Methow Home 2012 by Methow Valley News

Lawrence Architecture lawrencearchitecture.com 206.332.1832

Photo ÂŠ Steve Keating Photography

elcome to the first issue of Methow Home, the annual supplement that has for many years been known as Methow Valley Building. We have not only rechristened the publication, but also redesigned it and broadened its reach. Methow Home will still focus heavily on the main aspects of home and second home ownership in the valley, but will also expand its coverage to be more

Your new Home inclusive and useful for current homeowners, potential buyers and people intent on realizing their own Methow Valley dream with a custom-designed home. We intend Methow Home to be both personal and practical, with an emphasis on all that goes into creating a unique living space in a special setting. And we will spotlight the talents, products and services of local businesses that have

a significant presence in the valley marketplace. We are also featuring the unique stories of half-a-dozen local homeowners who brought their ideas to life, and may inspire others to do the same. Methow Valley Building has been a popular annual supplement, with wide distribution in the valley and beyond, and we hope Methow Home will build on that momentum. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excited about the direc-

tion that Methow Home will take our readers and advertisers. We know that there are lots of other interesting homes out there to profile, and so we will be looking for more ideas and suggestions from architects, builders and homeowners. Let us know what you think. Contact us at editor@methowvalleynews. com or call (509) 997-7011. Don Nelson Publisher and Editor

Methow Home 3

Methow Home

CONTENTS 6 Creative construction

2012/2013

Local builders adapt to downsizing trend A supplement to the Methow Valley News Don Nelson

publisher/editor

Sue Misao design

8 Plant yourself

Landscape design is not an afterthought

11 Outer space

Sheds, garages, barns and guest houses add utility

Robin Doggett

ad sales manager

Marilyn Bardin office manager

Callie Fink ad sales

Dana Sphar

ad design/production

Linda Day ad design

Janet Mehus office assistant

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 www.methowvalleynews.com editor@methowvalleynews.com

4 Methow Home

14 Home work

Defining an effective work place where you live

16 Artful ideas

Make room for creative works

19 Know the drill

Looking after wells and septic systems

22 Home cooking

The ingredients of an efficient kitchen

26 Heart & Home

Six Methow designs that reflect their ownersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; personalities

40 Setting boundaries Our fences say a lot about our open spaces

Contributors Don Nelson is publisher and editor of the Methow Valley News.

42 Fencing styles

Marcy Stamper

44 Saving the best

Ann McCreary

A photo gallery

How conservation easements work

46 Ready for anything

Outfitting your home for work and play

48 Before you buy ...

Advice from local real estate experts

49 Valley builders ...

No one does it better

50 Directory of advertisers

Finding products and services you can use

is a Methow Valley News reporter.

Mike Maltais is the sports editor of the Methow Valley News.

Laurelle Walsh is a Methow Valley News reporter and proofreader.

Bob Spiwak is Methow Valley News columnist and freelance writer and photographer.

Ashley Lodato is a Methow Valley News columnist.

Patrick Hannigan

is a columnist for the Methow Valley News and local freelance writer.

Joanna Smith is a Methow Valley News columnist.

On the cover:

Georgina Tobiska

Wolf Creek home is a natural fit for the valley. Photo by Steve Keating, courtesy of Balance Associates

Peter Morgan

is a local freelance writer.

and his wife, Raleigh Bowden, own the Methow Valley Inn. Methow Home 5

Downsizing the dream The new trend in homebuilding is smaller â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but still distinct By MIKE MALTAIS

Affordability and practicality are the new priorities for new homes. Photo by Sue Misao

6 Methow Home

new reality is raising its head among Methow Valley homebuilders this year. Its influence is being reflected in fewer orders, and for smaller projects, coming from a client base that is downsizing the dream home in proportion to diminished financial options. If cash is not king, it certainly will be a ruler of notable measure for Methow Valley homebuilders and contractors in 2012. Those once generous hands of commercial lenders have now tightened their icy grip around the purse

strings, made credit significantly harder to come by and cooled the building boom of recent years. This is one component of the local homebuilding economy that Andy Hover, manager of North Valley Lumber, hopes will soon change. “I hope the banking industry will loosen the reins a little bit,” Hover said. “Interest rates are lower than they have been in years, but many people just can’t qualify for loans.” Hover added that even homeowners with high-to-100 percent equity ratios in their homes are finding it difficult to unlock that value by borrowing against it.

Getting creative Still, dreams die hard, especially when proprietary to resilient Methow residents who dine on adversity as if it was a mere condiment for the principal repast of life. So, when the going gets tough, the tough get creative. Scaled-down designs, better heating efficiency, repurposed materials, greater green awareness, less expensive components, more sweat equity, and remodeling as an

alternative to new structures are among the options being considered by contractors and clients today. “Needs, lifestyle, and budget, that’s what families are looking at now,” said Chris Stern, owner of Common Sense Custom Homes. Stern, whose background is in forest management, built his own log home in the valley in 1977 and

“Needs, lifestyle, and budget, that’s what families are looking at now.” Chris Stern of Common Sense Custom Homes started his construction business the following year. Since that time he has witnessed the ups and downs of the homebuilding activity here. “For the first five years after I started my business I could tell you every house that was being built in the valley and who was build-

ing it.” Stern said. “During the next 10 years it really took off and I couldn’t keep up with half of who was doing what.” Stern says now the emphasis is back on “matching dreams to budgets and practicality.”

Staying in focus That’s easier said than done, and while Stern admits that he likes working with clients who have some idea of what they want to do, he said the trick is to “massage a project to match materials with styles and dreams and bring them back into focus,” to stay within budget constraints. Andy McConkey of Stopwater Construction said that while “I don’t do a ton of volume, last year we had a really great year” building homes that the owners are now finishing. That pace has slowed in 2012, McConkey said, adding that the types of jobs are about the same but the numbers are down. Hover noted that some builders who were previously “booked two or more years out are now looking for business.” Hover observed that home-

builders are taking a second look at materials expense as an avenue to reduce costs, “substituting faux stone for the real thing or passing on cedar siding for a more economical choice.” David Ekblad, owner of Ekblad Construction, encourages his clients to consider sweat equity as a route to savings on labor costs. “I incorporate client labor all the time in my projects,” Ekblad said. He cited as a recent example a couple that was very involved in the home he was constructing for them. “They did a lot of sanding, oiling, organizing and cleanup,” Ekblad said. He added that for the motivated clients who recognize their limitations there is still much they can contribute toward their own projects. At the end of the day and at the end of the project, those for whom money is a limiting factor will, with the right kind of qualified help, find ways to scale back what once might have been possible to what is economically feasible. Dream homes can still be built, even if they are downsized in dollars and scale. 

Methow Home 7

Site & foresight Make landscape design part of your planning from the start

Rocks and old farm implements don’t need watering, but native plants do in the first three years. Photo by Sue Misao

ou’re ready to build your Methow Valley dream home. You’ve gone through months, maybe years, of planning, and the bulldozer is ready to roll. But hold on … do you have

By ANN McCREARY

o la r

g er

8 Methow Home

your landscape design in place? Local landscapers say you can save yourself a lot of time and expense by creating your landscape plan before you move any dirt for your house. “If you’re building a new

home, think about landscaping prior to beginning construction,” advises Sarah Schrock, owner of Altitude Design. “Look at what you’ve got on site and don’t disrupt it. If you want to utilize native plants,

trying to bring back the you can often salvage natural surroundings that what’s on site.” inspired them to build in the “A lot of times people Methow in the first place. call me two years after “Many people move to the house has been comthe Methow Valley because pleted,” said landscaper they are attracted to the Eric Claussen of Mountain pristine natural environThyme Design. “Bulldozers ment that still exists here,” and backhoes thrash everyBrell says. “When they thing, and the landscaper decide to build their home, is expected to come in and a certain amount of that re-create everything. environment is destroyed. “I have to go in often That’s where bringing the and re-grade,” Claussen native plants back in gives says. “If you have to put the restoration process a in 100 yards of material … kick start.” that’s tremenWorking dously expenwith plants sive. If you can “Until plants that are native protect things to the Methow and not thrash have their full Valley has your site, then root system advanit’s going to be intact, they are many tages, landa lot easier.” not drought scapers say. Schrock “We are advises new tolerant.” very fortuhomebuilders Bergen Brell, Canyon nate that the to be strategic Creek Landscapes Methow Valley about topsoil has so many that is moved native plants during conwith ornamental qualities,” struction. Brell says. “Abundant flow“Make sure it’s stockers giving way to colorful piled in areas where it will berries or interesting seed be easy to access and dispods. Vivid stem hues and tribute,” she says. “During seasonal color changes proconstruction is also a good vide some amazing landtime to dig trenches for irriscaping potential.” gation or sculpt land forms People sometimes have such as swales or berms some misconceptions about that are part of the design, landscaping with native because the equipment is plants, however. Because already there.” native plants are generally Going native assumed to be droughttolerant and deer-resistant, Bergen Brell of Canyon people may think they need Creek Landscapes works little care. strictly with native plants. “A lot of people think Her clients are usually

you can just do a native landscape and not water it, and that’s not true. Until plants have their full root system intact, they are not drought tolerant. They need three years of irrigation and fertilization,” Brell says. “Native plants are what deer eat,” she adds. “You do need to provide protection.” Brell likes to design landscaping that can be protected for three years, until the plants become Cont. on P. 10

Have a plan for your boulders when your bulldozer’s ready to roll. Photo by Joyce Campbell

Even without flowers, your landscape can be quite colorful. Photo by Robin Doggett Methow Home 9

From Page 9

established, and then the protection can be removed. She creates “swaths” of similar plants so that deer damage is not as noticeable. “If you have a swath of 20 service berries, deer will walk through and browse it and not annihilate it,” she says. Claussen uses natives in his landscaping, but also turns to what he calls “nearly natives” to add more color throughout the growing season. Many natives bloom in spring, but when the hot summer weather sets in they go dormant, he said. “I integrate those native plants so you have early bloom, and use nearly natives to try to sustain that foliage bloom throughout the season,” he says.

Simplicity works too

Brell said that people who want a true native landscape need to understand that the plantings around their home will follow the pattern of growth that occurs throughout the valley. “Native landscapes are not super-flowery. Flowers are really abundant in spring, but the flowering is usually over by summer. There is a lot of color happening, but not in the form of flowers,” she says. “Color starts coming back in the fall,” she adds. “Oregon grape starts turning bright red, Douglas maple turns bright yellow. There are vivid orange red mountain ash, dark purple

10 Methow Home

Designed features can create distinct landscaping effects. Photo courtesy of Eric Claussen

elderberries and bright red chokecherries. A person has to look into the landscape beyond flowers. There is still a lot of color. And by landscaping in swaths, the color is magnified.” Claussen, who does landscape installation as well as design, said he has gravitated toward greater simplicity and more hardscape – stones and wood structures – in his landscaping. For instance, he said he recently enjoyed creating a design of all rock, from river rock to boulders. “I can do a beautiful hardscape and minimize the amount of planting you have to do,” Claussen says. Simplicity of the hardscape and plantings

is appropriate for the Methow Valley, Claussen said. “Tiers and tiers of rock walls don’t really work here because they are hard to weed,” Claussen says. “I would rather hold a bank with some nice big rocks, grasses, native shrubs and perennials.” Brell said she takes inspiration in her work from the natural beauty of the Methow Valley. “If I can bring that pristine natural environment back to the places where it has been disturbed or destroyed … then I feel that I have done my small part in helping keep the beautiful Methow Valley how I found it.” 

From sheds to barns to guest houses, utility buildings require some thought By PATRICK HANNIGAN

Take it outside

and chicken coops – just to name a few. Since outbuildings are a fact of life for most in the Methow, let’s take a look at some of the rules and regulations that pertain to structures other than our primary dwelling units. Sound official, eh? Well, when it comes to outbuildings, there is a lot of official stuff to know. Fortunately, it’s all so complicated we can’t begin to cover it in this article, so we’ll keep it brief before moving on to less tedious aspects of outbuildings.

Zoning Have a purpose in mind when you think about an outbuilding. Photo by Patrick Hannigan

eople in the Methow have stuff, and stuff takes up space – but what happens when we have more stuff than space? The answer is outbuildings. A simple drive through the val-

ley reveals an amazing diversity of outbuildings: guest houses, garages, barns, carports, workshops, art studios, wood sheds, tool sheds, saunas, playhouses, tree houses, greenhouses, pump houses, outhouses, root cellars

Despite the occasionally chaotic look of some of the outbuilding-rich Hooverville-style homesteads in the Methow, the valley is not the Wild West. When it comes to zoning, the Methow is a highly regulated locale and there are multiplicities of zoning codes that define the allowable existence or use of outbuildings. Beyond that, generalizations are difficult.

Cont. on P. 12

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From Page 11

Say, for example, you are considering buying a piece of land or a home with an eye toward later adding a garage with a mother-inlaw apartment. Depending on the location, that may or may not be possible. Most (but not all) of the private land in the Methow falls within the Methow Review District, but within that district there are more than a half-dozen subdistricts, each with its own rules relevant to the use, size and placement of outbuildings. Varying regulations apply to lots, one-acre parcels, five-acre parcels and 20-plus-acre pieces, and those rules will be different, depending on whether or not the property in question is in town, out of town or in a planned development. Clear as mud? In short, anyone considering a home or land in the valley should clearly understand which zoning rules apply to a given property and be certain how those regulations are compatible with the intended construction of outbuildings. The best way to figure all this out is to call the Okanogan County Planning Department at (509) 422-7160

You may want to leave construction of bigger buildings to the professionals. Photo by Don Nelson

with property parcel number in hand and start asking questions.

Permitting Building permits are required for outbuildings in the Methow Valley – with a few notable exceptions. Once the Planning Department has determined a particular

outbuilding is permissible, the Building Department is charged with permitting and inspecting that structure to ensure it conforms to applicable codes. Permits are not required for “agricultural buildings,” which are defined as outbuildings designed to house farm implements, hay,

Common Sense Custom Homes, Inc.

12 Methow Home

grain, poultry and livestock, so long as those buildings are less than 4,000 square feet and are not designed for human habitation, public use, or as a place of employment. Other permit-exempt structures include single-story storage sheds with a footprint of 200 square feet or less. Guest houses, carports, garages, wood shops, art studios and most other outbuildings are not exempt. Note: Even outbuildings that are exempt from the building permit process may not be allowed, depending on sitespecific zoning codes. In practice, enforcement is occasionally spotty in a huge, rural area like Okanogan County, but that is less true in the Methow Valley. Building inspectors are primarily concerned with new construction and, for the most part, are not as picky about older, established structures. If you plan to invest a significant amount of money or time in a new outbuilding, it pays to at least try to pretend to jump through the relevant hoops. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories, but the

building officials I’ve worked with have generally been fair and even forgiving at times. A good attitude goes a long way.

Planning The old proverb about how failing to plan is planning to fail is particularly pithy when it comes to outbuildings. It doesn’t matter if you live on a century-old homestead or just acquired a raw acre; outbuildings are an inevitably evolutionary process, a standing (and sometimes leaning) history of good and bad development decisions. So, before breaking ground on a new outbuilding, stop and draw up a site plan. A site plan assesses what is, imagines what might be, and speculates on how those extant and theoretical outbuildings might work together – or not. It sounds complicated, but all it really takes is a few crayons and some paper. Think of a site plan as a sort of bird’s eye view of your property – a graphic representation of the arrangement of boundaries, buildings (existing or proposed), driveor pathways, utilities, topography, views, trees, sun, garden spaces,

landscaping, etc. The more elements you can include in a site plan, the better. Even with a site plan, it’s easy to put outbuildings in the wrong places. Trust me, in the decade I’ve been developing my homestead, I’ve built five outbuildings, disassembled two of those and moved another three times. A good site plan can spare you a lot of outbuilding-related headaches in the long run and result in a home site that hangs together in coherent fashion.

Building The actual construction of outbuildings is often the fun part because it’s the stage when we can get our hands dirty and see our dreams take physical form. Regardless of whether you are doing it yourself or hiring help, outbuildings are a chance to add to your lot in life in a functional and creative manner. One of the biggest challenges with outbuildings – from guest houses to chicken coops – is maintaining some degree of consistency in terms of style. That doesn’t mean that all structures on a property need be exactly the same, but think of it in terms of echoes. A

Check zoning and permitting requirements before siting a new building. Photo by Patrick Hannigan

house, a woodshed, a gazebo and a garage can either complement each other or appear totally haphazard depending on whether or not there is some echo in terms of design, color or finish materials. In conclusion, it seems that the longer we live in one place, the greater our need for outbuildings,

for we humans tend to be acquisitive creatures. I know one couple who likes to boast about how their 800-square-foot home is plenty of space. I just look around at the half-dozen outbuildings, including barns, studios, sheds and shops that surround their small house, nod and laugh. X

Methow Home 13

Working solutions Making space for a home office By GEORGINA TOBISKA

he home office: How do we combine the two? How do we separate them? It’s a challenge. There may be no door to close off for privacy, or the cash on hand (before siding is complete) to erect walls, so the home office may function as dining room, home school center, and desk for computer and phone. Decidedly not ideal. However, many in the Methow have elevated the home office to a more distinct status. Partly because of our remote location, home businesses flourish here. Most common are private contractors and consultants who create businesses from scratch and second homeowners who can work remotely or part time. Nationally, home-based businesses are more popular than ever as people get creative in our recessed job market. Home offices in the valley have their own character. Using recycled and rustic materials amid high technologies is popular. Energy efficiency tends to guide design, and many homebuilders are requesting green construction. Light, color, feng shui and multi-use values are also integral to many designs.

Common Sense Custom Homes, Inc.

14 Methow Home

Sense of well-being Over the 10 years that Hilton Construction has been in the valley, they have included a home office in almost every home they’ve built. Mike and Laurie Hilton work closely with their clients to create a work space in which they are inspired and want to spend time. Laurie Hilton reflects, “creating a sense of well-being within the work space is often overlooked in our culture.” To create that sense, Hilton Construction’s designs focus on natural light, positioning and storage efficiency as well as technological considerations. Feng shui principles, such as the use of natural elements (stone, wood, metals, etc.) and a color palate from natural surroundings (such as “green lichen” and “red dogwood”) also guide their designs. The Hiltons look at office design in terms of specific technology needs first, asking their clients to consider details like recharger locations, number of necessary personal devices and technology specific storage. The advent of paperless offices makes many different designs possible.

Desk by day, “Murphy bed” by night.

Besides stand-alone offices, the Hiltons have designed several combo rooms. “We’ve done several closet offices in the design/build stage, and we designed them so that they could be either a closet or an office,” Laurie says. “Sometimes it makes the most sense for use of space and to be able to close it off at the end of the day. Often however, this can be confining, lighting isn’t that great and your back tends to be to the entrance. Lack of inspiration may be the trade-off.” Of the 20 or so homes that the firm Balance Associates has designed in the Methow, chief

Less room, more organization

Photos by Steve Keating Photography

architect Tom Lenchek says he has included offices in the majority. Increasingly, folks love to build second homes here that almost always include home office for remote work. “Recently what we’ve seen is that the houses have gotten smaller, the average is in the two- to three-bedroom range, about 1,500 square feet,” he says. “They have become more modest in size but nicer in finish. Most of our clients are interested in green construction. Passive solar, using recycled materials, making the building last, these are the basics of our clients’ needs.”

Nancy St. Clair, owner/operator of St. Clair WEBWorks, has designed many an office in her private career, and says definitively: More is not better. She has been a webmaster for small businesses and nonprofits for many years and knows the hazards of work-at-home multitasking and the threat of clutter in the home office. “I recently got rid of two corner cabinets, a big antique oak desk, a heavy wood computer table, a computer modular unit, a filing cabinet, three printers, two scanners,” she says. “The only thing I have left is one large, open clean desk, one cabinet and a day bed for lounging.” “The most important thing about working at home for me is staying organized,” she adds. “Whereas having a town office requires you to maintain organization, at home it’s easy to get dysfunctional and make yourself crazy.” She has managed to avoid that through simplification of furniture and technologies as well as making her office inviting and comfortable. Or perhaps, limit yourself to a very small space, where clutter isn’t an option. Balance Associates designed an office out of a closet with a reclaimed wide barn door which slid out of the way. It measures just two feet by eight feet. Lenchek notes that “more and more, people are using their laptops, so the office space can be smaller and more efficient. There is less of a trend to create exclusive office spaces. In one Methow home design, we have a ‘murphy bed,’ which folds up into the wall when it is not in use, then

the desk folds down out of the bed. Another home design, Arrowleaf, includes an office that houses two single beds along windowed walls which serve as seating but also convert into guest quarters.”

Being creative What to do when there’s no budget for brand new infrastructure? Even though the ideal would be to create your office as your favorite room, reality might not include a huge budget. Even a laptop can be enough for a home office, given creativity and determination. Sarah Berns is a great example of Methow home business ingenuity. The operator of Spring Creek Ranch in Winthrop, Berns took on a second job at home as a screenplay writer. Because her former home office had become her baby daughter’s bedroom, she had to search hard for privacy. Her solution? She re-appropriated the family summer traveler trailer into an impromptu office while writing her screenplay for the Sundance Film Festival. “It was great to have some space outside of the home where I could set up all my books and notes and computer,” Berns says. “And I just shoveled the door out the other day so I could continue working on my current scripts!” So, whether it’s a haven of personal luxury, a multi-use room that combines many family needs, or a lonely trailer that needs a friend, working at home can be quite workable in the Methow. 

Methow Home 15

Think

art

from the start Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to make space for your favorite pieces By PATRICK HANNIGAN

Artwork can include anything you think is creative and decorative. Photo by Sue Misao

new house bought or built is like a blank canvas. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an empty space loaded with potential, ready and awaiting personalization by its occupants. Art, in the form of painting or sculp-

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

Your local nonprofit working to protect the best of the Methow Valley. Learn more about our conservation projects & classes www.methowconservancy.org Methow Conservancy 509-996-2870 16 Methow Home

ture, an antique chair or an heirloom quilt, is one of the ways we transform a house into a home. Art has a profound effect on the feel of a finished space, but too often the details of

Look for light

An art centerpiece can help define a large space. Photo by Patrick Hannigan

interior design are relegated to afterthought during the whirlwind of construction. Yet devoting a little up-front thought toward creating spaces and places for art in a home makes both practical and aesthetic sense and can dramatically improve a home. “Working with a designer early in the process, before you’ve even poured the foundation, can help a lot,” said Erin Putnam, an interior designer from Winthrop. “I always ask people, ‘What objects do

you want as focal points in your home? What things are special to you?’” The answers can affect basic construction considerations, such as wiring, the placement of built-in lighting or the dimensions of an open wall, and also shape choices such as color, texture and finish materials. Putnam emphasizes that art in a home is broader than just a painting on a wall: It can be a lamp, a vase, a view, or functional items such as a chair or a fireplace.

A designer can facilitate the conversations among homeowner, architect and contractor and notice things that might otherwise be overlooked, said Carolyn Schmekel, who started Harmony House Interiors in Winthrop in 1986. “Sometimes people design a home around their art. In other cases, people have purchased a home and are trying to figure out how to incorporate art into a space,” said Schmekel, who sold Harmony House and now works as an independent design consultant. Lighting – day and night – is an important factor governing the placement or selection of art in a space, said Schmekel. Sunlight can cause glare or wash out a wall space, and direct sun over time can have a ruinous effect on a photograph, a special rug or an antique couch. When Barbara Newman decided to build a new home on Wolf Creek, creating spaces for art was a priority. Her son Jeremy Newman, who is an artist and owner of Twisp River Glassworks, built the house with an eye toward the artistic. “I wanted to have some big open walls washed with light where I could display some of my quilt collection,” said Newman. “But we also wanted little niches here and there for art, including Jeremy’s work, of course.”

For instance, by adding little lights to the space above their refrigerator, the Newmans transformed a throwaway space into an attractive nook that highlights small sculptural pieces. “We were kind of lucky because it took us a long time to get started on our house, so we had a lot of time to think about little details like that,” said Newman. “It makes a big Cont. on P. 18

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Methow Home 17

From Page 17

Photo by Marcy Stamper

difference in the end. Too often art is sort of an afterthought.”

Prioritizing art Tina and Harold Heath had accumulated a significant art collection through the years, so when they built their new home near Big Valley Ranch, Tina went as far as to give their architect measurements of each

painting and sculpture she wanted in the home. “I wouldn’t say I’d put art over plumbing, but it was very important to me that art and home all work perfectly together,” said Tina. “Good design is joy all through the year.” Heath said the process of working with an architect was invaluable in bringing her vision of an artistic home to life. There was just one conflict: Tina had a piece of art with sentimental value, but the architect balked at including the piece because he thought it just didn’t work. Sentiment prevailed over professional judgment and Tina included the piece anyway. “I told him I thought the job of the architect was to do what we wanted, only better,” said Heath. “It worked out; in the end we got something better than we could imagine.” While design professionals can help, they are not always necessary and

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even the most modest space can be a beautiful one, said Irene Simms, who lives in a doublewide near Twisp. Simms has an extensive collection of local art, including a piece from Steve Ward, which inspired her to repaint her living room

bright red. Simms then painted her kitchen chartreuse with a Jackson Pollock splatterstyle paint job for the floor. The centerpiece of her office is a creatively painted hood from an old Karmann Ghia.

“I’ve kind of adapted my space to go with my art,” said Simms. “It’s a bit of a potpourri, but I love it. It feels good and it inspires me.” In the end, that’s exactly what most of us hope for in a living space. 

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Incoming and outgoing How to take care of your well and septic system By ASHLEY LODATO

our home’s tap water is something you probably don’t think much about, unless there is a problem. That’s the way it should be, says Beaver Creek Well Services owner Jake Whipple. “If a well is properly constructed there shouldn’t be any problems with the well itself,” he says. Although mechanical problems arise when well pumps, switches and other parts fail, these issues are usually remedied with a call to a well services professional. “We have such great tap water around here,” said Whipple, “that unless your well has a known problem or a history of contaminants, you probably don’t need to do any regular testing unless you notice a change in taste, appearance, or quality.” Whipple has a few pieces of advice for homeowners regarding maintaining wells that function smoothly. “First,” says Whipple, “before you buy a piece of property with a well, do your homework. If the well

Proper installation of a drain field is essential. Photo by Ashley Lodato

is an old hand-dug well, a shallow well, or a well where the casing is located below the ground, you may face some well problems in your future.” For new construction, Whipple urges homeowners to make space inside their new homes for the mechanical workings of a well such as the well pump and pressure switch. Some homeowners locate these mechanics outside the house in a concrete vault to save space, but Whipple cautions that these systems subject the electrical components to moisture, rodents, and insects that frequently cause problems. If your waterline is buried less than 6 feet deep, Whipple recommends keeping it accessible in winter by not plowing over it, just in case it freezes and

needs to be mechanically thawed. Similarly, for wells located in outdoor concrete vaults, Whipple cautions that in years when extreme cold temperatures come prior to thick insulating snow layers, and the frost layer creeps down to fiveto-six feet, homeowners may need to install a heat source inside the vault to keep the parts from freezing.

Know your field While your well provides incoming water to your home, your septic system deals with outgoing water and other material. In most private residences without sewer services the septic system is essentially a large tank designed to hold human biological waste until it is broken

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From Page 19

down (through time and natural bacterial processes) into gases (which are released through vents), water (which is dispersed into a drain field, also called a leach field), and solids (which remain in the bottom of the tank until they are pumped out). The function of a properly sized and properly installed septic system should be uncomplicated; however, due to all the extra demands most of us put on our septic systems – including disposing of kitchen wastes, laundry and dishwasher products, soaps and shampoos used in showers and baths, not to mention all that excess water – septic system problems can occur when homeowners are not attentive. Jim Wright of J.A. Wright Construction & Septic Services says that lack of maintenance creates most septic problems. Happily, however, homeowners can remedy this problem simply by paying attention to their septic systems. “The best thing a person can do for his septic,” says Wright, “is get it inspected and pumped about every three years.”

20 Methow Home

And the worst thing? For Wright it’s a toss-up between using a garbage disposal and flushing sanitary wipes. That’s right – those moist wipes that mothers with children in diapers can’t imagine living without? Kiss of death on a septic system. They don’t break down like toilet paper; they simply float around as undissolved solids in a tank, either clogging the floating layer or making their way out of the tank and into the drainfield. The typical conventional (gravity) 1,000-gallon septic tank used by a family of four living year-round in a house will require pumping about every three years. Excessive water consumption, use of a garbage disposal, and flushing non-human waste solids will increase pumping frequency. Also, “alternative,” or pressurized, systems need to be checked yearly.

Rules to dispose by In addition to regular inspection and pumping, Wright has some other recommendations for keeping septic systems operating as intended: • Minimize and disperse water

use. Excess water prevents solids in the septic tank from settling on the bottom, which forces them into outlet pipes that are designed to handle only liquids. • Install low-flow shower heads and toilets. • Repair leaky faucets. • Take shorter showers. • Spread out laundry loads over several days. • Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes. • Reconsider your whole-house water softener; it adds a hydraulic overload to the system. • Prevent extra solids from entering the system. “If people introduce a lot of extra solids,” says Wright, “that’s just extra material that needs to be broken down and eventually pumped out.” • Avoid using your garbage disposal. • Wipe cooking grease onto a paper towel and then put in the compost or trash. • Compost (or throw away) coffee grounds and other food particles that might slip down the drain. • Use super-concentrated liquid or gel soaps in dishwashers and

washing machines. Powdered soaps and detergents consist of mostly “fillers” such as clay that clog the distribution pipes. • Put only biodegradable items into the septic system. Non-biodegradable matter never breaks down in the septic system and the extra material simply raises the liquid level in the tank, forcing floating solids into outlet pipes designed only for liquid. Toxic chemicals do not break down; they are simply distributed into the soil in the leach field, contaminating it. Human waste and toilet paper should be the only solids you introduce into your septic system. All other solid items should be composted (e.g., paper towels) or thrown away. This includes allegedly flushable items such as sanitary wipes, tampons, disposable diapers, cigarette butts, and even prescription medications. Toxic chemicals such as solvents, paints, and paint thinners should never enter your septic system because they kill off the beneficial bacteria in the tank. The Twisp Transfer Station has a free program for disposing of hazardous house

Potential Problems with Well Water

Possible causes

TASTE: water tastes objectionable – salty, soapy,

High sodium, alkaline minerals, iron, chemicals/ pesticides, other contaminants

SIGHT: scale or scummy residue, murky water, stains

Calcium or magnesium salts, high pH, dirt, silt, rust, iron, problems with filters or pump

SMELL: sulfur odor, soapy odor, gasoline or oil smell,

Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas or sulfur reducing bacteria, seepage from septic system or gasoline storage, over-chlorination, decomposing organic matter

HEALTH: recurring gastrointestinal problems,

Presence of pathogens, coliform bacteria, arsenic, or lead (more common in houses built before 1986)

metallic, or chemical

on fixtures or laundry

chlorine smell, methane gas smell

problems with the central nervous system, the brain, the circulatory system, or the kidneys

For homeowners who seek regular or periodic testing, the Drinking Water Program of the Okanogan County Public Health Department offers convenient water testing services for bacteria and nitrates, and many online services (such as Cascade Analytical in Wenatchee) offer mail-in water tests for other compounds and contaminants. hold chemicals. Be wary of commercial septic tank additives. Although the state health department lists some on their website, Wright says that no

one he’s talked to in the business is convinced they do any good, and some think they are detrimental to the bacterial action in the tank.

Finally, says Wright, don’t neglect your drainfield. Don’t let vehicles or livestock compact your drainfield. Landscape with native grasses that don’t need additional

watering. Divert runoff water away from the drainfield. A septic system that is properly maintained will last as long as the house it was built to service. 

Methow Home 21

A Methow cook’s kitchen Simplicity, the right equipment and good ingredients are essential to cooking at home By GEORGINA TOBISKA

Nicole Ringgold’s kitchen is designed for energy efficiency and good working space. Photo courtesy of Nicole Ringgold

he modern gourmet kitchen – how we love thee. The clean lines, the vast space like an untouched canvas – so easy on the eyes, so not on the checkbook. Every spanking new glittering tool has its place and the stove looks like it may shoot into space without warning. What a vision for the gourmet chef. But with our unique growing climate and increasingly naturalist Methow culture, is the unmarred elegance of the modern kitchen what great chefs of the valley really want?

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22 Methow Home

Certainly the beauty of high-end construction, appliances and tools are appreciated by the seasoned chef. But other aspects of design – such as efficiency, simplicity and accessibility – play equally important roles in guiding design layout. Herein you’ll find creative ideas for designing your kitchen space, seasoned advice preparing Methoworiginated cuisine and tried and true methods of professional chefs and local cooks.

Design considerations Whether you are building

or remodeling a kitchen or simply reorganizing your existing space, there are a handful of simple yet essential questions to ask, according to architects and chefs alike. Who will be cooking in your home? Is there one primary family chef or two? Will you be cooking often as a couple or the whole family, or with groups of friends at parties? Perhaps there is a combination to account for in layout. The main point to consider is how much space the cook (or cooks) needs to move about comfortably. A kitchen that serves many with food prepared by one cook requires a much smaller, efficient work space. A kitchen for a couple or family that enjoys cooking together will require more counter space and work centers. How do you like to cook? How much do you use a stovetop verses a broiler, a Dutch oven, toaster oven, microwave, the oven proper or the grill? Consider how much you use storage for frozen foods, canned goods, root cellar foods and pantry items. Defining how you cook will help determine what to invest in those tools and appliances specific to your needs. Big money need not be spent on gourmet devices but rather on appliances that serve your cooking style. Are you a private cook or a social chef? Do you love creating a meal by yourself and presenting the finished product? Perhaps you want to socialize with guests while cooking or want to encourage friends to join in. Determine what style suits you and design your kitchen to accommodate it. What would make your kitchen a favorite room? One commonality of professional chefs and lay cooks in the Methow is the desire to do-it-yourself, cook simply, but with the

finest ingredients. Those aren’t tough to find here, but building your perfect kitchen space is much more of a challenge. Area chefs have a lot to teach us about making your kitchen into your favorite room.

The experts’ advice The local pros agree: The big money spent on your kitchen should come down to investment in layout according to your cooking style and a limited number of quality items. Jon Brown, executive chef at Arrowleaf Bistro in Winthrop, works with local ingredients to produce delectable and popular gourmet meals. He enjoys a highly simple, efficient kitchen. Brown says, “if you spend eight grand on a Viking stove and have junky pans, the stove is useless. Spending a lot of money on equipment does not make you a better cook.” John Bonica, owner and chef at Tappi in Twisp, reflects similarly about his personal kitchen organization and operation. “I steadily progress toward simpler and simpler,” he says. “I like the minimalist, modern landscape in the kitchen. But I like having everything in view and at hand. I’m not very good at putting away while I cook, so I prep my tools, sharpen my knives that I’ll be using so that I don’t have to turn around and search.” Though they are lovely to look at, Bonica says that “the high-end devices are more ‘show than go.’ My tendency is to shy away from higher technologies.” Professional caterer Stew Deitz, of Stew Deitz Catering in Mazama, is a busy mother and chef in the home. She has worked with her husband’s construction business, Lost River Construction, designing her kitchen’s ample and efficient counter layout. However, she says, simple is still best.

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Methow Home 23

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24 Methow Home

“I got a Viking gas cook top and propane oven range and I would not buy another Viking,” Deitz says. “I would consider a gas cook top and electric oven in the future.” What tools are worth high-end prices? Deitz, Bonica and Brown all cite these necessaries: heavy metal cookware, an excellent (regularly sharpened) knife, wood cutting boards (preferably maple) and really good cookbooks. Heavy cookware, such as cast iron or stainless steel, heats more evenly and is less prone to get beat up on the range. One heavy saucepot and heavy sauté pan go along way, and as Deitz points out, your cookware should be good enough to last forever. Bonica notes that sharpening knives in the home kitchen is severely underrated. One good wooden cutting board is preferable because it produces less damage to knives, doesn’t threaten to leave plastic residue in your food and keeps your ingredients stationary when chopping. All the local chefs cite the need for a stock of good cookbooks. Brown recommends Complete Techniques, by Jaques Pepin; The New CIA’s (culinary institute of America) Professional Chef, and Cook’s Illustrated, a bimonthly magazine. These local experts agree that spending on materials for layout appropriate to your cooking style is worth the investment. A minimal number of steps between appliances and workspaces is high on the priority list. Also, an efficient layout that accounts for each tool, with everything in its place, is ideal. For Deitz, important design considerations included traffic flow, a multi-user layout and separate work stations for more cooks in the kitchen. For her, lots of counter space means greater efficiency.

Kitchens are also a natural gathering spot. Photo by Marcy Stamper

As she plans to build a new kitchen, she’ll be adding even more counter space to serve her family’s cooking style. Bonica prefers to be the only chef on duty. He is designing his current home to include 1,000 square feet of off-grid living space, with the kitchen being about one-fourth of that space. Two aspects are of prime importance to Bonica: an open kitchen that allows him to socialize with guests while cooking and a small work space so that his steps are minimal between prep counter and stove top. Brown also prefers an efficient, smaller space. “When you have tons of counter space, it just ends up getting cluttered,” he says. “I prefer to have everything within reach or step. I hate cupboards.” Such small-scale efficiency of space and movement requires a detailed, considered design. If there was one appliance to go big on, what would it be? Brown: a big, double bay sink. Deitz: a

double oven for entertaining. Bonica: a traditional wood-fired oven. We all have different needs, and thus different methods.

Local gourmet In the Methow, many choose to live close to the land, growing food and preserving and cooking with inspiration from the earth and our heritage. Nicole Ringgold is a wonderful local cook who has taken this inspiration to an informative online blog, Live in Art (www.liveinart. org). On this site, about 40 percent of the postings are Methow-based cooking recipes – organic, sustainable methods – and include within them at least 90 percent Methow-area farm products. For Ringgold’s largescale cooking projects, she prefers empty counters and plenty of room to stretch out. She and her husband designed their home kitchen with the guiding principle of energy efficiency. They chose smaller appliances for both space

utilization and energy consumption. Among the necessaries: a pressure canner, boiling-water canner, a Dutch oven, a food processor and a quality outdoor grill (for everything from meats and fish to bread and pizzas). Ringgold’s focus is a Methow style of sustainable cooking. “People don’t realize how much food we have in the valley” she says. “There is so much available just from our local farmers.” Rachelle Weymuller is another accomplished Methow cook. Of prime importance: openness and accessibility. Her kitchen is the center hub of the home, designed as an inner circle for the cook and an outer circle for guests, while still open enough for socializing. “We built our kitchen to include family and friends in the cooking process,” she says. “But we also built it like a boat: Each drawer and cabinet was designed for its use value.” Storage was highly important to the Weymullers. “I first dreamed of the pantry,” she says, “and it provides ample storage for everything that we don’t want to see.” The family likes to stock meats,

salmon, garden veggies, fruits and frozen meals made ahead. To achieve this, they use a chest freezer in the garage for large items and an inner freezer in the pantry that is their quicker go-to. Their electric convection oven is also a Methowspecific choice, large enough to cook a Crown S Ranch turkey, with a gas stove top (with both heating consistency and power outages in mind). On the whole, the Weymullers follow the same principles that Methow chefs generally employ: efficiency, simplicity and the joy of cooking surrounded by loved ones. Weymuller says, “It’s super fun to keep it simple, and cluttering the kitchen with specialized gadgets just distracts and takes up space.” That said, her Cuisinart, her Imperia pasta maker and her food dehydrator are all indispensable – and they have their place to be. Weymuller has been growing and cooking food in the valley for many years and has gleaned a lot of knowledge to share. She often grows basil, parsley, rosemary and scallions through the winter in the kitchen. She also has a kitchen lemon tree to draw from and grows spinach in cold temperatures. Like Ringgold, Weymuller is

sharing her cooking and kitchen methods for free on a new online blog, Caramelize Life: Making Life Sweeter Through Cooking, (caramelizelife.wordpress.com). Launched this year, Caramelize Life offers locally inspired methods and seasonal cuisine for the sustainable chef.

Stocking your kitchen As every gourmet chef knows, the quality of your cooking is totally dependent on the quality of your ingredients. And for a community of a mere few thousand, the Methow Valley is home to a large number of agricultural producers to stock your kitchen with the finest. The produce alone is worth the trip. Our farmers markets (in Twisp, Winthrop and Mazama) offer fruits and vegetables gown in the valley and around the region. Many of these farmers are certified organic and dedicated to sustainable production. The abundance of small gardeners provides a diverse array of produce of the highest quality. According to Bonica, “The King’s Garden and Cameron Green sell the best produce you can get.” Grains both common and rare

are harvested in the Methow for the gourmet restaurant market and local tastes. The highly sought after emmer grain of Bluebird Grain Farms is a delight not to be missed by the gourmet chef. Emmer berries are an ancient, protein-packed grain that enhance any meal. For meats, fish and game products, the Methow is unbeatable. Columbia River sockeye or steelhead may be found year-round at Hank’s Harvest Foods – or pull them out of the rivers yourself. Thomson’s Custom Meats sells naturally, locally grown meats, from hand-crafted sausages and smoked meats to lamb and seafood. Farmers like Jennifer and Louis Sukovaty are dedicated to sustainable, organic meat production of grass-fed cattle, pigs, sheep, laying hens, chickens and turkeys. Their Crown S Ranch Farm Store in Winthrop sells these and delicious prepared meals. Sunny Pine Farm is a certified, grade A organic dairy specializing in plain and seasonally flavored chèvre, feta, aged cheese and yogurt. Fresh organic cow’s milk can be purchased from local producer Sam Thrasher of Twisp. 

Methow Home 25

Heart & Home Six local designs that cover the Methow style spectrum

26 Methow Home

Outside in

Natural features guided design of ridgetop home By ANN McCREARY

traddling a narrow ridge top, with panoramic views of Patterson Mountain, the Methow Valley getaway home created by Seattle architect David Coleman blurs the distinction between inside and outside. “I wanted the building to be completely focused on the landscape, so when you’re there you have the total experience of being on the land and in the valley,”

said Coleman. “I wanted to create a habitable landscape… focused on views, light, weather patterns, the movements of the sun and the wind off the mountains.” Measuring 20 feet wide and 120 feet long, the shape of the house, which Coleman calls Hill House, was dictated by its rocky hilltop location in the Rodeo Trails development near Winthrop. “It was a difficult site. It drops off

David Coleman’s home takes advantage of the site’s expansive views. Photos by Sue Misao

The same material is used for floors inside the house and for the outside deck. Photo courtesy of David Coleman

on two sides,” said Coleman. “It seemed to make sense to have a long narrow structure that hugged the ridgeline. The goal of really trying to work with the landscape led to a long, narrow floor plan that follows the slope.” A glass wall wraps the house on three sides, providing uninterrupted views of the valley and mountains and creating a sense of living within the landscape. Coleman brings the outdoors and indoors together through another design element. He uses the same material for the interior floor and the decking outside. Likewise, the interior ceilings and the large overhangs around the house are the same materials. “It’s a design trick to create that impression of the rooms spanning inside and outside,” Coleman said. “If you stand in the house and look at each floor board, they visually carry through to the outside. If you are standing in the living areas facing south, you see the scenery and glass wall and the ceiling continues outside the glass wall. These elements diminish the presence of the exterior wall.” The fourth wall of the house, which faces the access road, is recycled, corrugated steel that is designed to rust, which protects it

from further degradation, Coleman said. The rusted metal wall, which has a few small windows, provides privacy from the road and is intended to be reminiscent of mining encampments found around the Methow Valley. “I like to create buildings that have a timeless quality, that don’t feel trendy and won’t feel dated,” said Coleman. The long, narrow shape of the Hill House, and the rusty exterior wall along one side of the stucture prompted some observers to refer to it as a “train wreck” because they say it resembles an old railroad car, Coleman said. That kind of reaction isn’t entirely unexpected “whenever you do something unusual,” he said. “It’s pretty elemental…and a little radical compared to what other people were building there.” Another feature that ties the house to the landscape is the use of gabion stonewalls – steel cages filled with rocks – at either end of the house. The rocks were collected from the site during excavation, greatly reducing the amount of site waste that had to be hauled away, Coleman said. These rock walls help define the entrance of the house and create privacy for a deck and fire pit

at the back of the house. “The walls are what really ties the house to the land, makes it feel grounded and tied to the site,” Coleman said. The home has 1,100 square feet of bright, airy interior living space and an equal amount of exterior porches. The main entrance opens into a rectangular great room with a living area that moves into a dining area and kitchen. At the end of the room is a wood wall that doubles as a storage closet and hides the refrigerator, which can be closed behind doors when it’s not in use. “It improves the livability” of the space, Coleman said. A modular cabinet system runs through the kitchen and living area, serving different functions in different spaces. The walls are pine plywood, stained a rich yellow hue that was “matched with the color of aspen leaves in the fall,” said Coleman. Floors are plantation grade mahogany. A hallway runs along the glass wall, with two sets of three steps, creating three levels for the house as it moves up the slope of the hillside. The hallway provides access to a bunk room for Coleman’s two children on one level, and leads to a master bedroom on the next level. The house is designed to adapt to the changing seasons and needs

of the family, Coleman said. “It is fairly small and easy to heat in winter, and in summer it expands and opens into the landscape.” The building design encourages passive solar radiation in winter. In summer, roofs and walls are vented to dissipate heat and the large overhangs around the house – combined with exterior sun shades (made from the same fabric used to shield fruit trees in nearby orchards) – protect the large expanses of glass from summer sun. Coleman studied architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, and did post-graduate work at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He said his studies explored concepts of sustainability, living architecture, building in harmony with the earth, and livability. He brought all those elements into play in the contemporary home he built for his family in the Methow Valley. But underlying it all, Coleman said, is a more personal goal. “The house is really designed around the family. The whole reason for building that place is that when I was a kid, I used to go to Vermont with my family and grew up loving nature. My wife and I wanted our kids to have that same experience.” X Methow Home 27

Going with the flow Wolf Creek home is an extension of the landscape By JOANNA SMITH

D The Wolf Creek site was chosen for its western and southern views. Photo by Steve Keating Photography.

avid Schooler and Kristen Webb envisioned a midcentury modern home with an interior and exterior design that flowed seamlessly with the Methow Valley landscape. Teaming up with architect Tom Lenchek of Balance Associates, contractor Tom Bjornsen and interior designer Jennifer Randall, Schooler and Webb created their Wolf Creek

CABINETS

28 Methow Home

View Cabin: a custom home of unobtrusive design and unassuming comfort in the Methow Valley. Schooler and Webb selected the site of their custom home for the long up-valley views toward Mazama, and the southern views of Patterson Mountain. They invited Lencheck to their Bellevue neighborhood to show him the mid-century modern homes that they wanted their Methow home to emulate. The clean lines and simple elegance of the mid-century modern style lent itself to the concept of a custom home that opened up small interior spaces to blend with the landscape and work with the natural elements of sun and wind to warm the home in winter and keep it cool during the summer. Lenchek gave the living area expansive views up-valley while capturing the light and warmth of southwest exposure during the winter months. The southwestfacing kitchen, dining room and living room have exterior walls of glass sliding doors on two sides that offer unobstructed views of the community trail, Patterson Mountain and the upper valley.

In warm weather the glass doors slide open along both walls – creating the ultimate outdoor room. Strategically placed windows on each end of the house allow cooling mountain breezes to flow through the house during the warm summer months.

No boundaries Randall used the colors surrounding the home to decorate the interior. The soft green of meadow grasses, dark red of ponderosa pine and the light gray granite of surrounding peaks inspired the color of fabrics, paint and furnishings of the home. Blond wood cabinets with silver accents provide ample storage and organization. Plush fabrics, oversized cushions and deep chairs and sofas invite visitors to sit down and stay awhile. Every seat has amazing views through glass walls that slide open to the outdoors. Small, closed-off rooms double as open spaces with softly sliding doors that create either privacy or openness. The single-level home contains no obvious boundaries to

the outdoors – either in physical design or color. There are no steps and the stained concrete floor continues seamlessly from indoors to the outside, giving the impression that you’ve never left the home … or the outdoors. Designed to be a part of the landscape, the L-shaped home is made of COR-TEN steel, wood and glass. COR-TEN steel wraps around two exterior walls and the roof of the home. The weathering steel resembles the rusty red of the surrounding ponderosa pine, is long-lasting and requires little maintenance. Local sculptor Bernie Hosey worked with the contractor, Bjornsen, to extend the COR-TEN steel into the entry way and alcove of the home – invoking a feeling of continuous flow between inside and outside.

Views and privacy A center courtyard provides a private garden protected from wind and deer. Here, Schooler and Webb enjoy breakfasts and dinners amongst hostas, oak leaf hydrangea, giant rhubarb, autumn joy

sedum, day lilies and ornamental annuals. Schooler and Webb joke that the best views were from the bathroom shower. Concrete floors exude radiant heat, which transfers to the stone work along the walls. The room is comfortable and with only a sheet of glass separating the shower from the rest of the room, it feels open and bright. A long window next to the shower looks up-valley toward Robinson Mountain. Tall roomy cabinets above the sink offer ample storage space. The master bathroom is similar in design with careful thought to the heating of the room and the placement of the window to create stellar views from the deep basin tub. Schooler and Webb describe their home as a “relaxing retreat.” Asked what part of the home was their favorite, Webb said, “the sunny patio, the views, the unobtrusiveness.” Schooler contemplated the question for a long time, a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, he said, “I don’t know which part is my favorite. I just know … when I walk in, I smile.” X

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Methow Home 29

Dare to dream,

but prepare for a few rude awakenings A personal account of one couple’s homebuilding project By PETER MORGAN

Peter Morgan and Raleigh Bowden owned land on Balky Hill for 20 years before building. Photo courtesy of Howard Cherrington

few years back, my wife and I decided to build a house on land we had owned on Balky Hill for about 20 years. As regular visitors to the Methow Valley since the early 1980s, we always dreamed we might live here someday but the dream eluded us while we worked and raised a family in Seattle. With our role as the sandwich generation

coming to a close and current careers coming to and end, the time was right in 2006 to reactivate the dream. The journey was fun and rewarding but not for the faint of heart. As they say, be careful what you wish for. I’ve heard it said that money, sex and religion are the key issues that make or break relationships. If you’re building

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a house together, better add it to the list. I always wanted an underground house that was thermally neutral, quiet, energy efficient and unobtrusive. I love the outdoors in the Methow but, having experienced its temperature extremes, I wanted a reliable buffer from these elements. My architect brother and I started dreaming and scheming, which made my wife, Raleigh, a little uncomfortable. Her picture of the new home was more like a New England farmhouse with verandas all around. “Underground” conjured up dark images of moss, dripping water ... bats. She wanted lots of light and was not about to be holed up in a cave designed by my brother and me. So the brother/architect idea had to give way to selecting a mutually agreeable architect. We also felt it was a good idea to use someone from the Methow Valley and it turns out there is a wealth of local talent to choose from.

Know what you want ... So, my first two points would be to be very clear about what you want in a home and find someone

you communicate with to help you clarify the vision, identify common themes, and broker differences. If you’re undertaking this project with a spouse or partner, three-way trust is essential. This becomes a four-way deal once you have a builder/contractor involved. Before he departed the scene, my brother had me draw an affinity diagram of my vision which proved invaluable. This bubble diagram identified the different spaces in the home, their relative size and function, and their proximal relationship to each other. This crude drawing with overlapping circles became the roadmap, and you can immediately recognize it in the final product. After looking at a number of homes in the valley by different designers and talking with several, we selected Howard Cherrington as our designer. He had designed the house next door, which we’d stayed in many times and loved. He was flexible, had the right personality for us, and his other designs seemed like they could bridge the slight vision gap between Raleigh and me. The design process took about six months and went through a

number of phases. Site selection was critical and Howard convinced us to site the property differently than we had expected. The good news is that he was absolutely right and I didn’t argue with him. Terry Budiselich was our builder and the four of us spent many, many hours together hashing out details, and I know Terry and Howard also had more than a few things to work out.

... and talk about it This brings up a second point about teamwork and communication. My opinion is that building a house should be a co-creation event. It’s important to have and hold on to your vision and not default to what your architect or builder wants or knows how to do. On the other hand, you will ignore their advice to your peril. If they think some of your ideas are impractical, expensive, or will look weird, I’d listen. They are professionals at visualizing final results and are likely to see things you can’t. One of our worst fears was that they would build it just like we asked and we would hate it for reasons they foresaw. The more specific you can be

about details, the better you will like the final result. While we left some important details to the contractors that we might have spent more time on, it was an otherwise very busy time for us and we had to just let go of some things. Raleigh and I do projects well and shared taking the lead on issues of greatest importance to each of us. I focused on function, she more on aesthetics. Lighting was a crossover issue so we hired a consultant. It’s hard to condense the experience into a short article and there are stories and vignettes enough for a book. Yes, there was sticker shock when all those creative chickens came home to roost and the whole thing almost went back to the drawing board. There were delays, compromises, joys and sorrows along the way. The good news is Raleigh and I each got the things we wanted most: We love the house, and we’re still speaking to each other and to Howard and Terry. Would I do some things differently? Oh, sure. But all in all, I think we got most of it right and will treasure the house and the experience of building it for a long time to come. X

William Tackman PLS

1112 Hwy 20 Winthrop WA 98862

509.996.3409 www.tackmansurveying.com

Methow Home 31

Designed for full-time living Pine Forest house blends the aesthetic and the practical By MARCY STAMPER

he open plan and resilient materials of Mike and Laurie Hilton’s house are a tangible expression of their approach to family life. “It’s amazing what this space does for the sense of family, and how much time we spend with our kids,” says Laurie. Mike, Laurie and their three daughters spend the majority of their time in the main living space of their Pine Forest house, which includes kitchen, dining area and living room. Still, Laurie admits that the arrangement is not for everyone. While the house brings them together, there’s little

privacy and it can be loud, she said. Their three daughters – Willa, 10; Daisy, 9; and Adele, 6 – share a bedroom outfitted with a bunk bed and a single bed. “It’s tight, but I think it’s helped their interpersonal communication,” Laurie says. The third bedroom provides a place for the girls to spread out – playtime consists of lots of paint and origami – but much art is made right on the concrete living room floor, an ideal surface for painting projects, their large Bernese mountain dog and five cats. “I can’t imagine having

The Hilton family’s main living space is where they spend most of their time together. Photo by Marcy Stamper

carpeting or an upholstered couch,” says Laurie. “The playroom is extremely used and lived in – there’s lots of creativity coming out of here,” she

Can you visualize your design from 2d paper drawings? Most people can’t. Computer-generated line drawings, photo-realistic images, & 3D animation all minimize the ‘guesswork’ so that you can have confidence that you are going to get what you expect. CAD is more efficient, saving time and money. www.pintodesignllc.com

509.996.3965

“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!” I N T E G R AT I N G

32 Methow Home

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adds, gesturing around the room, which was crammed with toys, art supplies, stuffed animals and one of the household’s many aquariums.

To create this successful blend, the Hiltons described their aesthetic and lifestyle to Seattle-based architect David Foster and let him provide his interpretation.

“We gave the architect free rein – no plan or pictures,” says Mike. “And an unrealistic budget,” adds Laurie. “I think that’s really important when you hire a professional – to see what they come up with,” Mike says.

A few requirements The Hiltons did have a few requirements. They wanted a “manageable” floor plan and design process and straightforward construction. “It’s pretty simple,” says Mike. “It’s essentially living room, bedroom, bedroom, bedroom, all in a row.” They were hoping to accomplish all this in 1,500 square feet, but ultimately had to add another 475 to accommodate basic needs. Even at that, the combined laundry and mud room “can be pretty tight for a family that does every sport and has lots of gear,” says Laurie. Spread out along one

side of the house, the main living spaces benefit from southern exposure, with an expanse of windows and glass doors to take advantage of the view and solar gain. “We like light, and we don’t like cut-up spaces,” says Mike. Bathrooms, the laundry room and a conservatory that Mike hopes will some day hold a baby-grand piano (it currently accommodates a few pint-size violins, a small harp and a drawing table) run along the opposite side of the corridor. “It’s very uncomplicated geometry – really just a box with a sloped roof,” says architect Foster. “We concentrated on having nice details.” Beyond being impervious to paint and crayons, the deep charcoal concrete floor performs another practical function, absorbing warmth from the sun in winter. In summer, overhangs keep the room cool. The sun’s warmth is

The Hiltons opted for a one-story home to avoid a lot of stair climbing. Photo by Marcy Stamper

supplemented by electric radiant floor heat and an innovative German-designed wood stove that rotates a full 360 degrees, although, with the house’s passive solar design, the Hiltons find they don’t need it very often. “It can be 5 degrees outside, and 80 inside,” says Mike. “We only light a fire on cloudy days.”

Heat from the stove emanates only in the direction of the glass front, so they can spin it around if it’s too hot during dinner or aim it at the seating area afterwards. “It’s been perfect – amazing,” says Mike. In fact, the sleek stainless wood stove was one of the few changes they made to Foster’s original design.

The architect’s first plan had called for a floor-to-ceiling double-sided hearth, but Mike and Laurie found it too massive and worried it would create a barrier in the room. Another requirement was for a house on one level. They had worked with Foster on a remodel of Cont. on P. 34

Methow Home 33

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an outdated ranch house in Seattle, which the architect transformed into an unusual, modern space. For example, Foster placed the kitchen and main living area on the second floor to take advantage of the view and light. “I loved his philosophy,” says Laurie, but they did tire of the stairs. Laurie was also “adamant” about another unconventional arrangement – she wanted separate rooms for the toilet and for washing and bathing. So the house has a small water closet with a sink and toilet and two lavatories with just sink, tub and shower, one off the master bedroom and one for the girls. “I think the traditional way – particularly with three girls – creates a traffic jam,” says Laurie.

Filling in the details The striking wall colors throughout the house come directly from the surrounding landscape. The Hiltons took samples of the wolf lichen that grows on trees outside their window to create the intense chartreuse paint that energizes the main spaces. Walls in the master bedroom are a ruddy maroon that was matched to local red-osier dogwood. The vivid turquoise in the water closet was inspired by the blue of the sky, the tiny room accented by a geometric red medicine cabinet that makes even the standard white toilet look dramatic. “One thing I like about working with Mike and Laurie is that they’re not at all shy about colors—this is pretty bold,” says Foster. The kitchen features reclaimed materials, such as recycled tiles on the walls; PaperStone counters (made from recycled paper and resin); and a cutting board that gives off the scent of vinegar when the sun hits it, recalling its previous incarnation as a pickle barrel. A favorite amenity is the extended faucet above the slide-in stove for filling big pasta pots. The stove itself 34 Methow Home

The Hiltons find it more efficient to split up the functions between their three bathrooms--only one has a toilet; the other two are for baths and showers. Photo by Marcy Stamper

has spare contours and no raised panel with knobs and buttons that would interfere with the view. The refrigerator (they have two to accommodate home-cooked meals for five) is a highly efficient Danish model, with drawers in the freezer to organize items and keep cold air from escaping. Exterior features are both practical and aesthetic, such as a rain-screen siding system that retains an air space to prevent water from infiltrating the house. The roof, which is mostly flat, has a butterfly section that distinguishes the profile but remains functional for snow. “They were really in love with the way the landscape rolls. I didn’t want to compete with that by adding extra decoration or gables,” says Foster. A separate 500-squarefoot bunkhouse is a selfcontained sanctuary for guests, with a sitting room, small kitchen and bathroom. Its TV/DVD is used when

Laurie’s mother comes to visit and the girls get to join her on movie nights. Otherwise, “the kids are on a fairly restricted media diet,” with no television, no home computer, and only one or two hours of movies per month, says Mike. The project benefited from economies of scale because the construction on the main house, bunkhouse and garage/wood shop was done at the same time, keeping down the cost of supplies and delivery. Mike, who runs Hilton Construction with Laurie, served as the contractor and primary builder. In the house for three years now, there’s little they would change. Mike said they think about improving the driveway access, and would have liked a larger mud room and smooth rather than rough cedar for the siding. “And I would love to put my whole drum set in the bunkhouse,” he says. “But it’s not going to happen.” 

Light on the land Thoughtful design packs personality into a home that wastes no space By DON NELSON

teve and Penelope Kern had a good idea of what they wanted when they settled on a Methow Valley home site: outdoor space, privacy, and a house that honored the landscape, was practical, affordable and could accommodate their favorite art. The first time they saw the 60acre property off of Lower Beaver Creek Road, with its expansive up-valley views and varied terrain, they instantly knew it was the spot. The rest took a little longer to figure out, and involved constant and considerable input from architect Ray Johnston and builder Jeff Brown. The Kerns, who plan to make the Methow house their full-time home, are happy with the results.

It started with an efficient floor plan – “we don’t like rooms we don’t use,” Penelope says – that was oriented to take best advantage of the site’s northern and western exposures. Johnston suggested that the house not be placed square on the lot, Penelope says, but rather turned more toward the views. The design issue that created was how to take advantage of all the light – while building a house whose front half is practically all windows – and still mitigate the afternoon and evening glare during the summer. Part of the solution is a roofline that cants toward the front of house and extends over a deep porch that is outfitted with curtains. Matching interior curtains at the west end of

The Kerns wanted a deck large enough to accommodate groups. Photo courtesy of Johnston Architects

the large front room also help, but there are no other window coverings in the home’s big open space. “This house strikes a really nice balance between light and exposure,” Johnston says.

The right footprint The Kerns are outdoor enthusiasts who met when they were both on climbing treks in the Andes, on separate teams. After they settled

in Seattle – where Penelope is a reporter and editor for a publication that covers the energy industry and Steve is vice president of operations for an aerospace manufacturing company – Steve started bringing Penelope to the Methow, which he had been visiting for 30 years. “We always loved it here,” Penelope says, and eventually they began to look at buying a home. But

Cont. on P. 36

David Rudholm Construction, Inc.

Methow Home 35

From Page 35

The house is oriented to take best advantage of light and views. Photo courtesy of Johnston Architects

occupants and guests alike.

Three spaces in one The entry corridor drops down two steps to the main room, creating the effect of moving to an entirely different area. While it is all one big space, the use of furniture and fixtures makes the front room feel like three: a kitchen with eating bar; a central dining area; and a living room/sitting area defined by comfy leather couches and a stand-alone woodstove. The kitchen invites informality, and allows the cook to chat with guests. Echoing the Frank Lloyd Wright “room-within-a-room” concept, the dining table and chairs create intimacy without crowding. The living room area beckons as a cozy, relaxing place to wind down the day with good conversation. There is no clutter. Sliding barn doors hide pantry space in the kitchen and the home entertainment center in the living area. MO

The Kerns added their own touches. The light fixtures over the kitchen bar are antique zinc seltzer bottles from Argentina. The galaxy of lights over the entry hallway are Edison reproduction bulbs – an elegant and less-expensive option. The house also takes advantage of usable “nooks and crannies,” Johnston says. “You can never have too much storage space.” As part of the separate garage building, the Kerns are having an office space built for Penelope – who can do much of her journalistic work remotely – a bath and another room that could serve as an additional guest space.

Adjusting along the way Some of the early building cost estimates by another contractor were distressingly high, Penelope says. Johnston helped them figure out how to keep closer to their budget. And Brown, brought on after the Kerns couldn’t work things out with the earlier contrac-

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none of the houses they looked at clicked. So they decided to look for land and build. After they settled on a site, they began scouring magazines for ideas and researched architects with experience in the valley. The Kerns liked what they saw of Johnston’s work, and liked Johnston when they met him. “It was the right fit, personality-wise and design-wise,” Penelope says. The Kerns appreciated that Johnston’s designs are “light on the land,” Penelope says, harmonious with the landscape as opposed to dominating it. Approaching on the long driveway, the Kern home’s roofline blends in with the McClure Mountain ridgeline across the way. The Kerns’ property has its own geological peculiarities – a couple of deep “dimples” near the house, apparently depressions left after the glaciers retreated. They add texture to what would otherwise be a flat site. Every space was thought out, Penelope says – a necessary consideration in a building that is a little over 1,400 square feet. Penelope began by drawing a “footprint” for the home. Personal preferences dictated the basics – the Kerns like a cool space to sleep in, so the bedrooms are at the back of the house, which is shaded by surrounding hills. “We didn’t want cavernous ceilings,” Penelope says. So, consistent with the coziness the Kerns desired, what could be called the “great room” has high ceilings but is not a vast vaulted space. Visitors enter the house through a hallway with doors to bedrooms – master and guest – on either side. Each spacious bedroom has a bath and closet space, assuring comfort and privacy for

HOUSEWATCH

36 Methow Home

tor, was not only the builder but also a helpful adviser on costs and materials throughout the process. Johnston said his first conversations with a prospective client are about what led them to the site and what their basic desires are for the new home. Budget is also a consideration. “We look at their ideas, test assumptions and then try out some of our ideas,” he says. “We may see other solutions.” Working out those solutions with the contractor is vital to the process. “Jeff is really good at understanding the approach and running with it,” Johnston says. “One hundred percent of what I do is collaboration,” Brown says. “If you are organized, the job is fun. I love it when an idea takes shape and form.” Brown and Penelope both recalled one instance where the builder’s advice was sound and sensible. Brown suggested that the Kerns didn’t really need an outside door off their bedroom. “People think they’re going to get a cup of coffee in the morning and then go back into the bedroom,” Brown said. “That doesn’t happen. They go out on the big deck.” That insight saved the expense of another door. In another instance, the Kerns originally wanted big glue-lam beams running the entire span of the ceiling. But that was a budgetbuster, so Johnston re-engineered the roof. Johnston says he likes the “utilitarian simpleness” of the home and is especially fond of how the entryway opens up into the living area. “It’s all revealed, it unfolds before you,” he says. “It brings you home.” 

The great room is designed for gatherings – or for solitary time. Photo courtesy of Chris Luthi

Living room Methow River home is full of personal touches, with space for lots of visitors By DON NELSON

t started with the land, and an idea. Joe Shaeffer and Jane Cover first discovered the Methow Valley when they were married at the Mazama Ranch House in 2001. Their reaction was familiar: They were immediately enchanted with the place. Some time later, they read an article about conservation easements, and decided they would like to support the easement concept – in the Methow. With the help of local real estate agent Kristin Devin, they found a 21-acre Methow River site off of Highway 20, just west of the Weeman Bridge, in 2004. Working with the Methow Conservancy – which had identified the property as one of its top priorities – they developed an easement for all but three acres of the site, the part that was out of the flood plain. Then came the house. The Seattle couple – Joe is a civil rights attorney and Cont. on P. 38

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Jane works for a nonprofit that focuses on international health issues – camped out on the site for several years whenever they visited the valley. Eventually they began to develop plans for a home, aided by long-time friend Chris Luthi – who just happens to be a Seattle-based architect. Joe and Jane had a couple of goals for the house. They wanted it to have, as Jane puts it, “a natural and continuous feeling” with the surroundings, using lots of rock and wood for basic materials and big windows to create a smooth flow between indoors and outdoors. They also wanted a place that could accommodate big groups – “we wanted small sleeping spaces, and large living spaces,” Joe says.

Personal touches

The double-sided river rock fireplace has an outdoor hearth as well. Photo by Don Nelson

38 Methow Home

They got that – a 2,200-square-foot home featuring a huge great room with a vaulted ceiling, a dominating fireplace and lots of windows. One bedroom is downstairs; upstairs are two bedrooms, a loft area where kids can hang out, and den with a sliding barn door for privacy or quiet. Luthi came up with sketches and made a gingerbread model of the house he envisioned. Site preparation began in

2009 and construction in 2010,with the goal of getting the roof and the house enclosed for the coming winter. Local contractor Chris “Flash” Clark was hired to build the house based on local recommendations. But all along, Joe, Jane and friends have had a role in the building process – there is lots of “sweat equity” in the house, they point out. “Most of our friends can point to some part of the house that they had something to do with,” Jane says. Joe and Jane did much of the masonry finish work on the 30-foot-tall river rock fireplaces – one inside the great room; its mirror image outside on the front porch. They decided to take on the project after seeing the astronomical bids they got to do the work. Jane found most of the fixtures in the house by scouring craigslist, taking in yard sales, and scouting the ever-changing inventory at places like Second Use and ReStore that sell salvaged but still usable materials from homes and other buildings that have been demolished. The big chandelier in the great room, for instance, used to hang in a Mexican restaurant. Jane found it on craigslist, treated the wood, painted the metal, replaced the glass and dropped a supporting chain from the ceiling. The outside chandelier was found at

ReStore in Seattle. the panels for the railing, after Clark puts the Several of the sinks came from an elementary framework together. Future decor will include school in Seattle that was being remodeled. Two the work of local artists such as Ginger Reddington. queen-sized beds came from the Ranch House, Joe and Jane say there were no real glitches and a couple of benches turned up at a Methow along the way, and the teamwork among them, garage sale. The big leather couches in the great Luthi and Clark has been exceptional. “They room were discovered on craigslist. “We were added a sense of collaborative creativity that is collecting furniture all along,” Jane says. “Our hard to find,” Joe says. (Seattle) house was full of things.” Luthi said that in Building materials addition to meeting the also came from a variety clients’ high-priority deof sources, many of them Flooring came from old sires, it was important to local. Much of the wood – bleachers salvaged from consider such basic things including a floor-to-ceiling as how the roof design supporting post – came the Omak Stampede; would work in the snow. from trees on their propdoors were fashioned “I have to learn from erty, cut and milled on the them what their style is site. Flooring came from from park picnic and how to use it,” Luthi old bleachers salvaged benches; soffitt material says. “The more I know, from the Omak Stampede; came from an old the easier it gets.” doors were fashioned Luthi says that Clark from park picnic benches; grain silo. has enhanced the project soffitt material came from with practical and decoraan old grain silo. After tive design suggestions seeing a newspaper ad, and helped keep it economically manageable for Joe and Jane bought a bunch of old barn wood from Signal Hill Ranch – it’s used in the exposed Joe and Jane. And Joe’s father, an architectural ceiling beams and elsewhere. engineer, reviewed the plans and suggested a bigger upright beam for the great room, to assure Great teamwork that it could support the expected load. Joe and Jane call the place Roasting Goat A few details remain to be finished, such as Ranch – a name that started out as a joke and just a stone backsplash in the kitchen and railings stuck. It derives from memories of their wedding on the staircase landing. Jane recently took an day, a summer scorcher that had them “roasting” ornamental welding class and intends to make

Jane Cover found most of the fixtures, including this one. Photo by Don Nelson

with the Goat Wall as a backdrop. Future plans include a small barn with a mother-in-law apartment, which Joe and Jane expect to build with the help of friends. The couple intends to retire in the house, but for now it’s a frequent refuge for their family and commodious gathering place for their friends. 

Methow Home 39

Both sides of th e fence occasionally problematic Our dividing lines can be practical, ecological, decorative and By LAURELLE WALSH

“T

he first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said, ‘This is mine,’ and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society,” wrote Jean Jacques Rousseau in 1754. In today’s society, fences define spaces, provide privacy, mark boundaries, keep children and pets in, and keep wildlife and intruders out. They provide security for whoever resides within. They provide privacy and block out the neighbor’s unsightly piles. Fences help define “the look” of a place. Here in the Methow Valley, folks take fresh approaches to the fence’s form and function, put fences to work for the environment, and question whether all fences are good fences.

area in the summer, Missy said. So the couple teamed up with welder Tim Odell of Alpine Welding in Twisp, who built a sturdy, free-swinging steel gate that would support the occasional climbing child. Diane Costales of Carte Blanch Landscaping in Winthrop designed and built the fence. She used oversized wood posts and native branches sandwiched between two layers of hogwire, creating an airy-yet-substantial enclosure. Missy encourages climbing vegetation such as grape vines on the wire, to add to the organic feel. “I think it turned out really nice,” Missy said. “I like that it doesn’t feel closed-in; it lets in a lot of light.” Elsewhere in the valley, Doug Potter’s de-

sign/build firm Shackitecture has helped define Stylish and functional Methow style through his “High Mountain Moderne” school of design. Potter’s contemA Mazama institution with a definiporary-yet-rustic approach can be appreciated tively Methow “look,” the Mazama Store at Local 98856 in Twisp, which showcases his underwent a major remodel in 2009. Owners Missy and Rick LeDuc added a spacious unconventional use of materials and sharp attention to site and function – even down to the courtyard for seasonal outdoor seating, fences that surround the space. which the department of health required to “More than one kind of fence on a property be fully enclosed if alcohol was to be conis a good thing,” said Potter, who freely mixes sumed, Missy said. The LeDucs wanted an opening at either materials and advises his clients to think about whether they want a private or open feel. end of the courtyard, “big enough for the Potter suggests corrugated metal roofing groomer to come through,” so the store material for an inexpensive privacy fence, or could be the terminus of a ski trail in the hogwire on treated wood posts for a more open, winter and have a quiet, enclosed seating

deer-proof fence. Deer will run straight into a wire fence if they can’t see it, Potter warns, so he recommends planting hop vines which will climb and hang on to the wire through the winter, growing thicker every year.

Fences in conservation Fences have long been used in rural areas to keep cattle from trampling and fouling springs. With renewed interest in habitat restoration, Methow Valley landowners are using fences to protect riparian areas (streams, rivers and lakes) from livestock and deer damage. The 314-acre conservation easement at

Hancock Springs in Mazama is a restoration success story in which fencing, combined with other efforts, has re-created a flowing stream at what had become a barely moving, shallow marsh. Fencing “played an extensive role” in restoring Hancock Creek, according to John Jorgensen, fisheries biologist for the Yakama Nation. “You can already see the difference inside and outside the fenced area.” The one-kilometer-long spring creek and its surrounding riparian zone had been heavily damaged by livestock over the years prior to conservation work which began in 2005, Jorgensen said. To prevent further Photo by Don Nelson

40 Methow Home

ered wooden posts crisscross the hills and dales of the Methow, some with wires strewn across the ground and many with convenient gaps that deer and people may pass through. But that old fencing is also hazardous to livestock, wildlife and humans who may be tripped up by the wickedly sharp wire lying hidden among the bitterbrush and bunchgrass. Bob and Dotti Wilson have been volunteer “wire pullers” on Methow Conservancy easeFences can be whimsical and practical. Photo by Patrick ments since 2004. As part of the land Hannigan stewardship plan for some conservatrampling and to protect huntion easements, dreds of newly planted trees and owners may choose to have old shrubs from deer browsing, the and falling-down barbed wire restoration team decided to erect fences removed from their propa 350-meter-long, eight-foot-high erty. fence to enclose the site. Bob said they do the work “Once a site has atrophied, it primarily to protect animals from won’t recover well without protec- injury. He recalls once finding a tion from browsing by deer,” said desiccated calf hide entangled in a Jorgensen. three-strand wire fence. Jorgensen said the plan is to Dotti said they have pulled remove the fence once trees and wire on 21 properties around the shrubs get above browse height. valley, sometimes working with other volunteers. Pulling wire Using heavy gloves, fencing Old fence lines with weathtools, wire cutters and sometimes

Doug Potter puts repurposed materials to work at Local 98856. Photo by Laurelle Walsh

a post puller, Dottie frees the wire from the fencepost or pulls it out of trees, bushes or the earth where it has become buried. Bob rolls the wire by hand into large “wreaths,” Dotti said. The first year they pulled wire, Dotti said they took the “wreaths” to the metal drive – 1,000 pounds that year. These days the volunteers leave the bundled wire in a spot designated by the property owner.

To fence – or not?

Sometimes simple function calls for simple form. Photo by Don Nelson

While fences provide useful services to the landowner, it is also important to consider the unforeseen consequences of a new fence. A fence line may cut off a wildlife corridor or eliminate the chance to get to know the neighbors. If you

enjoy seeing deer cruise past your window or having a walkingfriendly neighborhood, you might think twice about constructing an impediment to those values. The Wilsons live in the Wolf Creek neighborhood and said they have consciously chosen not to fence their property. “We live on a deer corridor and don’t want to block their path,” Dotti said. “I look around at people who have completely enclosed their property with fence and think to myself, ‘Why do they live here?’” Start looking around, and you will notice the aesthetic, functional and symbolic roles of fences in the Methow Valley landscape. Good, bad or ugly, fences are fixtures of our “civil society.” X Methow Home 41

Sue Misao

underneath the western skies Sue Misao

Don Nelson Sue Misao 42 Methow Home

Sue Misao

the Methow fence Marcy Stamper

Sue Misao

Joyce Campbell Marcy Stamper

Methow Home 43

f you’re reading this publication, then there is a good chance that you too can describe what first attracted you to the Methow Valley. For many of us, it was the beautiful landscape set against bright blue skies, the honest rural character, an abundance of wildlife, scenic trails, or time spent playing in the refreshing water of the river on a sunny afternoon. Spend a little time here, and it quickly becomes apparent that most of the Methow Valley’s signature attributes have been made possible by a community comprised of dedicated individuals who have found the tools to turn their dreams and visions into realities. Spend more time here, and you soon will become acquainted with a growing community of Methow Valley residents and landowners who have made an extraordinary commitment to the future of the Methow Valley’s productive farmland, scenic views, wildlife habitat and healthy streams and rivers by protecting those values forever with a tool called a conservation easement. A conservation easement is a voluntary, written legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization that permanently protects specific conservation values like wildlife habitat, scenic views and open space, riverfronts, forests, and working farms, orchards and ranches. Most of the conservation easements in the Methow Valley have been created with the help of the Methow Conservancy, the valley’s local nonprofit land trust in downtown Win-

A commitment

Conservation easements protect the valley’s rural heritage throp. Others have been developed with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), or the Trust for Public Land. In all cases, they represent a tangible commitment by a landowner to protect what makes their prop-

OPEN MON-SAT Downtown Okanogan (509) 422-2760 44 Methow Home

erty special so that it can continue to contribute to the vibrancy of the Methow Valley.

Long-lasting impacts To date, more than 100 Methow Valley

to the future By THE METHOW CONSERVANCY

Photo courtesy of the Methow Conservancy

landowners have chosen to embrace conservation easements as a tool to conserve over 10,000 acres and over 30 miles of private river frontage. Thanks to their vision and stewardship, we all benefit from the resulting open space,

including the important economic benefit these lands provide our community. From delicious Honey Crisp apples grown on the banks of the Methow River near Pateros, to local meat and vegetables sold at our farmers markets, and

hundreds of acres of privately conserved land fronting the Methow Community Trail between Winthrop and Mazama, the economic benefits of private land conservation are poised to benefit the Methow Valley for decades to come. While all of the private land in the Methow Valley is important, a conservation easement is not necessarily appropriate for every property. In many cases, good site planning and thoughtful stewardship will ensure that a property contributes to the Methow Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique beauty and character. Simple steps like minimizing the disturbance of soil during driveway or home construction, or carefully locating structures away from soils known to be productive for growing crops, can have a lasting positive impact upon the landscape. If you are planning to build or prepare a future building site here in the Methow Valley, be sure to take advantage of the local resources available to help guide you. The Methow Conservancy has developed the Good Neighbor Handbook and the Shrub-Steppe Restoration Handbook, and both are available for free by stopping in at the office or by downloading at www.methowconservancy.org/ publications.html. For more information regarding conservation easements, or other resources to help with the stewardship of your property, contact the Methow Conservancy at (509) 9962870 or info@methowconservancy.org. X

Methow Home 45

‘Toys’ that work and play An inventory for the well-equipped Methow home By BOB SPIWAK

Photo by Sue Misao

his discussion concerns what are dismissively referred to by some as toys – things that are important to the year-round Methow occupant, even if seldom used. For the owner of a second home, the need for many may not be critical or even necessary, but through either admiration of locals’ goodies or simply to have on hand, there are many objects that fit the classification. Tops among these are guns. We use them to hunt and to target shoot and of course to defend our homes and loved ones from incursions by Mafioso, Iranian terrorists (or any other terrorists), or to hang on the wall above the door as is portrayed by many Western movies. After all, Winthrop and its environs are clearly “Old West.” The problem arises when people from urban areas bring the artillery, long or short, to their acreage or a gravel pit and proceed to expend the ammunition that came with them, at times enough to compress the springs on the shiny SUV. In this valley the beauteous mountains act as an echo chamber

and shots can be heard from miles away. The shooter can finish the targeting or plinking, then return home and remark about how great it is to live in such a quiet and peaceful place. I know. When I came here in 1968 I was one of the shooters.

Some essentials That is the negative side of toys. Positively speaking, every home needs certain essential items. Among them is a chainsaw or several to acquire firewood – even if the home is propane-heated – as well as to clear land of downed trees, or to prune/trim said trees, or to create firebreaks. If the aim is gathering firewood from the forest, a pick-up truck, preferably four-wheel drive, should be included in the collection of equipment. Better yet, if the rig has a winch it might come in handy someday. Better still is the hookup for and possession of a blade to clear the drive of snow. And best of all, perhaps, is a large snow blower mounted on the outfit.

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And if the truck is not a part of the inventory, a walk-behind snow blower is a definite plus as well as a requisite piece of equipment regardless of the naysayers who dismiss them as play toys. It’s nice to be able to get out the door after an overnight two-foot snowfall. But wait. Where do we put all this stuff? Any home built hereabouts needs an equipment shed, preferably with electricity and containing a generator for when the power does go out. And it does. The garage that came with the house probably won’t do the trick because there won’t be enough room. Discuss this with your builder, or if you plan to do it yourself, be absolutely certain that the snow will shed to the sides, not the front and rear, hence blocking entrance and egress to the building. If this sounds like an obvious consideration, I know of one three-bay equipment shed that was built exactly in that manner, the owner living elsewhere. And if you look around you can spot homes whose garages’ snowfall slides in front of the doors. But a tool shed is not a toy. Along with the items above you’ll want room for the four-wheeler, or ORV. You can hook a small plow or

Illustration by Erik Brooks

blower to these, and with a trailer wend your way among the trees in the forest and pick up firewood, rocks, plants – you name it. With no auxiliary equipment on it you can pull several sled loads of kids or skiers around your acreage. If the acreage is large enough (you choose what size that is) a tractor is a fun machine. This hard-working, versatile piece of equipment will, with the proper attachments, blow or plow snow or both, grade your driveway, build an access road, roto-till your garden or field, haul a trailer of manure, dig a hole to bury the horse that provided the manure when it expires, or dig a well. Tractor potential is virtually unlimited. Having the above toys is almost vital. Sure, you can hire all the work out and that is great for the economy, but not near as much fun as doing it yourself.

Think seasonal There are seasons other than winter in the Methow – August for example, when you need not be concerned with most of the stuff noted above. Many have motorcycles, ideal for cruising the highways and getting a 340-degree view of the scenery on a comfortable road bike. Or consider a dirt bike to explore the gnarlier places in the hills. Unfortunately, these now have to be street legal, which limits their capabilities even on Forest Service roads. Is a fishing boat or float tube or raft or canoe a toy? They are all recreational floating platforms, and one might think hardly necessary to survive living in the Methow. Ask that question of a steelhead fisherman or woman drifting the river, and you will get an emphatic statement of the need. There is whitewater for canoes and kayaks on the river, and we are surrounded by lakes for still-water paddling. Something for everyone. And so it is with what are generically referred to as toys. Barely used, they probably fit that category. But living here, whatever you supply yourself with, sooner or later you will use them.  Methow Home 47

Expert advice Local real estate agents offer vital tips to potential Methow Valley property buyers We asked local real estate agents for some advice to potential buyers of Methow Valley property. Here’s what they said.

Bob Monetta, Windermere Real Estate Methow Valley

Sherry Malotte, Blue Sky Real Estate

Dave Thomsen, Coldwell Banker Winthrop Realty

• Selecting an agent may be one of the biggest business decisions you make. Avoid the “Cousin Vinny” or “fast food” approach. Don’t choose your cousin or neighbor because you know them, and don’t stop at the first open office and choose the first available agent. Real estate isn’t like fast food. • Hire a Realtor. Hire an agent who works full-time and doesn’t have other occupations so they will be there for you. Select a Realtor with advanced training and certifications suited to represent a buyer. Select a Realtor who knows the Code of Ethics and Standard of Practice: http://www. realtor.org/mempolweb.nsf/pages/code. • Choose an agent who knows land-use issues and has local knowledge. This can be valuable during the purchase and years after. The length of time you have lived in the area is not the bottom line, but a long-time resident is a good bet for local knowledge. • Choose an agent who knows the market. Select an agent that is familiar with the MLS inventory and sales history. An experienced agent offers pricing advice and successful negotiations. • Choose a tech-savvy agent. Select an agent who is a strong communicator, proficient in technology and email, and one who understands the legal implications of contract law.

• Know what you want to do when you are here. Depending on your plans for full-time or part-time residency, this can make a huge difference. If you work here, you may want trails to be closer if you plan to exercise every day, or you may want to drive less by locating closer to towns. Knowing what a typical day will be like while you are here is important. • Make a list of your ideal home or property criteria and give weight to the most important items. Most people will not get all they want so it is important to know what is most important to you. • Make an appointment with a real estate broker before you come and discuss your criteria. While most offices have people to greet you if you drop in, it is best for you if a broker has time to research all the options available based on your criteria. Allowing them the time to do this will be best for you and the broker. • Do your homework. If you are serious about purchasing, consult with a mortgage broker ahead of time to understand what you can afford. If you are purchasing property, be sure you know what the fees are for hook-ups, installing septic systems or wells. Consult with builders. Call the neighbors, find out about the neighborhood. Go to the property or house at different times of day to see how the sun tracks. • Be decisive. Many times, I have seen buyers think they have all the time in the world to purchase in this market. Just remember, if you like it, chances are other people do, too. Even though a property may have been on the market a long time, I have seen buyers get upset that they missed the one they really wanted.

• Hire a qualified real estate broker to educate you about Methow Valley real estate trends over the last four years and its current, at-the-moment direction, so you can accurately build a baseline sense of values. • Set parameters on the type of property you would like, but open yourself to possible deviations. Many buyers start looking for one type of property only to fall in love with something completely different. It’s a wonderful surprise when it happens, and it only happens if you’re open to trying on new ideas. • Be systematic. Identify every possible property of interest and examine as many as possible. Start on the Internet, but remember you only get a partial view of any property online. It’s critical to hit the pavement (perhaps dirt, in our case) and tour as many properties as possible. In this case, more is more! • When you find the right property, study it thoroughly: Ascertain a legitimate price range based on comparable sales and other relevant trends. Perform a sound analysis. Evaluate any possible issues with the property and determine what contingencies you need in an offer to protect yourself. Issues may come in the form of construction concerns, land dangers, or title/zoning issues. • When it’s time to make an offer, develop a strategy for how to approach the seller based on your research. Is any information available about the seller’s motivation (or lack thereof)? Be smart and respectful. Once you reach agreement, make a plan for how to carry out inspections, title evaluation, financing and other contingencies. Know who’s responsible for what, so nothing is overlooked.

Home Tour gives up-close-and-personal access to valley’s best designs “The Creative Spirit” is the theme for the annual Methow Valley Home Tour, scheduled for Aug. 11. The tour, now in its 12th year, provides locals and visitors the opportunity to truly experience the Methow home. It is sponsored by Confluence Gallery & Art Center in Twisp. For those contemplating building a home in the Methow Valley, the tour provides an opportunity to check out design options and see the work of the various builders and architects. For locals already fortunate enough to live

in the valley, the tour provides access to some unique and impressive dwellings hidden in the woods, and down those long, rolling driveways. The August tour will include six to seven homes that incorporate creative components such as local art, distinctively crafted detail and unique embellishments reflecting the owner’s spirit. Tickets will be available at Confluence Gallery and Art Center in July. For more information, visit www. confluencegallery.com or call (509) 997-2787. X Photo by Sue Misao

48 Methow Home

Sue Misao

Mike Maltais

Methow builders got Methow skills Ashley Lodato

Sue Misao

Mike Maltais

Sue Misao

Sue Misao Mike Maltais

Methow Home 49

Directory of advertisers Appliances Alpine Designs .................................. 39 Architects & Designers Aiello Architecture ............................. 8 Balance Associates Architects........... 52 Chris Luthi Architect.............................. 15 David Coleman Architecture ........... 11 Integrated Design Concepts .......... 25 Johnston Architects ......................... 51 Larsen Architect ............................... 19 Lawrence Architecture ..................... 2 MW Works Architecture + Design ..... 2 Office of Shackitecture ..................... 7 The Patterson Company ................. 22 Pinto Design ...................................... 32 Shadowline Design & Construction............................... 3 Tall Timber Design Build.................... 17 Workshop Architecture Design ....... 23 Artists & Artisans Bruce Morrison Sculpture................. 21 The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger ... 17 Tannehill Company .......................... 34 VMG Works/Studio Fe ...................... 16 Waterstone Woodworks .................. 15 Building Supplies All Valley Insulation ........................... 46 Alpine Designs ................................. 39 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ........ 13 D & R Glassworks .............................. 46 Methow Resource Recovery .......... 17 Methow Valley Lumber.................... 28 North Cascade Builders Supply ...... 25 North Valley Lumber ........................ 31 Perma-Chink Systems ...................... 22 Builders & Contractors Bart & Company Construction ....... 36 Big Valley Builders ............................ 10 Brandenburg Construction ............. 51 Byro Construction ............................ 33 Common Sense Custom Homes ............... 12, 14, 46 David Rudholm Construction ...........35 D. McLane Construction ................ 13 Eagle Handcrafted Homes ............. 51 Hilton Construction........................... 29 Hungry Mountain Construction ...... 38 JL General Contractor..................... 46 Libbey Construction ......................... 37 Methow Mountain Homes ............. 21 North Cascades Construction .........44 The Patterson Company ....................22 Palm Construction ........................... 10 Shadowline Design & Construction ... 3 Stopwater Construction .................. 32 Tall Timber Design Build.................... 17 WSA Construction ........................... 46 Cabinetry Alpine Designs ................................. 39 Tannehill Company .......................... 34 Waterstone Woodworks .................. 15 Carpet Cleaning High-Tec Carpet Cleaning .............. 24 Cafés & Coffee Roasters Blue Star Coffee Roasters .................. 6

Concrete & Gravel Brandenburg Construction ............. 51 Byro Construction ............................. 33 Cascade Concrete ......................... 18 Five Star Concrete ........................... 29 J.A. Wright Construction ............ 24, 33 Palm Construction............................ 10 Conservation Consultants Altitude Design ................................. 29 Methow Conservancy ..................... 16 Plantas nativa east .......................... 30 RW Thorpe & Associates .................. 15 Construction Cleanup Services High-Tec Carpet Cleaning .............. 24 Methow Recycling Roundup ............ 6 Energy Consultants/Sales Derosa Edwards ............................... 32 Energy Solutions.................................. 8 SolarWind Energy ............................ 14 Engineering & Design FL Cooley & Associates ..................... 8 Methow Engineering ....................... 29 Equipment Sales & Rental Byro Construction ............................. 33 Cascade Concrete ......................... 18 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ........ 13 Hamilton Farm Equipment .............. 9, 34 Okanogan Truck & Tractor.................... 7 Valley Tractor & Rentals ....................... 51 Excavating B & B Excavating .............................. 12 Doug Haase Excavating ................. 30 J.A. Wright Construction ............ 24, 33 McHugh’s Excavating ..................... 32 Palm Construction............................ 10 Fencing Methow Valley Fence Company ... 38 Financial Services Baines Title & Escrow ........................ 37 Bart Bradshaw, CPA ......................... 12 Flooring Harmony House Interiors ................. 24 Methow Valley Lumber.................... 28 North Valley Lumber ........................ 31 Geothermal Services Fisher Refrigeration ........................... 47 Fogle Pump & Supply ...................... 18 Glass Supply & Design D&R Glass Works ............................... 46 Heating & Air Conditioning Al Ju Stoves & Fireplaces ................... 8 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ........ 13 Energy Solutions ................................. 8 Fisher Refrigeration ........................... 47 Hamilton Farm Equipment .......... 9, 34 North Valley Lumber ........................ 31 Home Furnishings Columbia Furniture .......................... 14 Harmony House Interiors ................. 24 VMG Works/Studio Fe ...................... 16

Home & Garden Decor Columbia Furniture .......................... 14 The Farm Shed .................................. 16 Robins Egg Bleu ................................ 14 Interior Design Columbia Furniture .......................... 14 Harmony House Interiors ................. 24

Painters New Dimension Painting ................. 33 Porta Potty Rentals J.A. Wright Construction ............ 24, 33 Property Maintenance Housewatch...................................... 36

Insulation All Valley Insulation ........................... 46 Cascade Foam & Coatings ............ 12 Methow Valley Lumber.................... 28 North Valley Lumber ........................ 31

Pre-Fabricated Homes Method Homes................................. 52

Insurance Melbourn Insurance Co. ................. 35

Real Estate Blue Sky Real Estate ........................... 7 Sun Country Realty........................... 29 Windermere Real Estate ................... 6

Irrigation Services & Supplies Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ......... 13 Doug Haase Excavating ................. 30 Fogle Pump & Supply ...................... 18 Hamilton Farm Equipment .......... 9, 34 Lester’s Well Pump Service .............. 22 MVM Quality Drilling ......................... 20 Land Use Permits Altitude Design ................................. 29 RW Thorpe & Associates ................. 15 Landscaping Services & Supplies Altitude Design ................................. 29 Carlton Landscape Construction.... 10 Cascade Concrete ......................... 18 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ......... 13 Canyon Creek Landscapes ............. 22 Dennis Jones Chipping & Tree Service ...............................25 Eastern Green Hydroseeding .......... 8 Eric Claussen, Mountain Thyme Design ............................. 37 Hamilton Farm Equipment .......... 9, 34 J.A. Wright Construction ............ 24, 33 Plantas nativa east .......................... 30 Rick Fulcher Landscapes................. 19 Windy Valley Landscaping ............. 39 Legal Services Perkins Coie, Sandy Mackie............ 30 Lodging Central Reservations .......................... 2 Masonry Eric Claussen, Mountain Thyme Design ............................. 37 Masonry Arts ..................................... 25 Windy Valley Landscaping ............. 39 Metal Workers The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger .. 17 VMG Works/Studio Fe ...................... 16 Non-Profit Organizations Confluence Gallery & Art Center... 17 Methow Conservancy ..................... 16 Methow Resource Recovery .......... 17 Office Supplies & Reproductions Havillah Road Printing & Graphics ................................... 11

Propane Sales Okanogan County Energy, Inc. ..... 38

Recycling Methow Recycling Roundup ............ 6 Methow Resource Recovery .......... 17 Retail Columbia Furniture ......................... 14 Confluence Gallery & Art Center ... 17 Rawson’s .......................................... 44 Robins Egg Bleu ................................ 14 The Farm Shed ................................. 16 Roofing Cascade Foam & Coatings ........... 12 Triple T Roofing ................................. 24 Septic Design FL Cooley & Associates .................... 8 J.A. Wright Construction ........... 24, 33 Monetta & Associates ..................... 18 Solar Power Derosa Edwards ............................... 32 Energy Solutions ................................. 8 SolarWind Energy Systems .............. 14 Surveyors Erlandsen & Associates.................... 21 Tackman Surveying .......................... 31 Tree Services Dennis Jones Chipping & Tree Service .............................. 25 Well Drilling & Pump, Sales & Service Fogle Pump & Supply ...................... 18 Lester’s Well Pump Service ............. 22 MVM Quality Drilling ........................ 20 Windows & Doors All Valley Insulation ........................... 46 D & R Glassworks .............................. 46 Methow Resource Recovery .......... 17 Methow Valley Lumber ................... 28 North Valley Lumber ........................ 31 North Cascade Builders Supply ...... 25 Tannehill Company .......................... 34 Woodworkers Alpine Designs ................................. 39 Tannehill Company .......................... 34 Waterstone Woodworks .................. 15

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