2018 Methow Home

2018

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All-season design: living year-round in the valley Methow Housing Trust boosts home ownership, construction trade A supplement to the Methow Valley News

Firewise practices are making communities safer

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You’ve thought about this ...

I t all begins with the simplest of thoughts: Wouldn’t it be great to have a home in the Methow Valley?

In recent decades, that has typically meant “second home” or vacation retreat, with the possibility of becoming a retirement residence. More recently, it is encompassing housing for valley residents as well.

That original simple concept of building a place of your own inevitably grows into a more-complex succession of decisions that require thought, research, consultation, direction, patience, flexibility and the perseverance to see it through.

Most people you might encounter who have lived through that process will tell you that, given the outcome, it was well worth it.

Our annual Methow Home publication is intended to help you think about all the considerations that go into your dream home, including some that have taken on more prominence in recent years — notably, the need to be aware of and prepare for fires, and the recognition that our four-season climate creates its own

requirements.

As we have in recent years, we’ve taken you inside the homes — and thought processes — of some Methow devotees who decided to build here.

Our intent is for readers to understand and appreciate what is possible, and necessary, to turn a dream into reality.

Increasingly, the need to provide more housing options for Methow Valley residents is also becoming an important consideration for what could be broadly called the development community: real estate agents, architects and designers, builders and subcontractors, suppliers, local artisans and craftsmen, furnishers, insurers, landscapers, excavators, welldrillers, septic tank installers — everyone who might have something to do with a Methow home from conception through completion. They are also the advertisers who support this publication, and we encourage you to acquaint yourself with them.

If we have helped you frame your thoughts, so to speak, then we’ve done our job. H

www.MethowBlueSky.com Anne Eckmann & Heather Marrone, Owners ~ (509) 996-8084 Kathy Goldberg, Valerie Kardonsky, Michael Notaro, Sherry Malotte

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2018

Methow

hoMe

iNsidE ...

7 living rooM The Lovealls’ home is designed to accommodate a steady stream of visitors

12 Firewise hoMes and

neighborhoods For a More resilient Methow

15 captured eXperience Cindy Macklin’s well-thought-out home reflects her love for all the valley offers

21 hoMe tour eXplores design challenges in a Fourseason environMent

A publication of the Methow Valley News P.O. Box 97, 502 S. Glover St., Twisp, WA 98856 509.997.7011 • fax 509.997.3277

22 aTwisp shared vision home reflects its owners’ dreams for a perfect space

www.methowvalleynews.com editor@methowvalleynews.com

Don Nelson | PUBLISHER/EDITOR Darla Hussey | DESIGN Susan Finn | OFFICE MANAGER 4

Sheila Ward | ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE Dana Sphar | AD DESIGN/PRODUCTION

on the cover

See story, page 30. Photo courtesy of cast architecture

26 heating up The local real estate market

30 all in the FaMilY Mazama home continues

28 Keeping Faith with

36 locallY aFFordable Methow Housing Trust has

had a strong 2017, a trend that is likely to continue

the FarMers

Methow living meanings supporting the valley’s agriculture

generational history of beloved gathering places

ambitious plans to meet the valley’s home ownership needs

38 the evolving

Methow hoMe

Change is inevitable as families grow and needs expand

42 hot and cold How to plan a home that deals with the Methow’s weather extremes

45 not that siMple Low-budget Pine Forest cabin is

stylish, comfortable and practical

50 directorY oF advertisers CoNtriBUtors DON NELSON is publisher and editor of the Methow Valley News.

MARCY STAMPER

is a Methow Valley News reporter.

ANN MCCREARY

is a Methow Valley News reporter.

ASHLEY LODATO

is a Methow Valley News columnist.

JOANNA BASTIAN

is a Methow Valley News columnist.

5

6

HomEs

living rooM The Lovealls’ home is designed to accommodate a steady stream of visitors By don neLson

J

im and Kristi Loveall never intended for their Methow Valley home to be a private retreat. In fact, the gregarious hosts love to fill the place with friends and family.

Accordingly, the elegant two-story house off of TwispWinthrop Eastside Road is designed for both comfortable living and casual (and constant) entertaining.

“We are rarely out there without other people,” Kristi said.

The Lovealls have lived in the Edmonds area for about 30 years. He is the retired former owner of an aerospace company that supplied The Boeing Co., and Kristi was a dental hygienist. They started visiting the Methow Valley around 1990, staying with friends on the Chewuch River.

The Lovealls bought their Methow Valley property in the early 2000s, installed power and septic systems, and for many years used it strictly as an RV parking site during their visits to the valley. Even then, they invited friends to share the site.

“I fell in love with it instantly,” Kristi said of the site. “I definitely wanted it.” The Lovealls have neighbors, she said, but “we are not on top of each other.”

Around 2010, the Lovealls

began making plans to build a Methow home. Don Miller of Shadowline Construction, who designed and built the Lovealls’ house, met the couple after they bought property near Miller’s home, in the subdivision where Miller has designed and built other houses. They all hit it off well.

“They are down-to-earth people who are really easy-going,” Miller said.

A few years ago, the Lovealls came to Miller with a design by a west side architect that Miller politely suggested was “not appropriate to the valley or the site.” From that starting point, Miller said, he “modified plans to

“” “we wanted to work with don

[Miller]. his house overlooks ours, and he’ll have to look at it the rest of his life.”

fit the valley,” while preserving elements that were important to the Lovealls — such as a sizeable kitchen, big fireplace and inviting sunroom.

“They wanted a level of comfort and privacy, with the potential for sharing the house,” Miller said.

“We wanted to work with Don [Miller],” Jim said. “His [Miller’s]

The kitchen/dining area is designed for both maximum efficiency and casual entertaining. Photo by don nelson

7

house overlooks ours, and he’ll have to look at it the rest of his life.”

“We went through a site review process,” Kristi said. “We saw some of Don’s houses and compiled ideas. We had a really good working relationship. Don was really instrumental in helping us pick things out.”

An advantage of the design/ build “interface,” Miller said, is that “design, construction and materials choices are all fully integrated.”

Manageable space The house and two-bay garage are connected by a short breezeway.

Photos courtesy of Shadowline Architecture

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When the Lovealls sold the aerospace business, they downsized to a condo in Edmonds,

so were not planning on a vast footprint for their Methow home. The 2,500-square-foot home’s first level includes an open area with a vaulted ceiling that encompasses a spacious, well-appointed kitchen with unpolished granite counter tops and backsplash; the cozy living room with its towering river rock fireplace; and two guest bedrooms that share a full bath.

The kitchen has two dishwashers to accommodate any amount of dirty dishes that need to be stowed out of site after dinner.

The bedrooms are large enough to be comfortable, but are not overwhelming spaces that need to be filled up with furnishings.

The river rock fireplace was constructed by Dave Christensen, who also built the fireplace at Sun Mountain lodge and other sites around the valley.

“We wanted a focal point,” Kristi says of the impressive fireplace.

“You can’t walk into the house and see it without smiling.”

Barry Stromberger did the metal work, and Phil Woras built the cabinetry.

The adjacent sunroom, reached via a separate glass-paneled door, features big windows on three sides (east, south and west), an isulated roof, exhaust fan and slate floor for “maximum sun and solar gain” yearround, Miller said. The room is also precisely situated to take best advantage of the sun’s arc across the southern sky in every season. In the summer, the windows can be removed,

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essentially converting the space into a screened porch.

Upstairs is the master suite, with an open sitting area overlooking the living room, and an east-facing “coffee porch” where the Lovealls can greet the morning sun. The master bedroom includes its own fireplace. The second-floor sitting area accommodates the Lovealls’ desire for a place to have a desk that was accessible but out of the way from other activities.

Miller likes to repurpose materials when he can. The flooring upstairs is from bleachers that used to seat people for the Omak Stampede.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” Miller said of the upstairsdownstairs division.

Windows throughout the home, including several clerestory windows — a familiar touch in Miller’s designs — are situated to bring in light from every direction and frame the outside landscape. “Everything is a view,” Kristi said.

WOOD & LAMINATE FLOORING MARMOLEUM CARPET A soaring river rock fireplace dominates the living room, which features a vaulted ceiling. Photos courtesy of Shadowline Architecture

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Above: Inside the barn are displayed mementoes from Jim Loveall’s car racing experiences. Above and below, center: Antiques add special touches inside and out. Far right: The dining table creates a subtle division between the kitchen and living room. Photos

by Don Nelson

Attention to detail The house is sited to take advantage of the Mt. Gardner and North Cascades range views to the west. Gabled, pitched metal roofs shed winter snow. Deep, covered porches on two sides of the house provide plenty of room for relaxing when Methow weather permits. The porch posts are supported by stone foundations. A detached double-bay garage is separated from the house by short covered walkway.

The site, which is on about 5 acres with shared river frontage, also includes a large barn suitable for storing RVs and other equipment. The barn hosts a “man cave”

with seating, kitchen facilities and a bigscreen TV. Decorating the walls are a lot of photos and memorabilia from Jim’s hobby — he races vintage Porsches. He’s been competing for nearly 20 years. “I love old cars and fast cars,” Jim said. “But I do it for the love of the sport.”

Kristi’s love is antiques, and it shows in the home’s decorations — which are mostly vintage sporting paraphernalia such as skis, poles, sleds and snowshoes.

The energy-efficient home generates a lower electricity bill than the Lovealls’ Edmonds home, Miller said. Design elements include blown-in insulation, a geothermal heat pump and Thermax siding. The combination of features produces “a significant reduction of energy use year-round,” Miller said.

As for fire-awareness, Miller said, the house has a “defensible perimeter “ to help protect it. At first the Lovealls wanted a treed lot, Jim said, “but now I’m happy we don’t. The scenery is spectacular.”

The Lovealls split their time among homes in Edmonds, Arizona and Hawaii as well as the Methow — where they say they would like to spend even more time.

The Methow Valley home “exceeded my expectations,” Jim said, adding that of all the homes they own, “this is by far my favorite place.”

“It’s a big sigh of relief” to arrive in the valley, Kristi said. “The stress level comes down.” H

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FIREWISE

Firewise Homes and Neighborhoods for a More Resilient Methow

By K irsten Cook Fir ewise Progr a m Coor dinator, Ok anogan Conservation District

D

iamond Creek. Twisp River. Tripod. Needles.

Your reaction to these names is a good indicator of your experience with wildfire in the Methow Valley.

For a growing number of folks in the valley, past fires are inspiring action to be moreprepared for future ones. I encourage you to join these efforts to implement Firewise practices if you haven’t (see some of the options below).

If you are taking steps to get ready for fire season, share your story with friends and neighbors so we can keep building the Firewise momentum in the Methow!

Step one: schedule a Firewise consultation Since every property is unique, the best way to get a personalized Firewise plan is to set up a one-on-one site visit at your home. These free consultations are available from the Okanogan Conservation District and take about 45 minutes. We’ll look closely at the home ignition zone, which is the home itself and its surroundings.

Since most homes ignite in wildfire events from embers landing on something flammable on or around the home, we’ll be paying special attention to areas where embers tend to collect, like vents, under decks, and up against siding. If you are still in the planning process for a new home or remodel, we can 12

Chechaquo Ranch received Firewise Community recognition in 2016.

Photos courtesy of the Okanogan Conservation District

provide you and your builder with options for fire-resistant construction.

Since 2012, 267 homeowners in the Methow have received Firewise site visits from Okanogan Conservation District staff. Here’s what some have said about their Firewise consultation: • “Speaking from my own personal experience, trying to review Firewise concepts on the Internet and trying to apply those concepts to one’s own

property is not effective. There are too many questions left unanswered and each property presents its own unique challenges.” —Kathryn Heim, Winthrop • “It was great having someone come to our home and let us know in detail the steps we can take to make our home less likely to burn during a fire event.

It gave us great peace of mind as well as a feeling that we have some kind of control over the safety of our home and loved

Recognized Firewise communities in the Methow Buttermilk (Twisp River) Pine Forest (Winthrop) Wolf Creek (Winthrop) Liberty Woodlands (Mazama) Foster Guest Ranch (Mazama) Wilson Ranch (Mazama) Chechaquo (Mazama)

ones.” —Joanne Marracci, Twisp For a Firewise consultation, contact the Okanogan Conservation District at (509) 422-0855 or visit the website at www.okanogancd.org/ residents. Okanogan County Fire District 6 and the Department of Natural Resources may also be available to provide wildfire risk assessments in your area.

from wildfire. Besides, Firewise is a great reason to have a neighborhood potluck!

To be an official Firewise community, neighbors use a step-by-step process to steer their wildfire risk reduction activities, while engaging and encouraging everyone to become active participants in building a safer place to live.

The first step in the process is to schedule a detailed wildfire risk assessment from the Okanogan Conservation District.

This assessment is similar to a Firewise consultation for an individual home, but looks at the community as a whole. After the assessment is complete, a committee is formed to oversee the next steps: an action plan, an annual education/service day, and the documentation of the Firewise actions homeowners implement each year in the neighborhood.

Okanogan Conservation District staff are here to assist communities throughout the recognition process.

Step two: get together with neighbors to form a Firewise community The Methow Valley is home to seven of the eight official Firewise communities in Okanogan County. The homeowners in these neighborhoods recognized that preparing for wildfire could be a daunting task, but they didn’t have to do it alone.

By joining together and encouraging action across a wider area than just one or two homes, their entire community has lowered its risk of losses

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“Many of us in the Methow Valley are only just beginning to understand the steps each of us need to take to not only protect our own property, but to protect our neighborhood as a whole. We need to work as a group to cohesively withstand wildfire. And we need to come to terms with the fact that being Firewise is a lifestyle change, not just a one-time work-over of our property. To be able to make the necessary paradigm shift for Firewise principles to work, it helps to have ongoing support.” — Kathryn Heim, Winthrop.

Step three: connect with others Resilient communities understand their risk and are taking action to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire. We need everyone to be in on the conversation between individuals, communities, agencies, organizations and businesses about what it means to

Firewood stacked against a home is a common risk factor identified during Firewise consultations.

be resilient in the face of wildfire.

The more actions taken by the community to live better with wildfire, the less impactful wildfire will be. Connect with the Okanogan Conservation District, your local fire district, public agencies, elected officials and others to find out what’s happening now and what could happen in the future. Everyone has a role to play in adapting to wildfire … what will yours be? H

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The inviting entry offers a see-through view..

Homes

Captured experience Cindy Macklin’s well-thoughtout home reflects her love for all the valley offers

By Ashley Lodato

A vaulted ceiling creates a sense of space in the compact kitchen/dining/ living area. Photos courtesy of Patterson Design Build

F

or Bellingham orthopedic physician’s assistant Cindy Macklin, the Methow Valley was a second home long before she turned the key in her own West Chewuch house.

Macklin started visiting the valley in 2006, enamored — like so many others — with the hiking, climbing, mountain biking 15

Artistic touches can be found throughout the house. Photos courtesy of Patterson Design BuilD

and Nordic skiing opportunities the valley offers.

“I came into Mazama after backpacking for a week in the North Cascades and was smitten by the beauty of the valley,” says Macklin. “I fell in love with the Methow Valley.”

Ever since that first magical visit, says Macklin, “it has been a desire of mine to create a place to bring friends, family and guests together where one might experience that sense of vast peace and grandeur found in the mountains.”

Thus in 2012 Macklin began exploring the idea of making her relationship with the Methow

Valley a more committed one, visiting different properties around the valley until she found one with the qualities she was seeking: sweeping views of the mountains, a sense of being out in the countryside, and proximity to Winthrop.

“When I saw the property above the [Lost River] winery tasting room,” Macklin says, “it was so appealing. It has these fabulous views of Mt. Gardner. I can walk or bike into town; I can bike to Riser Lake without going on the road. I love that it is right above a bird sanctuary. I can hear owls right from the bedroom.”

After purchasing the site on a rolling bench off the West Chewuch Road, Macklin spent a few years getting to know the land, camping at different locations on the property, noting where the sun rose and set, and where the winds hit the area.

“I didn’t want to hear Highway 20 from my house,” she says, “and I needed to figure out which way to face the house.”

Capturing the views of Gardner was a “no-brainer,” however, says Macklin, although she acknowledges that given the wide open aspect of the property, “it was hard to find a location that would be bad for a house.”

Surprisingly, selecting a builder proved more difficult than

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finding a piece of land. Macklin says she spent a couple of years looking for a builder who she believed would best carry out the vision of the small, open house she envisioned.

“During that process I fell in love with the ‘Mazama modern’ style,” Macklin says, “and when I met with Jeff and Molly Patterson [of Patterson Design Build], they were both so enthusiastic about my site and about building a small house. It seemed like a perfect fit.”

aLigned priorities Molly Patterson says that on all of the key components of house design and construction, the Pattersons’ priorities and Macklin’s interests were Right: Decorative features are also an outside consideration.

Below: The home’s indoor and outdoor spaces flow into each other.

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well-aligned. “When we start a project we consider the land, the light, the wind, and the neighbors, and then we figure out the right building,” she says. Because Macklin had spent substantial time getting to know her property, agreeing on house placement and aspect was harmonious.

Similarly, Macklin agreed with the emphasis that the Pattersons put on a well-insulated house.

“We don’t compromise on insulating,” says Molly Patterson.

“Minimum BIBS (Blow In Blanket System) on the inside, 2-inch rigid on the outside, and get as much insulation in the ceiling as we can. We put rigid insulation in the floor as well, and only install efficient heating systems.”

Another factor that contributed to the easy collaboration between Macklin and the Pattersons was their similar tastes in materials. “We both like the same uses of concrete, wood and steel,” says Macklin. “It was really a smooth process, making

decisions. We didn’t really have any big disagreements.”

Molly Patterson agrees. “If there’s something I feel strongly about I try to do a hard sell, but ultimately it’s the client’s decision,” she says, “As a designer and builder I need to have the client’s best interests in mind. If I know they’re making a decision they’ll later regret, I need to do my best to change their mind. But this particular process was really smooth, both the design and the build phases. Cindy was an incredibly easy client to work with.”

Macklin came to the Pattersons with a sketch of the house she envisioned, which served as a starting point for the home design. The end result is an airy and light-filled space with a studio feel, cozy without being cramped. Although the indoor space of the house itself is only 910 square feet, design features like an open floor plan for the kitchen/dining/living area and a barn door opening the lone bedroom to the living space

NORTH CASCADES B U I L D E R S S U P P LY

The home’s rooms are cozy without being cramped. Photos courtesy of Patterson Design Build

make the house feel spacious. A 256-square-foot separate guest studio (complete with bathroom and mini-kitchen) sits just west of the main house, connected by a patio, providing additional sleeping and social space for guests.

Looking down the road The Pattersons loved Macklin’s vision for a small house,

but during the design process convinced her to have concrete slabs on the north and south sides of the house insulated and wired, thinking of eventual resale potential.

“A one-bedroom is not for everybody,” says Molly Patterson.

“If Cindy ever wants to sell her home to a family, we can always close in those two additional spaces — totaling 624 additional

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square feet– to expand the number of bedrooms or to put in a family room or master suite.”

And Macklin thinks it’s possible she would enclose at least one of the spaces someday to add a studio for the glasswork she creates as an artist. Meanwhile, the covered outdoor spaces serve as seasonal social areas, sheltered from spring wind and summer sun by overhanging roofs and shielded from the neighbors by wooden screens.

Macklin’s love for the Methow Valley is evident from the design touches of local artists and craftspeople incorporated into her house. From Barry Stromberger’s steel grates, suspended guest house bed, and ice ax door handle, to Mark Edson’s exterior knee braces, to Steve Ward and Donna Keyser’s artwork hung from the walls, to Laura Karcher’s wood bench, the house

is filled with marks of Methow Valley creativity — including a dramatic board form interior concrete wall constructed by Ben Evans, which frames the fireplace and anchors the living area. “I feel strongly about supporting the local art community,” says Macklin of her choices.

Another way Macklin expresses her love for the valley is her community involvement. She donates her glass artwork to local auctions and attends valley events. Molly Patterson said that Macklin developed friendly relationships not just with the Pattersons, but also with the members of their crew.

“Every time she showed up on the job site,” says Patterson, “she brought the crew things from her garden or baked goods. She brought us salmon and baskets of treats. We gave her eggs. She was a really special client.”

An abundance of light gives the home an airy feeling.

Attention to detail can be found in every room of the house.

Macklin says she appreciates how the Patterson crew seemed to value her home as a special space. “They weren’t just building a house they could be proud of,” says Macklin, “they seemed to really sense how meaningful this space was to me. I really enjoyed getting to know them. It was one of the greatest parts of the building experience.”

Macklin may have been captured by the Methow Valley’s physical beauty initially, but it is its people who have grown close to her heart during her years visiting and living here. Macklin notes that she appreciates having a home in a place “where people embody the ruggedness of the surrounding terrain while maintaining a high standard of education for their children and

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$25 per person or $20 per person for carpools of four • Call 509-997-ARTS for tickets Tickets + tour map on sale at Confluence Gallery, August 1 – 4 Buy online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3323228 For additional information, contact Loy Young, Home Tour Director loysyoung@gmail.com

The Methow Valley is a land of extremes, with temperatures that top 100° in the summer and drop below 0° in the winter. This year’s homes balance the practical demands of this unique environment with aesthetics that mirror the Valley’s natural beauty.

supporting a vast artisan community. From Twispworks to the Mazama Store and all that exists in the Methow Valley, I have never found another place as lovely or diverse.”

Gathering spot True to her aim of sharing the Methow Valley experience with others, Macklin invites friends and family to join her on trips to her new house, where all can join in the fun of “mountain biking, skiing, hiking, rock climbing, or paddling during the day

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and attend a chamber music festival in the evenings.”

She says she loves the fact that after an active day “we can sit for a totally locally sourced meal, down to the very grains milled for the bread, served on pottery and in glassware locally made, serenaded by great horned owls and later by coyotes, watching the sun set over the North Cascades.”

When she spends periods of time away from the valley, Macklin rents the house to other visitors. The main house can be rented alone for a single person or a couple, or the guest house can be added to the rental for a second couple or a family. When the house is rented, Macklin can safely leave her bike, skis and other outdoor gear in a locked storage space off the carport.

For Macklin, each trip to the valley is an echo of that first time she dropped into Mazama after a week in the mountains—a reminder of the magic of the Methow Valley. Having a home in the valley connects Macklin even further to the place she is still exploring and discovering anew. In many ways, it’s a dream come true. “The Pattersons helped bring my dream to reality,” Macklin says. H

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Home Tour

Home Tour explores design challenges in a four-season environment C

The Home Tour features homes and cabins that combine attractive design and practical considerations for year-round comfort. Photo courtesy of Confluence Gallery

onfluence Gallery and Art Center presents its 17th annual Methow Valley Home Tour on Aug. 4. This year’s theme is “Building in the Land of Sun and Snow,” featuring homes and cabins that balance practical and environmental demands with designs that mirror the unique beauty of the Methow Valley.

The Methow Valley is a land of weather extremes with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees in the summer and dropping well below 0 in the winter. Building beautiful and functional homes in this environment is a challenge for architects, designers and builders.

This Methow Valley Home Tour features designs that balance the practical demands of this unique environment with aesthetics that mirror the natural beauty of the Methow Valley. The homes on this year’s tour distinctly display a sense of place.

The Methow Valley Home Tour annually offers an exclusive peek inside some of the valley’s most beautiful homes, and an opportunity to learn about design, architecture and innovative construction.

The tour will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost is $25 per person; or $20 per person in carpools of four. Tickets and a tour map go on sale at the gallery in Twisp on Aug. 1. Tickets can also be ordered by phone at 997-2787, or online at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/3323228. Visit confluencegallery.com for additional information.

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The main living area is open, with plenty of floor space for yoga and visiting grandchildren. Two small bedrooms and a bathroom are reached through the archway so that they remain private. Photo by Marcy Stamper

Homes

A shared vision Twisp home reflects its owners’ dreams for a perfect space

By M a rcy Stamper

B 22

ruce Morrison lived in “the hippie pad of my dreams,” overlooking the

lot next door where he delighted in the Methow River frontage and — even more important — a venerable and highly productive apricot tree.

When the lot and the old house on it came on the market, Morrison and his partner, Karen Jacobsen, jumped at the opportunity. “It was a chance to build a home together with Karen, and to apply what we’d learned in envisioning a life together,” said Morrison.

The small lot in Twisp

presented numerous constraints, but the central factor in their design was that tree. “You have to let the materials and the site push you around a little bit,” said Morrison. “We worked around the apricot tree — it’s the heart and soul of the property.”

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The house is designed from the inside out — vegetation dictated the shape, along with view lines to the river. Photo By hoWarD cherrington

couple, agreed. “If you don’t let the site push you around, you destroy the character of what drew you to the place in the first place — like those trees,” said Cherrington, who owns Integrated Design Concepts in Twisp.

“Especially with Bruce and his attachment to nature — you figure out the space and the connection to the trees, the river, and the sun.”

“The house is really designed from the inside out — the vegetation dictated the shape, along with view lines to the river,” said Cherrington.

“The sightlines don’t just coexist with the house — they really become part of the interior.”

That interior encloses quite distinct public and private spaces.

Making that distinction came in part from Jacobsen, who drew on what she’d learned from her father, Kurt Jacobsen, an architect who designed houses in Seattle and the Methow Valley. “I learned about space utilization and how to develop spaces that work for intimacy and relationships,” said Jacobsen.

help create intimate spaces, while light lends an expansive quality that encourages socializing, she said.

Window seats and alcoves serve a similar function. “They provide places to read, sit and have cozy conversations. Dad was very fond of that. The window seat is one of my favorite places in the house,” she said.

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You have to let the materials and the site push you around a little bit,” said morrison. “we worked

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Even elements like shadow and light affect the nature of the space, said Jacobsen. Shadows

Jacobsen, behavioral health director for Family Health Centers, acknowledged that thinking about the connection between design and personal relationships may seem old fashioned.

Modern architecture seems to favor big windows and industrial materials like steel and glass, she said. “For me, some of those spaces feel too exposed and not intimate enough,” she said.

Jacobsen’s father focused on creating small, functional

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Top: Space planning in the kitchen features cabinetry made of walnut salvaged after a wildfire and beech, plus striking flame-spalled granite countertops. Bottom: The master bedroom features a chest built by woodworker Rick Swanson that incorporates Morrison’s carvings of wildflowers. Photos

by Marcy Stamper

spaces. “He loved fitting things into a space that others said wouldn’t work,” she said.

In fact, Jacobsen worked with her father to design her first house in the Methow. “I had lots of trust in him. It was a very

special and pleasant experience,” she said.

Because Morrison and Jacobsen’s house is relatively small, space planning was critical.

They opted for an open kitchen and living room, with plenty of floor space for yoga and visiting grandchildren. Rather than a large dining table, they have small tables that can be tucked against the wall. Two small bedrooms and a bathroom are reached through an archway so that they remain private.

Jacobsen recalls her father talking about his clients and how some had very different notions of their dream house. But Jacobsen and Morrison were totally in sync. “Working with Bruce on the house was fun,” said Jacobsen. “It was a very organic process from the very beginning. It opened up a conversation, and everything began unfolding easily.”

“It was an important expression of our relationship — we were never on different pages,” said Morrison.

Problem solving Morrison, an artist and sculptor, wanted to be very hands-on, which inadvertently contributed some idiosyncratic and beguiling details in the house. He built the foundation himself along with Rico Meleski, who did the stucco and plaster work throughout the house. But when he was done, Morrison found the foundation was crooked, making the wall a few inches off.

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Meleski was able to create a strip high on the living room wall to make up for the off-kilter foundation. As the strip grows gradually thicker, it lends visual interest to the space.

“I realized that because Bruce is an artist, he’s used to solving problems. That was just another artistic problem for him,” said Jacobsen.

They even integrated remnants of the outside in the interior. Aspen trees burned in the Carlton Complex Fire were repurposed as living room posts. Rick Swanson of Swanson Woodcraft, who created builtin cabinetry for the house, used walnut salvaged from a fire near Wenatchee.

Keeping the house small allowed Morrison and Jacobsen to spend more on hand-crafted cabinetry and finishes. They also incorporated some of Morrison’s own furniture, such as a stick-and-twig table in the living room and a bedroom chest built

by Swanson that features panels

Morrison carved with a wildflower pattern.

The house is solar tempered rather than passive solar, meaning it gets some heat from a woodstove, said Cherrington.

But the sun does its part — it shines onto the back wall in the dead of winter but is shaded by eaves in the summer, he said.

The house incorporates several curved walls and rounded forms. “There’s something about getting out of the box,” said Cherrington. “I try as much as possible to break up square corners and hard edges.”

“I just had to have arches — that was one of my givens,” said Morrison.

For Jacobsen, the curves soften the spaces and provide a soothing effect. “It’s a wonderful sanctuary,” she said. H Window seats and alcoves provide places to read, sit and have cozy conversations. Photo by Marcy Stamper

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Real Estate

Heating up The local real estate market had a strong 2017, a trend that is likely to continue

By Ann McCr ea ry

T

he Methow Valley saw a hot market for home sales in 2017, fueled by a tight inventory of homes that sold quickly and at higher prices than recent years.

Three local real estate agents, who have decades of experience in the Methow Valley, expect a strong real estate market to continue into the coming year.

A key measurement of the market is the median home sales price, which was around $320,000 in 2017, up about 18 percent over the median price of $270,000 in 2016, according to data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

“There were more high-end homes that sold this year than ever before,” said Anne Eckmann, owner and broker of Blue Sky Real Estate in Winthrop.

“Sales prices are up, days on the market are down, the number of listings are half what was available several years ago,” said Bob Monetta, owner and broker of Windermere Real Estate in Twisp.

For all sales — homes, land and commercial properties — the market “surged to $60.5 million in sales, the second-highest market ever,” said Dave Thomsen, branch manager and senior managing broker for Coldwell Banker Winthrop Realty.

That volume was “second only to the frenzied market of 2005, when practically every listing sold and sales tipped $68 million,” said Thomsen, who 26

compiled data from the multiple listing service to analyze the 2017 Methow Valley real estate market.

Although the total number of property sales were slightly lower in 2017 than 2016 (227 transactions in 2017 compared to 251 in 2016), the average 2017 sale price was about 12 percent higher than the previous year, driven primarily by strong home sales.

Home sales grossed $47 million in 2017, compared to $42 million in 2016, Thomsen said.

The active home sale market meant that the inventory of homes dropped in 2017. By the end of the year there were 65 active home listings, compared to 81 the previous year, according to the multiple listing service data. For buyers, that means slim pickings — less than 70 homes dispersed over some 70 miles from one end of the valley to the other, Eckmann said.

“For instance, if someone is looking for something specific, there might be three houses in their price point. One might be in Lost River, one at the end of Twisp River Road, and one up Texas Creek,” she said.

Shifts in 2017 Thomsen said home sale prices in 2017 signaled an upward shift in the price range where most sales took place. In recent years the majority of sales occurred in the $100,000-$400,000 range, while more than half of the sales in 2017 were in the $200,000$500,000 range.

The median length of time

not unusual to have two people interested in a property and it wasn’t unlikely that you could have multiple people bidding and in some cases, prices hiked up.

But it wasn’t greatly significant.”

Although home sales were strong, there was a weak spot in the real estate market last year, and that was land, local Realtors said. “Sadly, the vacant land market continues to suffer, especially south of Twisp,” Monetta said.

Part of the slowdown in land sales was due to a Washington Supreme Court decision in November 2016, commonly known as the “Hirst” decision. That court ruling cast doubt over the availability of water for development of vacant land throughout the state and “created an environment of immense confusion for land sales” in Okanogan County during 2017, Thomsen said. The Washington Legislature addressed the issue and

that homes were on the market was somewhat longer in 2017, 81 days, compared to 64 in 2016. Eckmann interprets that to mean that “some of the houses that have been on the market for a long time finally sold.”

While the Seattle housing market in 2017 experienced fierce bidding wars with dozens of bidders competing for new listings, the Methow Valley market has experienced competition to a lesser degree.

“Newly listed, competitively priced homes are having multiple offers and selling above the asking price in all areas. Many lots in desirable areas are also seeing multiple offers and selling higher than asking,” Monetta said.

“When you talk about a bidding war in Seattle you’re talking 15 offers,” Thomsen said. “It’s happening here to some extent, but that was not the norm. It was

Year-to-year comparison 2016

2017

251

227

$42 million

$47 million

$270,000

$320,000

End-of-year inventory, homes

81

65

End-of-year inventory, lots below $50k

41

28

Median days on market

64

81

# of sales Gross sales Median market price

cleared up some of the confusion this year when it passed SB 6091 in January.

Land sales dropped last year about 27 percent from the previous year, from a total of $11.4 million for 118 sales to $8.3 million for 86 sales, according to Thomsen’s data.

The Hirst decision wasn’t the only factor influencing land sales, however, Thomsen said.

“Reduced availability of cheap lots” also played a role, he said.

Based on data from the multiple listing service, 41 lots sold below the $50,000 threshold in 2016, Thomsen said. “Many lots went to spec-home builders, gobbling up inexpensive parcels for future projects. By 2017, however, the inventory of low-cost lots diminished; only 28 sales occurred below $50,000, a 32 percent decline from 2016,” he said.

Availability of affordable land has become a key factor in controlling development costs, particularly because the Methow Valley has relatively high construction costs, Thomsen said.

“More buyers target lower cost land parcels now than in years past,” he said.

For example, he said, the average land parcel sold for about $96,000 in 2017, far below than the average cost of land 10 years earlier, in 2007, when the average parcel sold for more than $174,000.

Younger buyers Monetta said he’s seeing a growing number of “millennium home buyers” in the Methow Valley. “They’re the movers and shakers now,” particularly in the commercial property market, he said.

Eckmann also said she has worked with “a lot of younger buyers, in their 20s and early 30s, or young professionals here in the valley and it’s the time of their lives to buy a house.”

The valley continues to attract people who are planning to telecommute to jobs in the Puget Sound, or who are looking for their retirement home, the

Realtors said.

“They are families from the west side that had a type of Internet job that allows them to telecommute and move here because they want to raise their families here,” Eckmann said.

“And people who have been recreating here for decades or who had a home here and are retiring here and buying a more expensive home.”

“The demographics of the market have changed” over the years, Thomsen said. “I’m a baby boomer — our generation is very idealistic. When we came to the valley we wanted privacy, a pristine environment. People today are more practical than the baby boomers were. They are looking for beauty but also looking for convenience. They are more drawn to living in town or close to towns, to have less property to maintain and convenience to amenities.”

How active will the real estate market be during 2018? The Realtors say it’s hard to predict, but the limited supply of homes and land in the valley will continue to play a role.

“I felt like the market had exploded last year. I think our inventory will continue to be smaller,” Eckmann said. “20162017 was a big jump in the median home price, but I don’t think it will continue this year.”

“Are we in a bubble? I don’t think so,” Monetta said. “Home affordability has risen in the country at unsustainable rates, but I don’t think we are in a bubble, just a healthy housing market. We expect the house market will adjust near the latter part of 2018.”

“Demand for homes will remain strong, the question is the inventory and how will the homes be priced. We don’t know how high the market and demand could be,” Thomsen said.

“There are still some properties that are excellent values but it’s trending into more of a seller’s market. Unless there are unexpected occurrences that would change economic trends, I would expect this trend to continue.” H

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Conservation

Keeping faith with the farmers Methow living meanings supporting the valley’s agriculture By the Methow Conservancy

L

You don’t have to look far to find ample evidence that the Methow is an agricultural community. Photo by Sasha Swerdloff

28

ush green hayfields, tidy rows of apple and pear trees, colorful plots of mixed vegetables, cows dotting the landscape — these are some of the scenes that make the Methow Valley dear to many of us.

These agricultural lands, worked by the diligent hands of our friends and neighbors, have played an important role in the valley’s economy and rural character for many generations. It is our hope that they continue to be a vibrant part of what we treasure most in the Methow!

The Methow Conservancy has worked with willing local

landowners since 1996 to permanently protect over 1,600 acres of farmland in the Methow Valley, from Pateros to Mazama.

These lands remain privately owned, and are permanently protected from development.

But the work of ensuring a vibrant, viable future for our farmers, doesn’t end with land protection. To support our hardworking farmer and ranchers takes a conscious, community effort.

The upcoming growing season is a great time to show your love and support for the farmers and ranchers who take pride in stewarding our farmland and raising really wholesome food for all of us. Here are a few

Photo by Rachelle Weymuller

simple ways you can do just that: • Shop the Methow Valley Farmer’s Market in Twisp each Saturday morning, and enjoy the freshest food money can buy!

Look for local produce at Hank’s Harvest Foods, Glover Street Market, the Mazama Store, and the Winthrop Evergreen IGA — and make sure to express your appreciation to these stores for supporting our local farms!

• Explore the “Methow Grown” website for ways to buy directly from many of our valley’s diverse and creative farms and ranches: www.methowgrown. org.

• Enjoy a bike ride or drive along the Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road and give thanks to the many agricultural landowners who have chosen to partner with the Methow Conservancy to conserve their farmland so that it is available to future generations of farmer.

• Be considerate and close any gates that you open when hiking or biking on public land — grazing on public land is an important part of the valley’s rural

Photo by Rachelle Weymuller

history and modern economy.

• Understand and protect your water rights, if you have them, and consider protecting your water rights through the Washington Trust Water Rights Program, to ensure they are available for use in the future. For more information, contact the Methow Conservancy.

• Consider making your land available to a farmer! Last spring, the Methow Conservancy created the beginnings of a match-making database, with the hope of gathering information about landowners who may have productive agricultural land they would like to make available to local farmers. If you are such a landowner, and would like to explore the possibility of actively supporting a local farmer and strengthening our valley’s foodshed, contact our Agricultural Coordinator, Alyssa Jumars, at alyssa@methowconservancy.org.

A small amount of community collaboration can go a long way to preserving the viability of small-farm enterprises here in the Methow! H

Photo by Sasha Swerdloff

29

Owner/architect Stefan Hampden created an entryway art installation that represents a topographical map of the Methow Valley. Photos courtesy of Cast Architecture

Homes

All in the family Mazama home continues generational history of beloved gathering places

By Don Nelson

W

hen Stefan Hampden and Julie Nelson began thinking about building a home in the Methow 30

Valley, they were inspired by treasured experiences from their childhoods. Both grew up in families — one on the east coast, the other on the west coast — that owned vacation

homes where multi-generational gatherings took on a special meaning.

For Julie, it was a family retreat near Tahoe. For Stefan, who is originally from New York, it was the family place in Maine where he spent his summers growing up.

“It was an opportunity for us to recreate that for our generation,” Stefan said of the Mazama home. In fact, Stefan and Julie say, the Mazama gathering spot

was made possible by the vision and generosity of Julie’s parents, James and Katie Nelson. “They were committed to leaving a legacy of space,” Stefan said.

The couple’s two children, a son and daughter, are now learning about that legacy when the family travels from their Seattle home to the Methow Valley.

There is also another vision at work: that of the architect, who also happens to be the coowner. Stefan is a principal and

“We did sun studies on the site, where the light and shade would be,” Julie said.

That said, “it was a challenging site” because of the slope, Stefan said. One possibility, he said, was to have the house march up the hill in terraces.

The other was to nestle a horizontal design backed into the hillside — the option they chose.

It involved cutting into the hillside to create a ledge for the home’s footprint, and requires a longer driveway, but those were acceptable tradeoffs.

Head-on, the house looks like three separate structures with staggered rooflines. In reality, they are all connected spaces tied together by design considerations. Steel beams and vertical siding seem to lift the forms out of the ground.

The home’s design is intended to mitigate the potential bulkiness of its silhouette.

“We broke up the pieces ... otherwise, it might feel massive,” Stefan said. Separating portions of the house — the major elements are the garage, the dining/kitchen area and the adjacent living room — breaks down the overall mass and creates “a more airy feeling,” Stefan said.

From afar, there is a slight illusion of connectedness: the garage is actually separate, but shares a roofline with the central part of the house.

It is connected to the house by an external bridge that is part of an outdoor area which extends across the front of the entire structure for a relatively Three rooflines help break up the bulk of the home’s design. PhotoS courteSy of caSt architecture

co-founder of Cast Architecture in Seattle, which has designed other homes in the Methow Valley. Stefan and Julie, a biologist who works at a Seattle engineering firm, met when they were both at the University of Washington, where Stefan was pursuing a master’s degree in architecture after working for firms in New York and Colorado.

He and Matt Hutchins launched Cast in 1999.

Stefan said visits to the Methow began about 20 years ago when he and Julie were at the UW. They stayed with friends with property at Lost River.

“It’s a very special place for both of us,” Stefan said. “We fell in love with it, and have been coming back since ... it always felt like home, the one place in the Pacific Northwest that has that feeling. Every time we come over the pass it’s like a weight lifts.”

The motivation to consider building a Methow home came for Stefan and Julie when both their families sold their vacation retreats at about the same time.

“Suddenly, we didn’t have a place that was like home for us,” Stefan said.

tHe rigHt Spot Deciding on a spot to recreate that tradition was, Stefan said, “an interesting process.” Their first thought, Stefan said, was “a mountain cabin.” Ultimately, Stefan said, “we drew a circle around the Mazama Store” as the central locus for their search, which

after a review of many properties ended at a wooded hillside lot on the north side of Chechaquo Meadow. Stefan and Julie like that the home is within walking distance of the Mazama Store and has almost instant access to the Methow Trails Nordic system. “It cuts down how often

“

we have to get in the car,” Stefan said.

“Light was a big factor,” Stefan said. “We didn’t want to be in the shadow.” The house’s southern orientation guarantees good year-round light. And they liked the view across the meadow to Sandy Butte.

it’s a very special place for both of us.

we fell in love with it, and have been coming back since ... it always felt like home,

”

the one place in the pacific northwest

that has that feeling. every time we come over the pass it’s like a weight lifts.

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The dining area opens to a living room with higher ceilings, a continuation of flo fireplace.

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Stefan and Julie wanted a full garage, but not attached to the house. “We decided early on that we needed a big garage for vehicles and storage,” Stefan said.

“There are a lot of toys that go with being here.” It can also be a separate work space, he said.

Welcoming space The couple said they wanted to create a low-maintenance

space where it would be easy to entertain.

To that end, the first thing one encounters in the firstfloor core of the house is the spacious dining/kitchen area.

The kitchen features loads of countertop work space and ample cabinetry, and enjoys subtle supplemental lighting from clerestory windows. The first floor includes a guest suite that is easily accessible through

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The exposed concrete wall in the kitchen extends to the outdoor patio area, creating a sense of continuity.

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There’s also a utility room/ mechanical room off the main entry, with an outdoor gear closet that is, behind the door, crammed with gear.

The front entryway features an unusual piece of artwork created by Stefan: a construction of undulating wood slats that represent a topographical map of the Methow Valley and

An attractive overhead fixture supplements the home’s natural light.

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A metal bridge, part of a continuous walkway, connects the garage with the main part of the house.

Photos courtesy of Cast Architecture

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On the second floor is the master suite including built-in cabinets and a full bath, and a bunk bed room with four bunks for the kids. There is also a halfbath, plus a shower in the second-story entryway that opens to the forest behind the house.

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The kitchen space opens directly to the living area — the house’s third form — which shares the same floor level but has a higher ceiling and is warmed by a centerpiece wood stove. Floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the room slide open to the outdoor space, blurring the distinction between inside and outside. The wide porch overhangs create expansion space to accommodate a lot of people when the weather allows.

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Parts of the house have exposed concrete walls with the insulation on the outside.

All of the floors are concrete with heating coils. Concrete floors, Stefan said, “are hard to beat. They are durable, and you can do an inside-outside continuum. It makes a lot of sense.”

The interior finishes around the doors and windows are fir.

“It’s of the area, and it’s beautiful wood,” Stefan said.

Phil Dietz was the builder, and Stefan and Julie have nothing but praise for the work of Dietz and his crew.

Fire awareness Fire resistance was part of the planning from the start. Concrete, steel and zinc siding are the predominantly visible materials (the original idea for wood siding was quickly discarded).

The zinc has a subtle natural shade that will weather over time. It’s a common siding and exterior material in Europe, Stefan said. It can’t rust,

doesn’t need painting and is fire-resistant.

The site has also been cleared of burnable materials, and surrounding trees limbed well above the ground. The house is part of the Confluence Gallery Home Tour this year, with the theme “Building in the Land of Sun and Snow” (for details, see page 21).

After last year’s level 2 evacuation alert in the Mazama area because of the Diamond Creek Fire, they cleaned up even more, Stefan said.

“We hauled a lot of material out — small trees, needles, brush, understory. It really helped,” Stefan said.

Every aspect of the design was contemplated with longevity in mind. “We want it to stay in the family for a long time,” Stefan said.

“It’s an amazing space,” Julie said. “It welcomes people in a way that we hoped it would. And our kids are seeing the process of building a legacy for the next

generation.” H

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35

A Mazama parcel is one of three neighborhood development sites planned by Methow Housing Trust. Photo courtesy of Methow Housing Trust

Real Estate

Locally affordable Methow Housing Trust has ambitious plans to meet the valley’s home ownership needs

By Ashley Lodato

H

ome. It’s where you hang your hat, kick off your shoes and put your feet up. It’s your sanctuary, your buffer against the world outside. It’s where both chaos and tranquility reign, often in equal measure. It’s a reflection of your priorities, an expression of your personality. It’s the place that envelops you, your family and your friends in a welcome embrace. It might be the place where you enter this world.

Quite often, it’s where you depart it as well.

36

Owning a home can provide people with “security, dignity, possibility” says Methow Housing Trust (MHT) executive director Danica Ready. But over the past 10 years, median real estate sale prices have been outpacing median wage increases by three-to-one — a trend that has put homeownership out of reach for many.

A 2016 housing needs assessment sponsored by Methow Valley Long Term Recovery identified a shortage of affordable, quality housing, precipitated by a sharp rise in median home prices in the valley in the past

15 years and an area median income that is only two-thirds of the state average. With increasing real estate values, living wages cannot keep pace, putting homeownership forever out of reach for many Methow Valley residents.

Ready calls affordable, quality housing a “keystone species.” In an ecosystem, a keystone species is a species on which other species depend; if that species is removed, the ecosystem changes dramatically.

“For the Methow Valley,” says Ready, “quality housing that working people and seniors can afford is a keystone species.”

With groundbreaking scheduled for the first of three planned neighborhoods in Twisp, Winthrop and Mazama, MHT is in the critical first stages of ensuring the survival of this

particular keystone species.

Lofty goals MHT’s goals are lofty: build 50-plus homes in 10 years, beginning with 14 homes on Canyon Street in Twisp, and 10 in Mazama, over the next three years. As a community land trust, MHT will retain ownership of the land, and then sell the homes to eligible Methow Valley full-time residents whose gross household income does not exceed 100 percent of the area median income.

In a happy concurrence of planning and community resources, MHT is poised to meet these ambitious goals, due to a forward-thinking board and the generosity of a few key donors who recognize that the Methow Valley is at a tipping point, and that swift, effective action is

necessary to address the housing problem in real time.

“We are fortunate that both the Canyon Street [Twisp] and the Mazama properties were donated, and the Winthrop property acquisition was made possible through bridge loans from Farmers Bank and the Community Foundation of North Central Washington,” says Ready. “Those donations have allowed us to envision lasting home ownership opportunities for people who are priced out of the ownership market.”

If ongoing fundraising efforts are successful, MHT expects to be able to offer a set of house keys to eligible applicants in early 2019.

Indeed, securing suitable pieces of property seemingly so quickly has been a nearly unheard of boon in the community land trust world. As Ready travels to other communities with similar community land trust models, she hears over and over, “You’re so lucky to have land in place!” Communities like Bend, Oregon, have community land trusts that are eager to build, but simply can’t acquire appropriate properties. Ready attributes MHT’s early achievements to the fledgling organization’s board, about whom she says, “I’m just trying to keep up with their capacity and dedication.”

Boon for builders Building 50 affordable, quality homes over the next 10 years will not only be a benefit to the future owners of those homes, but it will also be a steady economic source for the local building trades. Imagine: local labor, materials sourced through local lumber yards and building suppliers. Ground work, framing, wiring, plumbing, drywall, finish work — all of it completed by local builders and craftspeople, dollars circulating throughout the Methow Valley economy.

Nick Brandenburg, who manages North Valley Lumber, is enthusiastic about MHT’s projects on several levels.

“The builders and those of us at the lumberyard talk all the

time about how 90 percent of the stuff we’re building is people’s dream vacation homes. That kind of building is satisfying, but it’s contributing to a climate that makes normal housing for normal people untenable,” he says.

“It’s ironic that the lumberyard employees are schlepping lumber for custom homes and many of them can’t afford their own rent here. We feel that tension.”

Ready points out, “there is no greater source of expertise in building homes affordably than within the Methow Valley building community.”

Local builders know how to build efficiently and make decisions that keep costs down and keep the building timeline on schedule. Many builders have constructed their own homes on tight budgets; most have advised friends about doing the same thing.

Brandenburg says that valley builders and suppliers alike are excited to “flex our affordable housing muscles and deliver on housing that’s attainable. We all know we can do it.” He also notes that the type of housing that MHT offers will “provide a foothold for people who are going to be long-term contributors in the valley.”

Affordable, quality housing will also benefit local businesses, many of whom have difficulty retaining employees due to the scarcity of affordable rentals. Ready says that “Affordable homeownership opportunities can serve as a stepping stone.”

Eventually, many who take that step toward homeownership through the community land trust model will build a nest egg of equity over time, a byproduct of homeownership that can eventually allow them to make a down payment on a market rate home. And each move toward a community land trust home frees up a rental for someone else.

Methow Housing Trust is a membership-based nonprofit. To learn more, visit the organization’s website at methowhousingtrust.org. H

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Before there was a house, the Johnstons pitched a tent at their Methow property. Photo courtesy of Johnston Architects

Design

The evolving Methow home Change is inevitable as families grow and needs expand

By R ay and M ary Johnston

W

hen we first visited the Methow Valley, there were few lights on the horizon. The first house we ever designed here was a very simple two-bedroom cabin for a client who seldom used it and graciously gave us free access.

Our kids grew up visiting that house and our business grew up too. We became engaged in the valley on many levels, found our own land and over three years built a house and garage.

Our rules were simple: keep it small, flexible and fun and when 38

faced with a choice, try something we, as architects, had never done before.

In the beginning was the tent platform. As we added utilities (electricity one year, a septic system the next, activating the well somewhere in there), the tent was replaced by a tattered Airstream.

Soon, we realized we could start building. Our budget was

very modest and included sweat equity, but we soldiered on.

With help from many wonderful craftsmen in the valley we occupied the place about 15 years ago.

Open plan The Airstream had become cramped with our two teenage

19 E NC SI UR CE SO CA L LO UR

What next?

We are committed to retiring in this house, so, what does it need? We are architects so should be able to answer that question. We have three modifications in mind.

• The Airstream is off to Twin Lakes to a loving new home. In its place we are planning a small “casita” that will include a bedroom, tiny kitchenette, bathroom, outdoor patio and a combo winter sauna/summer extra bed.

• The bed cabinet will make a great anteroom for a future enclosed bedroom. To sit lightly on the land, this concept relies on a simple addition supported by small footings and the existing building. The understory will be screened and occupied by mowers, kayaks and tools. The roof can be accessed and will provide an outdoor sleeping deck — safe from

AN

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port-a-crib is following sleep training protocol in the only isolated space available: the upstairs bathroom.

D S AR E H LI RC P O SUP UR ON YO I L AT AL IG R IRR FO D

70

kids, so it was a relief to have more space — but, that space is an open plan: two enclosed bathrooms and the rest open except for barn doors and curtains.

The benefit over the years has been a wonderful space that captures the spirit of our site and allows us to sit there sun, rain, snow or wind and watch the wonderful world of the Methow go by.

A few years ago, our daughter was married at our Twisp home. Worried about heat and the effectiveness of our outdoor spaces, we added a patio, a sun shade system, air conditioning and catenary lights to illuminate the meadow during special occasions. Our house changed to meet changing conditions of life.

Today, the biggest motive for change is our new grandson. When he visits, his parents sleep in the curtained portion of the loft. His uncle is in the loft family area. We are in the “bed-cabinet” and Kasper in his

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critters, but open to the stars.

• And then there is the screened porch and sleeping loft.

Our son Sam has always coveted this spot lofted above the valley in our tall veranda. This

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PA TR O

The back side addition. ARTWORK courtesy of Johnston architects

39

modification would be accessed by a bridge over the kitchen (complete with kitchen pot rack) and would provide the enclosure below suitable for a screen around the barbecue area — take that, bees!

Different needs Houses need to grow and evolve.

The needs that are satisfied in one decade will be different in the next. As our house learns how to change, we have learned about our priorities.

We know that we cherish the beauty and serenity that the Methow offers. Our love of the valley inspires us to want to share it with our friends and growing family, but to leave as small a footprint as we can.

We hope that by planning creatively and wisely, little Kasper and any who follow will be able to step out the back door and find what brought us here in the first place.

H Housing needs change from decade to decade, so the home may need to change with it. Photo courtesy of Johnston architects

Ray and Mary Johnston are principals in Johnston Architecture.

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Design

Hot and cold How to plan a home that deals with the Methow’s weather extremes e've talked with local experts and gathered tips on how to create a Methow Valley home that is comfortable and resilient to our extreme temperatures and conditions all year round. If you are building a new home or considering a remodel or addition, keep these design ideas in mind to create the most-comfortable retreat through every season.

exterior shades block the sun from heating up glass windows, while preserving the views. Insulated interior shades block solar heat during the summer, and hold in warmth in the winter.

During the winter months, solar gain helps reduce heating costs.

Windows placed high on a wall can be angled downward, directing sunlight to warm the floor. Exterior or interior shades on these windows would block the solar heat during warmer months.

Sun exposure

Snow control

Site orientation is critical. The sun’s rays can illuminate and warm the home, while strategically aligned windows and doors help cool the home with mountain breezes and colder nighttime temperatures. Window systems, like shades, overhangs and glazes, control the solar heat transfer.

Howard Cherrington of Integrated Design Concepts assures home owners they can make the sun a friend year-round by orienting the home for solar rays to warm the home in winter, and control sun exposure with overhangs in warmer months.

“Internal blinds that open at the top and lowered at the bottom when the sun is low in the sky will block direct solar penetration while still providing light and views,” he said.

Top-down, bottom-up shades (yes, that is the real term) can be opened from either the top or the bottom, blocking the direct sun when it is low in the sky, while still letting in light and framing a view.

In the warm months of summer, retractable translucent

Snow is a great natural insulator. Ray Johnston, of Johnston Architects, took an Arctic engineering course in Alaska, where the main theme was “think of snow as your friend, and use it to your advantage.” A low-sloping roofline and snow breaks can hold snow on the roof all season long. The result is more insulation, and a pretty winter roof.

Another advantage to keeping the snow on the roof is keeping it off of the walkways, resulting in less shoveling. “Long overhangs keep snow away from house, the walkways are snowfree, and the overhang gives the house a sense of shelter,” said Cherrington.

Steep-pitched roofs easily shed snow. If you opt for a steep-pitched roof, be mindful of where the snow is going to slide.

Snow piles can easily block exterior emergency turn-off valves, walkways, driveways, stairwells, porches and views. Left to melt along an exterior wall, piles can damage the exterior of a home.

Longer overhangs protect access points and direct snow slides

By Joanna Bastian

W

42

away from the home, reducing manual snow and ice removal.

Entryway ideas A protected entryway can serve as a transitional room to control heat loss from the home.

Entryways can limit the amount of dirt that come into a home during the mud and dust months of spring, summer, and fall. A well-designed entryway can serve as a coat closet, shoe room, and recreational storage for skis, snowshoes and poles.

An entryway can be a covered breezeway between the parking area and entrance to home, limiting the need to shovel a pathway to the vehicles.

Or, another option is to enclose an existing porch with windows, creating a sunroom that doubles as a protected entryway.

Heating and cooling One of the easiest methods to cool and freshen a home is to take advantage of the Methow Valley’s mountain breezes and cold night air. The layout of the home should include windows and doors that open to allow cross breezes throughout the entire house.

For an existing home, the easiest upgrade to create year-round comfort is to increase the insulation. Blown-in insulation fills the cavities within walls and attic spaces effectively. The exterior of the home can be wrapped with foam insulation topped off by new siding.

Cherrington recommends insulating to a high standard with a combination of methods.

“The benefits in both winter and summer are a difference of 20 to 60 degrees. It is the most cost-effective upgrade that pays back in 10 years or less,” said Cherrington.

Another doable upgrade is to

replace older furnaces or wood stoves with modern, efficient models, and add an insert to an existing fireplace. Wood stoves are safer and more efficient than fireplaces.

Windows can be replaced with double- or triple-paned upgrades, and covered with insulated shades on the interior, and sunblocking shades on the outside.

A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) exchanges clean outdoor air with the exhaust air from a home. The HRV heats or cools the incoming air. HRVs can be either built in, or added to an existing HVAC system.

A ground source heat pump uses the temperature of the ground for heating or cooling and connects to either radiant floor heating or a forced air system.

The Okanogan County Public Utility District offers conservation loans and rebates to encourage the purchase and installation of energy efficient products.

The PUD also offers free energy audits of existing homes.

Earth sheltering A cost-effective method for building an energy-efficient home is to use the Earth’s own thermal properties to naturally insulate the home. Instead of excavating an entirely flat area, build into a sloping terrain. Any wall in contact with earth will not gain heat in summer or lose as much heat in winter. Earth sheltering greatly reduces heating and cooling loads year-round, anywhere from 15 to 60 degrees.

In summer months, concrete walls covered with stucco or stone cool down with nighttime Methow Valley breezes. Concrete walls or floors in contact with the ground remain cool to the touch and act like natural air conditioning in summer.

The storage mass of stone and

concrete uses very little energy to heat in winter months, especially with south-facing windows that make full use of solar radiant heat. Even if the power goes out, concrete stays warmer longer, with a more even heat distribution.

Landscaping Plan open spaces for snow storage, as snow takes up a lot of room when it is plowed and shoveled from walkways and driveways. Fences, trees and bushes should be strategically placed to allow room for snow removal.

A well-planned driveway can make all the difference during snow and mud seasons. The length, width and steepness of a driveway must be accounted for when planning an all-season home. The angle of a driveway, along with strategically placed culverts and ditches, can prevent washouts and mud mires during spring time. And then there’s the challenge of winter

snow-plowing on a long, steep driveway.

Plan drainage systems that handle runoff as it melts. Mary Johnston offered a practical water-saving solution of a roofline gutter system to collect spring meltwater and rain runoff into a storage cistern. The collected water could be used for irrigation.

Firewise Any discussion of an all-season home in the Methow Valley must include a Firewise design.

Look for local builders, architects and designers with a Firewise certification. The Methow Conservancy, www.methowconservancy.org, is a great resource for planning a Firewise home in the Methow Valley.

For a Firewise consultation, you can also contact the Okanogan Conservation District at (509) 422-0855 or visit the website at www.okanogancd.org/residents.

Keep vegetation at least 50 feet away from the house. Many

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people like to use ornamental plantings around the home, but imagine the combustibility of the dry plant material close to the home.

Keep all trees thinned and limbed to prevent roaring infernos. Your neighbors will thank you.

Consider anything that might burn. Instead of a wooden deck, fence or other flammable material near the house, use flagstone, concrete pavers or stone to surround the entire home with noncombustible material. Landscape cloth can block weed growth in a gravel pathway or courtyard.

Noncombustible siding and roof material can stop windblown embers from igniting a home. Fire-resistant screens over ventilation openings to attics and crawl spaces are essential.

Planning ahead Local experts all agree that the best planning option, if possible, is to spend time on the home site

in every season before building.

Take note of the position of the sun during different times of day and different times of year, along with wind direction.

Work with the natural elements of sun and wind to warm the home in winter and keep it cool in summer. And don’t forget, snow makes a great insulator during winter. Consider a low-sloping roofline with long overhangs to shelter walkways.

Different heating and cooling systems, including HRVs and earth-sheltering techniques, can moderate home temperatures year-round. Talk with an experienced designer who is familiar with the area to decide which systems would work best for your building site, or existing home.

Use local designers and architects who are familiar with the environment in which you plan to live. Experienced local professionals can help you make the most of sun, snow and every season in between. H

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The view from the deck is elevated by the home’s hillside orientation.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEVE KEATING

44

Homes

Not that simple Low-budget Pine Forest cabin is stylish, comfortable and practical Don Nelson

I

f you’re building a smallish, budget-restricted cabin, do you really need an architect to make it distinctive?

In the case of a Seattle couple’s cabin built on a Pine Forest bench with views, the answer was yes — and it paid off with a one-floor, one bedroom, onebath home of 850 square feet that feels larger and looks more stylish than one might expect.

Methow Valley-based architect Margo Peterson Aspholm, with the Seattle architectural firm Prentiss+Balance+Wickline (formerly Balance Associates), describes the home as a “true cabin” that is “fun, beautiful, unique ... made with modest materials in an elegant way.”

The owners asked that their names not be used, but don’t mind sharing the experience.

The cabin, built about 11 years ago, was featured in a 2009 issue of Sunset Magazine. And it

was included in the Confluence Gallery’s annual Tour of Homes a few years back, so may be familiar to some of you.

If so, you may recall that the cabin’s entrance is off the flat driveway, but then the home vaults out over a steep hillside Open shelves serve as interesting accents to the kitchen space. Photo courtesy of as if it were STEVE KEATING about to go box and allow it to cantilever budget goals,” according to airborne. The design elevates over the hillside, reducing the website, “an efficient plan the views, and provides for effective site disturbance. and cost-effective selection ample, easily accessed storage Elevating the cabin allowed for of building materials reduced area that forms the cabin’s unobstructed views down slope construction costs and led to boxy foundation below. A deck and to the mountains beyond, the simple box design. further extends the home’s “The use of sheet materials transforming a modest living useable space. space from ordinary room to a both inside and out maximized On its website, viewing platform that extends material efficiency while Prentiss+Balance+Wickline from inside to out.” describes the home as “a natural emphasizing the simplicity “We believe this project of the cabin’s form. Two modern forest cabin.” demonstrates our belief that concrete walls cradle the “In order to meet the client’s

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architecturally interesting solutions can be achieved for budgets of all sizes without sacrificing quality or aesthetics,” the website concludes.

The home’s ample storage area is reached by doors in the foundation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE KEATING

Using place and space Siting the cabin on the brow of a hill solved an early design challenge of how to make best use of the site. “It made a lot or sense if they wanted to enter on the high side,” Aspholm said. “It’s suspended over the hill — that’s the big payoff.”

From the glass-paneled front door, one can see through the house to the glass-walled kitchen/living room area that gives way to the deck.

“Everything is about the deck,” Aspholm said. “It’s an outdoor room.”

A few sturdy materials make up most of the cabin, Aspholm said. “It’s mostly concrete, plywood and steel.” That includes plywood wall paneling in all the rooms, accented with

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$1

MV Citizens Council celebrates 40 years of activism Fight against ski resort launched broader agenda

By Ann McCreary

For many Methow Valley residents, the battle fought over a downhill ski resort in Mazama is a distant memory, or was over before they moved here.

But lessons learned during that conflict still guide the Methow Valley Citizens Council (MVCC), created four decades ago to lead the fight against the proposed Early Winters ski area.

“Forty years is a long time,” said Maggie Coon, who helped found MVCC in 1976, and has been involved in the organization for 15 of its 40 years, including her current position as chairman of the MVCC board of directors.

“MVCC has had significant influ-

ence on the way the Methow Valley has grown and developed over the last 40 years. We’ve helped … instill a culture of advocacy, which is very much alive and well in the Methow Valley today,” Coon said.

One of those early environmental advocates was Isabelle Spohn, who learned about plans for a destination ski hill at Sandy Butte soon after moving to Mazama in 1978. Spohn became involved in the new grassroots

group fighting the resort, and remained actively involved for 35 years.

“It seemed to me that many people [in the valley] hadn’t seen that kind of [development] happen before, and didn’t understand how quickly something like that could happen,” Spohn said.

“It had the possibility of having an enormous impact on the valley. It was so out of scale for the valley,” she said.

Even before MVCC was officially incorporated in 1976, some local citi-

zens were raising alarms about rumors that Aspen Ski Corp. was making plans for a destination ski resort called Early Winters that could accommodate as many as 10,000 skiers a day — at a time when the entire population of the valley was only about 3,500 year-round residents.

Bev and Jeff Zwar had recently moved to McFarland Creek when they See MVCC, A1

THESE BIG PIGS WENT TO M ARKET Bear Fight scientist discovers evidence of water on Ceres Vital information transmitted by Dawn mission spacecraft

By Ann McCreary

Photo by Marcy Stamper

Emily Paul put her pig, Darwin, on a diet to be sure it qualifies for the market auction. A high school junior, Paul said raising pigs for the fair has made a big difference in her college fund. In addition to the pig, she plans to exhibit homemade caramels.

Local 4-H swine raisers look forward to county fair, auction

By Marcy Stamper

Cody Wottlin wrapped his shoelaces in duct tape because his pig Schnizel finds them so irresistible.

But nibbling on the shoelaces is just for entertainment, said Wottlin, since Schnizel (formally known as Frederick Esquire III) is hardly lacking for nourishment. In fact, this year several of the pigs being raised by the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club are on diets because they’re already nearing the maximum weight to be auctioned at the Okanogan County Fair.

(Pigs need to be between 230 and 290 pounds to qualify for the market auction at the fair.)

McKenna Ott is dealing with the opposite problem — she’s raising a pig from a late litter and it may not weigh enough for the auction.

“You never know till you show up — as soon as you cross the scales,

Friday night light

there’s no turning back,” said Erin White, the 4-H swine leader.

Every year there are a few pigs that don’t qualify for the weight class.

“Kids are devastated, but the parents are a lot more devastated,” said White.

“It’s hard to watch the kid put in all that work.”

If a pig is over or underweight, the child can still compete in fitting and showing, but will have to sell the animal privately, which rarely brings as much money as the auction at the fair.

“It was a cake-walk with these pigs — you could go right up to them from two months,” said Wottlin, an eighth-grader who speculated that the pigs he and his brother raised this year were so calm because they’d been handled from birth. “They’re pretty goodlooking, too,” he said.

Learning experience

Methow Valley kids expect to bring some 6,000 pounds of pork to the county fair this year — 22 kids have spent the past six months raising pigs.

“Kids tell their friends how fun it was, so lots join,” said White.

It is not uncommon for kids to sell a

pig at auction for $4 or $5 per pound, and some have scored as much as $7 per pound, earning more than $1,000 to put toward a college fund or a car.

The fair guarantees a price of 60 cents per pound, but that doesn’t come close to covering the typical $500 investment in the pig, food and supplies.

Emily and Bodie Paul like pigs for their generally equable disposition and the ability to earn money for college.

Their older brother raised steers, but steers demand a longer commitment and a bigger investment. They also tend to have less predictable personalities, said Emily, a junior in high school. She remembered one steer that was so gentle that her brother could read a book while lying on its back, but other steers would attack everything in sight, including the fence.

4-H exposes kids to a lot more than raising an animal. “It’s part of life — they learn that even if they feed the animals every day and do everything they’re supposed to do,” sometimes it just doesn’t work out, said See FAIR, A3

A scientist at the Bear Fight Institute near Winthrop has described the first and only confirmed detection of water-rich material at the surface of Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Jean-Philippe Combe authored a research article published Friday (Sept. 2) in the journal Science, detailing the discovery of water ice on Ceres.

Information leading to Combe’s discovery was transmitted by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which is orbiting Ceres.

The detection of water ice on Ceres is inherently intriguing, Combe said in an interview last week.

“Anything that involves water is very interesting and exciting. Water is an essential substance in the general evolution of any planet, and also for the creation of life, the type of life that we know anyway,” Combe said.

“Water in our solar system is potentially related to creation of life. You have to start with detection of H20 to go further,” he said.

“I don’t know if people are making a fuss, although I have seen more people than in a long time,” said Enid Shaw, just over a week shy of her 100th birthday.

“It’s a lot of attention — that’s all I can tell you.”

Enid Pauline Gobat was born in Pateros on Sept. 16, 1916, and grew up there,

A surprise

Finding the water ice on the surface was surprising, Combe said.

The water ice was detected using a Visible and InfraRed Mapping Spectrometer (VIR) carried aboard the Dawn spacecraft, which began orbiting Ceres in March 2015.

The VIR measures the sunlight scattered on the surface of Ceres in a range of wavelengths from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared. Data obtained through VIR reveals mineral and molecular composition, and in this case revealed the presence of water.

The water ice was observed in a 10-kilometer-wide crater named Oxo. See CERES, A3

47 Photo courtesy of Bear Fight Institute Jean-Philippe Combe of the Bear Fight Institute near Winthrop has identified the presence of water ice on the dwarf planet, Ceres.

At 100, Enid Shaw reflects on a Methow Valley life well-lived

By Marcy Stamper

That’s not to imply that Ceres provides any indication of supporting life, Combe said. Of interest, though, is the presence of the water ice on the surface of Ceres, Combe said.

Planetary scientists have long suspected that the interior of Ceres is composed of large amounts of water or ice, Combe said.

“We knew that from the measurements of density of Ceres there has to be some ice in the bulk of Ceres. It is not dense enough to be made entirely of rocks. The obvious component was ice,” he said.

when she was in her early 20s, after studying typing and commercial subjects in Spokane. She married Roy Richard Shaw (known as “Dick”) in 1937.

They raised their five children in a rudimentary two-room cottage that had once served as a teacher’s residence at the old Beaver Creek schoolhouse. They used to carry water up from the creek in 10-gallon cream cans. “It was a hill to

aluminum channels; concrete, radiant-heat floors throughout (“very efficient,” Aspholm said); and small windows for the bedroom, bath, and kitchen/dining and living room areas.

The kitchen does fine with simple white appliances and open shelves for dishes as well as cabinets below the counter tops. The cabin was built by Patterson Desing Build, which “did a great job with the craftsmanship,” Aspholm said.

The shed roof’s shallow rise creates a vaulted ceiling affect in the living/dining area, which is also heated by a freestanding wood stove. The roof’s overhangs offer protection from the elements at either end of the house. “It’s simple but effective,” Aspholm said.

The cabin is not cluttered or in need of intense maintenance. The owners “wanted to be able to close the door and leave, and not worry about it,” Aspholm said.

As for the architectural satisfaction, Aspholm said, “the challenge was how far can we take a simple box.”

The home’s simplicity seems to enhance its charms.

“People go bananas over this little cabin,” Aspholm said. “It’s achievable. It makes a dream house seem within reach.”

Aspholm expects the owners to hang onto that dream for a long time. “No one has ever sold one of our custom-built homes,” she said. “Once they build it, why not keep it?”

Why not indeed? H

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The Central Reservations team welcomes you to the heart of the North Cascades. Explore beautiful wide open spaces, fresh mountain air, wildlife, and meet amazing people. We are your local lodging specialists and are here to help you find your perfect getaway location. Choose from inns, bed & breakfasts, cabins, historic homes, farm houses and condo units. Our website is user friendly and all lodging calendars are up to date 24/7 for secure online bookings. We rent legal, licensed nightly rental homes and extended stay homes (30 days or longer).

We are located at 245 Riverside Ave., Winthrop, WA. 98862.

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