in the Methow Valley.

Remodeling – A very expensive process that begins before a house is complete and never, ever ends.

Roughing-in – The initial stage of a construction project

Trim – The finish materials used to span the gap between plans and reality.

Valley – The “V” where two sloping roofs meet designed to collect snow, cause ice dams and create leaks.

Yard of concrete – 1) 27 cubic feet of concrete. 2) The spontaneous landscape that results when one badly overestimates the amount of concrete necessary to pour a foundation.

Zoning – A contentious set of processes and specifications that define the allowable use of a property.

While some favor zoning rules as a means of creating a livable community, others decry zoning as a government intrusion upon their rights – until a neighbor decides to open a nuclear waste storage facility in his or her backyard.

Methow Valley Building 2011

Page 41

One more thing...

I

By Sue Misao

So, build your clothesline t’s neat that you’re first, and design your house bui ld i ng a new around it. Make sure there is house. As a person a door on the same side of the who’s occupied a house as the clothesline. Have house for nearly 15 big picture windows facing the years, I can tell you line so you can sit and watch your that it is a marvelous venue for clothes dry. Chop down any trees all your day-to-day adventures hovering over the line so your in living. You can prepare and clothes won’t get all sappy and eat food there, sleep, bathe, walk so birds won’t have a convenient around and pick stuff up off the place to hang out above them for floor. extended periods of time.

You can also do laundry Building a house is messy there, which is why one of the and your clothes will get very most important structures to condirty, so having the clothesline sider when starting your building already in place will give you project is the clothesline.

A well-placed, well-built Photo by Sue Misao incentive to get the project done faster so you can get your clothesline will make or break It’s good to situate your house where you can watch your clothes dry. clothes clean. Finishing up your your day. If it’s too far from the washer, your clothes might get be very heavy. Using a clothesline That’s why your dryer and washer house early will save you money, rumpled or moldy on the journey saves electricity and gives your should be at opposite ends of the and you can use the extra savings to it, if you even have the time, clothes that crinkly, fresh-air feel, house, or, even better, put the dryer to hire servants to do the laundry for you. energy and strength to make that but if the dryer is closer and more out in the shed.

Don’t forget to build a shed.

Also, buy clothespins. journey. A basket of wet clothes can convenient, you might succumb to it.

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Page 42

Methow Valley Building 2011

Directory of advertisers Accountants Bart Bradshaw, CPA.................9 Appliances Alpine Designs .......................33 Architects & Designers Altitude Design ......................34 Balance Associates Architects ..............................44 David Coleman Architecture.....12 Integrated Design Concepts .... 32 Johnston Architects .................2 Lawrence Architecture ............2 Pierre Maré Architects ............ 7 Pinto Design ...........................34 Richard A. Fisher Architects .....2 Shadowline Design & Construction ....................3 Sun House, Alex Hall.............25 Tall Timber Design Build.......30 Artists & Artisans Bruce Morrison Sculpture ......13 Kamron Coleman ...................21 The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger.............16 Swanson Woodcraft ...............35 Tannehill Company ................30 Waterstone Woodworks .........11 Building Supplies All Valley Insulation ..............41 Alpine Designs ......................33 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ................. 12 Chelan Glass & Door ............. 10 D & R Glassworks .................28 Methow Resource Recovery .....9 Methow Valley Lumber ........17 North Cascade Builders Supply.............8, 33 North Valley Lumber .............43 Perma-Chink Systems ............37 Sierra Pacific Windows ..........20 Winthrop Ace Hardware ........11 Builders & Contractors Bart & Company Construction ......................27 Bighorn Construction .............27 Big Valley Builders ................34 Brandenburg Construction .....43 Byro Construction .................36 Common Sense Custom Homes .....18, 34, 39 David Rudholm Construction ......................29 D. McLane Construction .......39 Eagle Handcrafted Homes .....43 Hilton Construction................15 Hungry Mountain Construction ......................27 Laverty Construction ............35 Lost River Construction .........28 Methow Mountain Homes .....18

Builders & Contractors, Cont.

North Cascades Construction ....7 Norseman Company ................38 Palm Construction .................16 Rhinehart Construction Company ...........................24 Shadowline Design & Construction ...................3 Stopwater Construction..........18 Summit Builders ....................34 Sun House, Alex Hall.............25 Tall Timber Design Build.......30 Teo’s Construction .................35 Western Ranch Buildings .......27 WSA Construction ................41 Yellowjacket Construction .....26 Cabinetry Alpine Designs ......................33 Swanson Woodcraft ...............35 Tannehill Company ................30 Waterstone Woodworks .........11 Carpet Cleaning High-Tec Carpet Cleaning .....37 Cafés & Coffee Roasters Blue Star Coffee Roasters ........6 Concrete & Gravel Brandenburg Construction .....43 Byro Construction .................36 Cascade Concrete ...................21 Five Star Concrete..................16 JA Wright Construction .....19, 29 Palm Construction..................16 Conservation Consultants Altitude Design ......................34 Katharine Bill Environmental Consulting .........................33 Methow Conservancy ............14 Plantas nativa east ..................26 RW Thorpe & Associates .......19 Construction Cleanup Services High-Tec Carpet Cleaning .....37 Electricians Methow Electric .....................26 Switchback Electric ..............33 Energy Consultants/Sales Derosa Edwards .....................14 Energy Solutions ...................33 SolarWind Energy ...................2 Engineering & Design FL Cooley & Associates .......31 Equipment Sales & Rental Cascade Concrete ...................21 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ..................12 Greg Port ................................29 Hamilton Farm Equipment .....2,13

Equipment Sales & Rental, Cont.

Okanogan Truck & Tractor .........6 Port’s Towing & Crane Service....................15 Winthrop Ace Hardware ........... 11 Valley Tractor & Rentals ...........14 Excavating B & B Excavating .................36 Doug Haase Excavating ........25 J.A. Wright Construction .....19, 29 McHugh’s Excavating............19 Palm Construction..................16 Flooring Harmony House Interiors.......13 Methow Valley Lumber .........17 North Valley Lumber .............43 Geothermal Services Fisher Refrigeration ...............30 Fogle Pump & Supply............10 Glass Supply & Design D&R Glass Works ..................28 Chelan Glass & Door .............10 Heating & Air Conditioning Al Ju Stoves & Fireplaces ........6 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ..................12 Energy Solutions ...................33 Fisher Refrigeration ...............30 Hamilton Farm Equipment .....................2, 13 North Valley Lumber .............43 Interior Design Harmony House Interiors ......13 Insulation All Valley Insulation ..............41 Cascade Foam & Coatings .....28 Methow Valley Lumber .........17 North Valley Lumber .............43 Insurance Melbourn Insurance Co. ..........8 Irrigation Services & Supplies Beaver Creek Well Services.....................14 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ................... 12 Doug Haase Excavating ........25 Fogle Pump & Supply............10 Hamilton Farm Equipment .....................2, 13 Lester’s Well Pump Service .....21 MVM Quality Drilling ...........31 Lodging Central Reservations ..............19

Land Use Permits Altitude Design ......................34 RW Thorpe & Associates .......19

Propane Sales, Cont.

Okanogan County Energy, Inc. .......................24

Landscaping Services & Supplies Altitude Design ......................34 Brothers Fire ..........................32 Cascade Concrete ...................21 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply .................. 12 Dennis Jones Chipping & Tree Service ..................... 9 Eastern Green Hydroseeding .....41 Eric Claussen .........................38 Hamilton Farm Equipment .....................2, 13 Kamron Coleman ...................21 Katharine Bill Environmental Consulting .........................33 Loup Loup Tree Service.........36 Plantas nativa east ..................26 Wild Hearts Nursery ...............7 Windy Valley Landscaping .....39

Real Estate Blue Sky Real Estate................6

Legal Services Perkins Coie, Sandy Mackie .....18 Masonry Eric Claussen .........................38 Kamron Coleman ...................21 Masonry Arts..........................39 Metal Workers The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger.............16 Non-Profit Organizations Methow Conservancy ............14 Methow Resource Recovery .....9 Office Supplies & Reproductions Havillah Road Printing & Graphics ........................15 Painters New Dimension Painting .......30 Plumbing Allways Plumbing .................. 25 Pole Buildings Norseman Co. ......................... 38 Porta Potty Rentals J.A. Wright Construction ...............19, 29 Pre-Fabricated Homes Method Homes .......................44 S&H Manufactured Homes .....36 Winton Global Homes ...........33 Propane Sales North Cascades Propane Service ...............14

Recycling Methow Resource Recovery .....9 Restaurants/Breweries Old Schoolhouse Brewery .......9 Roofing Cascade Foam & Coatings .....28 Triple T Roofing ......................8 Septic Design FL Cooley & Associates .......31 J.A. Wright Construction ...............19, 29 Monetta & Associates ............28 Solar Power Derosa Edwards .....................14 Energy Solutions ...................33 SolarWind Energy Systems.....29 Sun House, Alex Hall.............25 Steel Buildings Western Ranch Buildings .......27 Surveyors Erlandsen & Associates..........26 Tackman Surveying ...............14 Tree Services Brothers Fire ..........................32 Dennis Jones Chipping & Tree Service ....................9 Loup Loup Tree Service.........36 Well Drilling & Pump, Sales & Service Beaver Creek Well Service .....14 Fogle Pump & Supply............10 Lester’s Well Pump Service .....21 MVM Quality Drilling ...........31 Windows & Doors All Valley Insulation ..............41 Chelan Glass & Door .............10 D & R Glassworks .................28 Methow Resource Recovery .....9 Methow Valley Lumber ........17 North Valley Lumber .............43 North Cascade Builders Supply.............33, 8 Sierra Pacific Windows ..........20 Tannehill Company ................30 Woodworkers Alpine Designs ......................33 Swanson Woodcraft ...............35 Tannehill Company ................30 Waterstone Woodworks .........11

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winthrop 509.996.8148 seattle 206.322.7737 balanceassociates.com

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