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Log Home Living
1. special outdoor living issue
years
lakeside
getaways
■ Rustic
■ Formal
■ Mountaintop
DECKS
Low-cost
bonus
space INSIDE A Window
shopping
TIMBER FRAME guide
How timber homes Buy for looks &
www.timberhomeliving.com are built to last energy-efficiency
2. Sweet Spot
Surrounded by breathtaking scenery,
a couple builds a home that drinks it all in.
BY NANCY BERRY | PHOTOS BY KARL NEUMANN
Architect John Hendricks designed the front portico with a dou-
ble column. The column base is Montana stone. As you approach
the home from the road, the views open to Lake Pend Orielle.
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3. ABOVE: The architect is well-
versed in the mountain vernacu-
lar and chose local materials,
IT is not often one comes across a prop-
erty with unobstructed, 270-degree
views of two mountain ranges, one of the larg-
joy snowboarding, golfing and boating, the
couple also wanted a home that was close
to the action — especially their favorite ski
such as Montana stone, western est lakes in the Northwest and thousands of resort. “They didn’t just want to be close to
red cedar and Douglas fir, to acres of national forest. So when Tim and Kim the mountain — they wanted to see it,” says
build the home. Feehan discovered a five-acre lot for sale on architect John Hendricks, who designed the
a high spot in Sandpoint, Idaho, that offered home. “The main directive from the Feehans
OPPOSITE: The turret wall these views, they knew they had found their was: ‘We want views — we want to see it all.’”
in the great room is made of sweet spot. They set about to put a team to-
Montana stone, echoing the gether to design and build a home that would Dazzling Design
fireplace. Trusses hold up the do justice to the spectacular panorama vistas. The design takes in the natural beauty of
purlins and the roof, which The route to finding their contractor reads the area, which includes Lake Pend Oreille,
creates a stacked effect. The a bit like something out of a James Bond movie one of the largest bodies of water in the
wood floors throughout the rather than requesting your typical construc- Northwest, spanning 148 square miles; the
house are 3/4-inch tongue-and- tion bids. They took a seaplane to get a bird’s- Selkirk Mountain range, dense with pon-
groove stained birch. eye view of homes they liked in the area, and derosa pine, Douglas fir, quaking aspen and
when they found one, they landed right on paper birch; and Montana’s rugged Cabinet
the lake in front of it. It was the home of Skip Mountain range.
Pucci, a 60-year veteran in construction. The Feehans’ home not only needed to fit
“They walked up the lawn and asked if they into its natural setting but also with the other
could take a look around,” says the builder. homes in the mountain community. “We came
He was hired on the spot. The couple liked up with a playful design, incorporating a tur-
Pucci’s rustic timber-frame home and wanted ret, large portico and several outdoor spaces
to emulate it. for the family to enjoy the warmer months,”
Both avid outdoor sportspeople who en- says the architect.
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4. LEFT: The architect designed a bridge on the
upper level to connect the private spaces of
the home, such as the master bedroom, study
and library. For dramatic effect, he left the
6-by-10-inch rafters exposed in the turret.
OPPOSITE: One of the most dramatic views
is seen from the great room windows, which
face southeast and offer views of Lake Pend
Orielle and the Cabinet Mountains beyond.
Exterior materials echo the mountain land-
scape, which includes 4-inch-thick Montana
stone, Douglas fir beams and western red cedar
siding. “These are 2-by-14 horizontal boards
cut diagonally with a 1- to 1 ½-inch butt end,
which offer more angles and deep shadow
lines,” the architect explains. A four-columned
entry portico, as well as open porches, patios
and decks abound. “The porches have broad
overhangs to protect the seating areas from
the summer sun when temperatures can reach
100 degrees Fahrenheit,” the architect notes.
Porch railing balusters are kept very thin for
unobstructed views.
Level-by-Level Tour
The 5,600-square-foot living space is divided
into three levels. The lower level offers a me-
dia room with theater seating, a game room
complete with bar, a wine cellar, a guest suite
and two outdoor patios — one of which has a
hot tub. “There is also a gas fire pit for cooler
evenings,” says the architect.
The main level has an entry hall and a tur-
ret, which houses the spiral staircase encircled
in Montana stone, a great room with a ceil-
ing vaulting to 22 feet at its peak, a window
wall, a fireplace built of Montana stone, a
dining room that leads to a waterproof deck, a
kitchen and large pantry equipped for catering
to family and friends, and a guest bedroom.
“We rented a horse arena during the winter to
make the Douglas fir arched trusses that sup-
port the roof and portico,” the builder recalls.
The private spaces in the home — a mas-
ter bedroom and bath, a reading room and
a study — are relegated to the upper level.
“These spaces are connected by a bridge that
opens to the spaces below,” says the architect.
“Most of the home faces southeast, but the
master bedroom [which is set on a 45-de-
gree angle from the rest of the house] looks
toward Schweitzer Mountain to the west so
the couple can wake up and immediately see
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