Methow Valley News Building Guide 2010

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Methow Valley Building 2010 Page 3

A publication of the

Methow Valley News

P.O. Box 97, 101 N. Glover St.Twisp, WA 98856

509.997.7011fax 509.997.3277

[email protected]

Cover photoby

Sue Misao

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Paul Butler, publisherJohn Hanron, editorSue Misao, designMarilyn Bardin, office managerRobin Doggett, ad managerCallie Fink, ad salesDana Sphar, ad design, productionLinda Day, ad designJanet Mehus, office assistant

ContributorsJoyce CampbellStacey ChisamAshley LodatoSoo Ing-MoodyAnn McCrearyMare NemethDee Dee PearceAmy StorkBob SpiwakMarcy Stamper

Methow Valley

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Inside....Houses getting smaller, greener...................................4Many building styles at home in the Methow...............8A roof over your head..................................................12Entryways: not just another hole in the wall...............14(More) affordable options..........................................16

Get your home tight (but not too tight).................19Should you remodel?........................................21

Photo gallery: Workin’ it..............................23Under foot: building the best floor..........24

Using the solar system........................26Siting your home...........................29

Second home or future home?...32Know your zone.......................35

Making tax sense......................38Photo gallery: Mail.....................40

Directory of Advertisers...............42

Even in difficult economic times, people need places to live. We may make some changes to our plans – downsizing,

simplifying, cutting back on extras – but we still build. Long before we scrape off the first shovelful of topsoil, we are faced

with choices. Where will we build? What will it be built of? How big should it be? Will we build it ourselves or hire a pro? How will we pay for it? We hope that you find some of the an-swers to those provocative questions in this, the 2010 Methow Valley Building guide. Between the stories and the advertising, all of the resources you need to build in the Methow are right here. Enjoy the process, use local suppliers and services when

you can and build smart!

Page 4 Methow Valley Building 2010

Houses getting smaller, greenerBy Joyce Campbell

he Methow Valley building industry is going in several directions at once – down in number of new houses and

square footage, back to the way some things used to be, and forward with the green revolution. So, what’s going up?

Cabins are going up faster than mansions, according to Dan Higbee, building official for the Okanogan County Building Department. “The trend in the last five years is a steady decline in square footage. Now there’s more 1,200-square-foot cabins,” he said.

Competition within the build-ing industry is bringing back cost

controls to the runaway building industry boom of the late ’90s and the early part of the last decade, ac-cording to local sources.

“I see a trend of contractors pay-ing a lot closer attention to the prices they are putting out,” said Howard Cherrington, certified professional building designer and owner of In-tegrated Design Concepts, Inc. Last year there was a noticeable decrease in cost of construction, said Cher-rington. “Clients are obviously a lot more concerned about a budget.”

“My challenge is clients on a budget,” said Barb Preston, designer and owner of Pinto Design. “It’s more challenging to have to make a

great house on a tight budget,” said Preston. Her goal is to design what people can afford and her niche is livable, medium-sized homes.

The cost of construction is forc-ing clients to go smaller. “Construc-tion costs and land prices are high,” said Preston. “People get big sticker shock as the price per square foot goes up. People are shopping around for designers and builders who are willing to take a little less to get work,” said Preston. She said while work has been steady, it’s less busy than in the past, due to the difficulty of getting financing. “Everybody’s hungry for work,” she said.

“Buyers are still looking for a

great deal, looking for sellers that are really motivated to sell,” said Patsy Rowland, broker and owner of Winthrop Star Properties. The big-gest change is a shift back to seller contracts. Seller contracts used to work fine, said Rowland, and it was standard protocol in the 1980s and early ’90s, when one in five sales was a cash sale. “They will probably become the norm.”“Buyers are either into bargain hunting or looking for really good value,” said Sherry Malotte, broker and owner of Blue Sky Real Estate. She said buyers have been through a cycle of short-term investment and now it’s back to long term. “Real

T

Photo by Joyce CampbellWith the number of larger new homes going down, smaller houses continue to go up.


estate has always been a long-term investment, but sellers are having a difficult time coming back to the norm, “said Malotte.

“The design, people’s taste and money spent is similar, there are just not as many jobs,” said Chris Stern, homebuilder and owner of Common Sense Custom Homes. “Now it’s like it used to be, only with so many more contractors, the competition is fierce. It’s not unlike the early ’80s, when going into winter it was rare to have

work for the coming year.” New home starts in the Methow

Valley were down from 71 in 2008 to 46 in 2009, according to reports provided by the county building department. New home permits dropped about 30 percent across the county, said Higbee. The size and value of homes dropped about 15 percent countywide.

“It’s definitely slower, but there’re little glimmerings,” said architect Ray Johnston, owner of Johnston & Associates. All three of his projects on the drawing board in February were small and simple and the clients were not in a hurry, said Johnston. “People are being much more careful about size and complexity. And if it takes a little longer, people don’t mind.”

“The trend is not as large. Clients have more modest expectations,” said Margo Peterson, architect with Balance Associates, Inc. There are savings in selecting more modest finish materials, fixtures and ap-pliances. A well-built house with a good design is more sustainable just from using greener materials, said Peterson.

“It’s all right to be in a simple little house,” said designer Doug Potter, owner of Shackitecture. He said the common man is finally in touch with modern architecture and modern is not so much another cat-egory. People are looking for smart, simple architectural design such as

flat and shed roofs. “People’s ideas are scaled

back,” said Dave Rudholm, owner of David Rudholm Construction,

Inc. “Dreams aren’t quite as big and clients are a little more practical, but it’s still happening,” said the homebuilder.

His clients are asking more ques-tions about doing things green and he sees the prices of green technol-ogy dropping and becoming more available to people on budgets. “I am looking forward to more green. It’s something that needs to happen.”

“Some people are willing to pay now for savings later,” said Cherrington. He said that just about any energy-efficiency move will pay back in comfort and utility costs. “You get paid back in your lifetime and pass to your grandchildren a place they can afford to heat.”

“The emotional desire to build green is very high, but is being bal-anced with pragmatic financial con-cerns,” said Donald Miller, designer and owner of Shadowline Design and Construction, Inc. There is a trend of people being very careful with their choices right now as they consider their options, said Miller. Green-technology systems like solar power, on-demand hot water heaters and geothermal heat pumps using ambient soil temperature have

Continued on P. 6Photo by Sue Misao

Smaller houses are not only cozy, but are more affordable to heat.

Photo by Sue MisaoOne way new builders can save money and be green is to recycle materials from older homes.

Photo by Ashley Lodato“People are looking for smart, simple architectural design,” said one local builder.

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“The most effective use of energy is still high insu-lation levels and an airtight building envelope,” said Miller. “Some of the more exotic green technologies can be very personally sat-

isfying but a good financial return can be difficult.”

Clients often say they want to build green to the degree their budget will allow, said Preston. “It’s not cheaper unless you’re invested in getting, storing and finishing materials,” she said. “It’s not going to

Photo by Sue MisaoCabins are going up faster than mansions, according to the Okanogan County Building Department.


be cheaper but it’s the right thing to do.”

There’s a trend in people being involved in building their project and making it greener, said home builder Donald McLane, owner of D. McLane Construction Co. “Home-owners, whether they are carpenters or not, want to be involved doing finishing work, for instance.”

It took McLane 10 minutes to set up and show one couple how to nail exterior cedar shake siding on their house. They did their own siding and were surprised how well they worked together, said McLane.

Another couple took doors from their old house that was to be torn down and refinished them for the new house. “It wouldn’t be cost ef-fective to pay someone to do that, but they got to put their handprint in it,” said McLane. One pair of owner-builders was on the job every day, with the wife making decisions and the husband providing labor. The retired couple was active in reduc-ing the building costs and helping with finish work like sanding and painting.

“I think things are looking better this year. If people want to go out and build a house, they should take

the opportunity, “said Andy Hover, manager at North Valley Lumber in

Winthrop. “It’s a better opportunity than the stock market. If they have

the money and are looking at the long term, it’s a good investment.” H

Photo by Sue MisaoLess indoor square footage leaves you with more outdoor play area.


Many building styles at home in the MethowBy Amy Stork

B efore air conditioning and propane heat, before cheap transportation and manufac-turing, people built homes

from the materials found in their immediate surroundings, and lo-cated them to take advantage of nature’s own heating and cooling mechanisms.

Today, we can import any mate-rial we want, and each year brings new products to market – each one sold as better than the previous.

The choices can easily grow over-whelming. To help us sort through the pros and cons, we asked a trio of local builders to share their thoughts on some of the most popular build-ing techniques and materials used in our area.

First things firstBuilders Larry Halford, Alex

Hall and Gary Phillips all agree on some principles for anyone planning a new home: Use the sun in winter and shade it out in summer. Build with materials that make sense for

your location, budget and lifestyle. And be considerate of your neighbors and the environment.

Designing with the Methow’s hot summers and cold winters in mind

means thinking first about where to put your home and which way it faces. (See “Siting your home,” page 29). Insulating walls, roof and ceilings keeps indoor temperatures stable

in winter and summer. And when designing rooflines and overhangs, it’s important to consider where the snow and rain will end up.

Beyond these basics, choices of building materials and techniques depend on balancing considerations of style, cost, environmental impact and more.

Earth bermingEarth berming consists of build-

ing some or most of a home into a hillside or built-up berm. Building against the ground takes advan-tage of the more constant ambient temperature of the earth – warm in winter and cool in summer.

However, direct contact with the earth means the structure must be waterproof and strong enough to resist the pressure of the dirt. Poured concrete or manufactured concrete forms are most commonly used in walls that will be placed against a hillside.

Winthrop designer and builder Phillips tries to incorporate earth

Photo by Sue MisaoAn earth-bermed home takes in the sun’s warmth and keeps it for a long while.

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berming into almost every home he builds.

”It’s not the cheapest way to build, because you have to dig a hole,” Phil-lips said. “But it is the best for energy efficiency. I did a house where the owners live in Seattle and aren’t here very often, and they are able to leave the heat off and the water on and it will never freeze.”

Strawbale construction

This popular construc-tion technique uses baled straw from the waste product of harvested wheat, oats, bar-ley, rye, rice or other grains. The bales are stacked and typically covered with con-crete stucco on the exterior.

With a thickness of one to two feet, strawbale walls provide excellent insulation and temperature stability. Much of the building work can be done by inexperienced builders, and the materials are not expensive. However, rooflines must be carefully

planned to protect the bales from snow slide and rain splash, which can eventu-ally seep through the stucco and create problems with moisture and mold.

Halford, a builder for more than 25 years who es-timates he has built at least 12 homes in the Methow over the last decade, built his own home with strawbales and recommends them for some construction.

“Strawbale is great if it’s done right,” said Halford. “The bales are pretty local and utterly renewable. A strawbale house takes a few hours to heat up, but if you leave for six hours [the tem-perature] barely changes. I really like the look, which is kind of Southwestern. But there are design limitations. It wouldn’t make sense to build a two-story house with lots of windows out of straw.”

Insulated concrete forms

Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) – interlocking foam

units that are dry-stacked, then filled with rebar-reinforced concrete – create thick walls that help main-tain indoor temperatures throughout the summer and winter. The blocks’ foam ex-terior can be carved to create soft and interesting shapes, and any exterior or interior finish can be added. The

forms are highly fire-resis-tant and low-maintenance. Rastra blocks, perhaps the most popular brand of ICF, are made with recycled poly-styrene foam.

Mazama-based builder Hall says ICFs work well in many applications, but their advantages must be weighed against the process used to

create the materials.“They create very strong

walls that heat and sound don’t pass through very well. Building inspectors and engineers love them, because there’s a lot of steel and concrete. But concrete has high embodied energy

Continued on P. 10

Photo courtesy of Laura BrumfieldA strawbale house, typically covered with stucco, provides excellent insulation and temperature stability.


content, and polystyrene is made from fossil-fuel prod-ucts.”

Halford adds that the foam particles that fall off while building with ICFs are difficult to contain and often litter a homesite for years after construction.

Structural insulated panelsKnown by the acronym

SIPs, these pre-made panels consist of a sandwich of two

layers of structural board with an insulating layer of foam in between. SIPs replace several components of con-ventional building such as studs and joists, insulation, vapor barrier and air barrier. They can be used for many different applications such as exterior wall, roof, floor or foundations.

Despite their increasing popularity, SIPs have not made a favorable impres-sion on the local builders we

talked to. “SIP panels are very tox-

ic, utterly nonrecyclable, and you export all that money out of the valley,” said Halford. Hall agreed, adding that the covering on SIPs is laden with formaldehyde.

For his part, designer Phillips says SIPs can make for a speedy building pro-cess, but their rigid form limits design possibilities.

Building with woodTraditional stick-frame

building is probably still the most popular form of construction in the Methow. Wood-frame homes can be built with locally or region-ally sourced renewable ma-terials, and can even incor-porate recycled wood from deconstructed buildings.

Hall says double fram-ing, which creates an extra-thick wall that can be filled with insulation, can re-create the insulation properties of a concrete form or structural insulated panel, without im-porting toxic materials.

Hall says another advan-tage to traditional stick-frame building is its familiarity for so many builders.

“Everyone is comfort-able working with it, from

the carpenters through the plumber, the electrician and the finishing trades,” Hall said. “That is a sure way to raise the chances of success throughout the project, by

Photo courtesy of Gary PhillipsInsulated concrete forms have a lot of benefits, although particles may litter a homesite for years.


making as many entities and participants involved feel comfortable along the way.”

Making choicesThe bottom line, say all of

the builders we interviewed,

is to plan ahead and make the right decisions in the design phase. Part of any home-building process, they advise, should be getting ad-vice from professionals who have used the techniques you are considering.

Hall is intrigued by the potential of new building materials and techniques, but recommends focusing on the basics first.

“I’ve sort of moved to less exciting views of ma-terials and buildings,” said

Hall, “where I just really stubbornly want buildings to work better. The builders and designers and then the people who want the housing form a triangle. We have to work together to challenge ourselves to get the best result we can. It’s just too easy to make some choices that you will regret after you have lived in it for a few years.”

“No one is telling you that you can’t have the house you want,” said Halford. “It will just be a lot smarter if

you do it right. Houses are a huge amount of work. They wear you out and cost you a fortune. You want to do it right.”

Halford suggests look-ing for a builder who has a firm foundation in traditional building but is also open to utilizing new materials.

“It’s still a house even if it has bales in the walls,” said Halford. “You have to under-stand how buildings func-tion, and play to the strengths of the materials.” H

Photo by John HanronWood is the most common type of construction in the valley.


A roof over your headBy Ashley Lodato

aving a roof over one’s head is often referred to in the same breath as the es-sentials for sustaining life,

as in “food, water, and a roof over your head.” So, it’s not surprising that when it comes time to decide what roofing style and materials you’re going to use, you don’t make the decision lightly.

The good news is that there are many ways to make a first-class roof. Beginning with the design and ending with the installation, many decisions along the way contribute to the desired end result of a solid roof. There is no inherently “best” roof; rather, the best roof for any particular Methow Valley situation is one that keeps moisture out, deals with snow effectively, and contributes to a pleas-ing appearance for the building.

Any builder will tell you that a good roof consists of an indivisible combination of roof design and roof-ing materials: that the “best” roofing material for one house plan would be less effective for another and,

conversely, the “best” roof design for a particular material would be disastrous with a different roofing product.

Tom Triplett, of Triple T Roofing, says he’s happy to give homeowners roofing recommendations, but only once he has seen their house design. “Is it a steep pitch?” he asks. “Are there

many valleys? Are you trying to hold snow or release snow?”

“One thing is a given with roof-ing,” Triplett said. “Water has always come out of the sky and rolled down-hill; that’s not going to change.” Your roof needs to be prepared to deal with the weight of snow and the flow of water in a way that minimizes the

impact on your house and your lifestyle.

“If your roof is going to release snow,” warns Triplett, “think about where the snow is going to pile up.” Is it going to block your entry? Pile up in front of your picture window? Fall on your kids as they play outside?

If you’re not using metal, the snow is going to sit on your roof and drip as it melts. Are you going to use gutters to direct the flow of drips, or just dodge the droplets as you walk along the house?

Climate plays an important role in the efficacy of a roof, too (there’s a reason that thatched roofs never caught on in Juneau). “We have dra-matic weather changes from sum-mer to winter in the Methow Valley,” says Triplett. “Your roof needs to be effective in all seasons.”

Like climate, other environmen-tal factors play a part in a selection of roofing. For example, while cedar shake roofs are quite popular in many areas of the country, they are infrequently used in the Methow

H

Photo by Joyce CampbellThere are many ways to make a first-class roof.

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Valley due to wildfire risks. Triplett, who has been

in the roofing business since 1974, says that although the quality of roofing materials has improved over the past few decades, there has not been much change in what customers want for their

roofs. Although roofing op-

tions worldwide (and even nationally) are varied, rang-ing from metal to tile to thatch, Triplett notes that Methow Valley homeown-ers have long shown an overwhelming preference for

metal and asphalt/composi-tion shingle roofs, although membrane roofs are becom-ing more popular, particu-larly with the recent prolif-eration of low-pitch and flat roofs. (Membrane roofs are large pieces of synthetic ma-terial that essentially wrap a roof either seamlessly or with vulcanized seams. Think Saran Wrap.)

Flat and low-pitch roofs used to be regarded with suspicion in snowy or wet climates, but advances in roof-support engineering and roofing materials allow flat roofs to be just as effective as those that shed moisture. “As long as you use a product designed for low-pitch roofs,” says Triplett, “your flat roof poses no problems.”

Garth Mudge and Barri Bernier’s flat roof on their Winthrop home was inspired by Doug Potter’s designs. Tucked into a south-facing bank just off the East County Road, the earth-bermed house features a super-in-sulated roof with a vinyl membrane, installed by

Scott Alexander of Cascade Foam and Coatings. The house blends right into the landscape, seeming to just peek out from the slope it’s nestled into.

For Mudge and Ber-nier, the aesthetic appeal of a bermed house with a flat roof was the primary motive, but Mudge in particular also ap-preciated the ease of framing the flat roof himself.

But it wasn’t just personal considerations that were the clincher for them; it was the

impact their house had on others. “Even the recumbent bicyclist riding past,” says Mudge with a smile, “can still see the mountains beyond our house. “

According to our best hopes and predictions, water is – as Tom Triplett reminds us – still going to come out of the sky and roll downhill. And as long as the water is making it back into the ground – and not into your attic – your roof is doing its job. H

Photo by John HanronHaving a roof over your head is more essential than finding a pot of gold.

Rich Lockwood, OwnerDan Yaksic, Owner


Entryways: not just another hole in the wallBy Stacey Chisam

W hether you plan to build your own entryway or team up with one of the Methow Valley’s skilled

builders, one thing is certain: “An entryway can’t be just a hole in the wall,” insists local designer Gary Phillips. “It needs to be thought of as part of the house, helping create one coherent package.”

Phillips has been designing and building homes in the valley for more than 25 years. He specializes in using recycled materials to create low-energy, low-profile structures often bermed into hillsides, and he considers the entrance to an abode an important feature.

“When you approach a home, there should never be a question as to where to go in,” he says. “If there is more than one door, you should distinguish the entry point in some way, with perhaps a creative door design or front landscaping.” Phil-lips’ innovative entryways include crafting a round door out of teak for a home on Studhorse Mountain, and

designing a greenhouse with remov-able windows and a small waterfall in the entryway for another valley home. “Both were very distinctive and inviting, setting the tone for the rest of the house.”

Mike Kutz, a local builder who moved to the valley 20 years ago, agrees with Phillips. “The entryway is the first impression of the house, and it must be inviting to anyone who enters.” Kutz found that the beauty of the valley was his inspiration for his building style. “I consider the houses I build my art projects,” he said.

Kutz applies simple, organic architecture using local materials for his creations. One of his favorite entryways, located in a house he built just outside Winthrop, sports a one-of-a-kind front door crafted by local artist Jim Gerlach. “As always, I used all local materials on that door,” says Gerlach, who has a background in construction and building, “and it took about six months to complete, but you’ll never see another one like it!”

Beyond having a one-of-a-kind door designed for your house, you can add character to an entrance by using a recycled door. Methow Resource Recovery (MRR) in Twisp salvages used building and land-scape materials that would otherwise

end up in dumpsites, burn piles and transfer stations. “We screen all the items we receive to make sure they’re usable,” says Mary Thompson, a volunteer and previous director of MRR, “and we often have several used doors to choose from. Occasion-

Photo by Sue MisaoA home’s entryway should be inviting.

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ally we’ll receive really old, solid wood doors from the early 1930s or ’40s, and they’re still in great shape.”

Once you’ve crossed the threshold, what’s next? “A mud room!” suggests Molly Pat-terson emphatically. Owner of The Patterson Company, Patterson believes that an entryway in the Methow Valley presents a unique chal-lenge. “It should absolutely be utilitarian. A mud room provides you with a place to leave your outdoor gear, or wash vegetables from the garden, for example. It also protects the rest of the home.”

The Patterson Company created a mud room for local Montessori teacher Florence Sawyer. An avid gardener with four active kids, Sawyer needed space for the family’s sports gear, her seedlings and rinsing her

garden’s bounty.“The original front entrance was around

the side of the house and wasn’t even vis-ible from the driveway,” recalls Sawyer, “so we were using the garage door, but it was a disaster with mere inches allotted for squeez-ing by the laundry area on the way to the rest of the house.” Sawyer’s two-car garage was transformed into a defined entryway with a mud room that included a double-basin utility sink, a bathroom with a shower, radiant-heat floors and even a small sauna. “After one winter here, anyone who doesn’t have a mud room wishes they did!” Sawyer says confidently. “For us, it’s the most important room in the house.”

Phillips acknowledges the usefulness of a mud-room entryway in the Methow, and maintains that it should be considered not only functional but transitional as well. “Mud rooms can be a great addition to an entryway, but placement is key,” he cautions. “If you place the door so that people walk directly into the mud room, all the commotion of taking off outerwear clogs the entryway. I’d place it off to the side of the entry area for a smoother transition to the home.”

Your lifestyle plays an important role in how you craft the entrance to your home. Our inventive local artists and builders understand how to take advantage of Methow Valley re-sources to give you an entryway that will leave a lasting impression, coming or going. H

Photo by Ashley LodatoA mud room protects the rest of your house.

Webster . Furniture


(More) affordable optionsBy Ann McCreary

ondering about affordable hous-ing options in the Methow Valley?

Think small, think prefab, think out of the box.

First of all, though, let’s be honest. “Affordable hous-ing,” as it applies to the Methow Valley, may be an oxymoron. We’re talking about a place that attracts sec-ond-home owners building high-end custom houses (be-fore the recession, anyway). So affordable is a relative term. Let’s just say, “more-affordable housing.”

Whether you are build-ing a primary residence or making the dream of a second home come true, think small if you want affordability. This may seem too obvious to even bother discussing, but when economic times were better, small homes didn’t have quite the appeal they have now.

“I think there’s some-thing happening, in the sense that people are getting more real about space,” said Kris-tin Devin, owner of Kristin Devin Real Estate in Win-throp. “The 3,000- to 6,000-square-foot homes aren’t being built, and they’re not selling. I don’t think people can afford to rationalize it any more.”

“Size drives costs. There’s a direct correlation,” said Tom Lenchek, principal architect of Balance Associates Archi-

tects, with offices in Winthrop and Seattle. Balance Associ-ates has been going small in a big way lately.

“A smaller home is some-thing that people can get their head around and say, ‘We can probably afford something like that, even though we’re middle-income folks,’” Lenchek said. “A 2,000-square-foot home is beyond what a lot of people can afford, or what a lot of people even want.”

The average house size in this country is still about 2,400 square feet, Lenchek said. However, in the past few years Balance has seen a growing number of requests for homes under 1,500 square feet, including two cabins un-der 1,000 square feet recently built in Mazama.

An 800-square-foot cabin on a hilltop in Pine Forest designed by Balance gener-ated “hundreds of inquiries from around the country” after it was featured last year in Sunset magazine and on MSN.com, Lenchek said. In addition to the cabin’s small size, costs were held down by finishing the interior with economical materials, such as laminate cabinets and open shelves in the kitchen, and fir-plywood interior walls rather than standard wood paneling.

Even the smallest house can break a budget if the inte-rior finishes get out of hand,

Lenchek noted. “You need to be realistic and focused if you really want an afford-able, low-cost home, and not get into thinking, ‘Yeah, we really want an affordable house, but we really need a Wolf range.’”

The growing interest in smaller, more economical homes has generated a lot of excitement about a relatively new approach – prefabri-cated houses. These aren’t the traditional manufactured housing or “double-wides,” nor are they as inexpensive or as quick to move into. How-ever, they are constructed in a factory and delivered, ready to be erected on site.

About three years ago, Balance partnered with a manufacturer, Method Homes in Blaine, Wash., to create a line of prefab cabins in three sizes. Small is a studio design with an interior of 540 square feet, starting at $98,000; medium has one bedroom with 588 interior square feet, starting at $120,000; and large is a two-bedroom house with 1,295 square feet, starting at $210,000.

The homes arrive 95 percent ready to set up, with plumbing and electrical in-stalled. They are offered with a menu of finishes – flooring, cabinets, siding – that elimi-nate the time and effort of selecting from the whole uni-verse of plumbing or lighting fixtures. Choices made here can affect the final cost of the home, Lenchek noted.

“Instead of buying a house, it’s more like buying a car. You have to decide if you want the stereo upgrade.”

Another approach to eco-nomical, ready-to-erect hous-ing is to think out of the box, – or more precisely, round – as in yurt. Smiling Woods Yurts in Carlton fabricates kits with walls that are complete with cedar siding, windows and doors already installed. The homes have metal roofs with

thermal skylights. Owner Michael Vilardi

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build similar homes for other people led him to create Smiling Woods Yurts about eight years ago, much to his surprise.

“I never dreamed of actually having a shop where I have people working for me,” Vilardi said. It operates as a family business, with Vilardi’s three sons helping him.

Smiling Woods Yurts are different from the traditional canvas yurt because they have metal roofs and insulated windows that open from the inside, they meet building codes, and they are engineered for specific snow, wind and seismic loads. The kits ar-rive with all the trim and hardware needed to set up the structure. Foundation, floor, utilities, interior walls, plumbing, electrical, heating, cabinets and other interior finishes are the responsibility of the owner.

The kits are offered in six sizes, from 12 feet in diameter, with 120 square feet of space and 10 walls, starting at $8,580, to 35 feet in diameter, with 930 square feet and 27 walls, starting at $23,840.

A recent customer on the East Chewuch Road in Winthrop built one of the large yurts and added a 150-square-foot bedroom and a loft, for a total of 1,100 square feet of liv-ing space. The finished home, including site preparation and utilities, was about $90,000, Vilardi estimated.

While traditional homebuilding ground to a virtual halt in the recession, “Last year was our best year,” Vilardi said. Smiling

Woods Yurts sold eight yurt kits last year; their previous best was seven.

However, Vilardi says, living in a round house is more a lifestyle choice than an eco-nomic decision for many people. “The people who come to me think out of the box, literally,” he said. “Occasionally, there is the person who sees it as an affordable option, but most people see it as a great way to live.”

For Chuck Tonn, a classic canvas yurt was going to serve as a place to live while he built a home on property about three miles north of Twisp. “I wanted something simple, but didn’t want to put money into building right away,” Tonn said.

So he bought a 30-foot yurt for $17,000 Continued on P. 18

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from Pacific Yurts in Oregon, with a full winter-insulation package. He set up interior walls in the 706-square-foot interior to create a separate bedroom, kitchen and living room, and built a deck. The entire project, including constructing the platform, installing utilities and exterior and interior finishes, cost about $60,000, Tonn said.

“I’m still considering building, but this has worked so well, I’ll prob-ably do it slowly if I do it at all,” Tonn said. “You’d be surprised how big 700 square feet feels.”

Real estate agent Kristin Devin

also put up a 30-foot yurt on property she owns on the Chewuch River near Winthrop. She uses it for her real estate office in warmer months, but it’s not insulated for winter.

The platform plus the yurt was about $13,000, and she spent another $2,000 for a small bathroom next to the yurt. “What a cheap fix,” Devin said.

Helping people connect to na-ture and each other, not economics, motivates David Silver Crow to of-fer simple shelters modeled on the hogans of the Navajo and Hopi in the American Southwest.

Silver Crow lives in a hogan-style home he built on the Colville reservation and wants to share the lifestyle with others. “It’s a sacred space. It feels like a place to gather energy,” said Silver Crow, who said he is Scottish-Irish by ancestry but has been accepted into the tribe.

He has built several hexagonal houses in the Methow Valley and hopes to pass on what he has learned by securing an old apple warehouse to set up a facility to prefabricate the six-sided houses. He envisions involving buyers in helping with the prefabrica-tion, to help keep the cost low. He calls

the idea “Hogans To Go.” The homes would be very inexpensive, quick to build and, Silver Crow said, “lay light on the land.” Once set up, the exterior is stuccoed, like the hogans of the Southwest. “They will last 100 years.” The kits would start at about $6,000, Silver Crow said.

At the moment, however, Silver Crow is focused on another, more pressing project. He is working to design a “lightweight version” of the hogans that could be easily fabricated and quickly erected, to provide hous-ing for Haitians who lost their homes in the recent earthquake. H

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Get your home tight (but not too tight)By Dee Dee Pearce

What things can homeowners do to limit the impact of Methow Valley weather on our

indoor living environment?With temperatures that

can swing 100-plus degrees in the course of a year, we tend to want to make our

homes tighter – keeping them warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

While this appears to be a good idea, interviews with local builders turned the coin over: Is it possible for a home to be too tight? The trick is to find a balance between heat loss and adequate ventilation

for air quality, to maintain and maximize our health.

The first question to answer, according to Ron Whiteside, housing man-ager of Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC), and Howard Cher-rington of Integrated Design Concepts, is “how old is the home?” Homes built in the last 10 years may tend to be too tight, if anything. Homes built prior to that time tend to be too loose.

Whiteside also pointed out that even manufactured homes built in the last 10 years are often too tight and need to be “loosened up” with mechanical ventilation.

Fortunately, we have an excellent resource in the OCCAC’s weatherization program, administered by Whiteside. He explained that this program does both low-income and for-profit work,

with federal and state grants aiding the low-income com-ponent. The program entails weatherizing, rehabilitation and repairs.

While we typically think of weatherization techniques as being new windows and doors (or their weatherstrip-ping) and insulation, Wh-iteside says that OCCAC’s procedure features a complete home audit, conducted by a Building Performance Insti-tute certified auditor.

The audit includes a “blower door test” that de-termines how much heat is escaping from the entire building, and a BTL (Build-ing Tightness Limit). The BTL involves such factors as the number of square feet, the number of levels in the home, and the number of occupants. The number of occupants is a factor since a home appropriately “tight”

for a couple would be too tight for a family of six, even if the homes were identical, states Whiteside.

Once the OCCAC auditor has checked the tightness of the building, he or she deter-mines why too much or too little air is passing through, and follows it with a set of step-by-step recommenda-tions for correcting the situa-tion. These recommendations are prioritized, with the most important being anything concerning health and safety issues.

Whiteside’s office may be reached at (509) 422-4041, extension 31, toll-free at 877-641-0101, or via e-mail to [email protected].

Tightening upSo, perhaps you know

that your home is more than 10 years old and your energy

Continued on P. 20

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bills are pretty excessive. What can you do yourself?

The No. 1 factor for keep-ing the outside elements at bay is controlling air infiltra-tion, according to building de-signer Howard Cherrington. Air – be it hot in summer or cold in winter – seeping into the home can decrease your comfort level while increasing

your energy expense.Cherrington points to

several areas of concern. In the roof area, there may be exposed rafters that run from inside to outside. Plumbing pipes, especially near the tub, may be surrounded by large holes. Outside water spigots and places where wires enter the home can also have large

gaps around them. This can happen with anything that breaks the surface of the siding.

Other suggestions in-clude seeking out air leaks by holding the back of your hand near window and door frames. The weatherstripping around doors deteriorates over time and may need

replacement. Window leaks can be addressed in a couple of ways: The trim can be removed and the area filled with backer rod and caulked before replacing the trim; or you can invest in insulated shades or blinds to allow nighttime protection from cold, and solar gain when desired during the day.

Insulation is another factor that will help de-termine the comfort level of your home. Whiteside mentioned thinking first of roof or ceiling, then walls, then the floor, which is often overlooked, although it is a source of cold. Dampness under our buildings, even here in the Methow, can make the floor feel colder.

He recommends a vapor barrier and insulation. It is also good to remember that when using paper-backed insulation, the paper belongs on the warm side, which, with the floor, means raw in-sulation will be left exposed, necessitating a rodent-proof membrane underneath.

Loosening upAs previously mentioned,

increasing airflow is typically done by the installation of me-chanical ventilation systems, which is a more specialized field. Cherrington refers to creating a “ventilation loop,” a combination of exhaust fans and inlets that allow fresh air in. Whole-house heat recov-ery systems, like the air-to-air heat exchanger that extracts heat from air that is leaving the home and puts it back into the incoming air, can be quite efficient.

Of course, when the weather is moderate, open-ing doors and windows helps clear stuffy “inside” air from your home. Many homeown-ers have discovered the rou-tine of keeping windows open during cool summer nights and closing things up before the heat of the day sets in.

Regardless of whether you are loosening or tight-ening your home, there are ample resources in the val-ley to help you achieve your goal. H

Photo by Sue Misao

New, properly installed windows are just one part of a home’s weatherization.


Should you remodel?By Dee Dee Pearce

I s remodeling your home more economical than building from scratch?

The answer to this question is far from cut and dried. Many fac-tors can influence this decision, such as the quality of the current structure, the extent of work to be done, the “charm” or character of the building, and its siting and orientation.

Depending upon the builder or designer you talk to, the answer will vary, but there is the consensus that each potential remodel needs to be evaluated on its own merits.

Quality of existing buildingThe quality of a building in-

cludes, but is not dependent upon, its age, points out Molly Patterson of The Patterson Company. A home of good design, constructed with qual-ity materials and workmanship and, built 40 years ago, will often be a bet-ter candidate for remodeling than a lesser-quality structure only 20 years old. This underscores the wisdom of

building a quality home initially, she said, since such a building will merit remodeling in the future.

Another quality consideration is the state of the foundation of the home. If either the foundation or

basic structure has been compro-mised, the home is not a good can-didate for remodel.

Extent of the remodelA large remodel can cost the

same as new construction, accord-ing to Howard Cherrington of In-tegrated Design Concepts. He also states that if a remodel is entirely composed of an external addition to the present structure, that cost is the same as building new. If the remodel is creating more space or changing space, the home may need stronger beams, and tying the foundations together can be a chal-lenge. Sometimes, the cost may be balanced by the advantages of other factors, such as creating solar gain for the home.

It may be possible for some remodels to be done in increments. This would avoid a large initial cost and perhaps allow the homeowner to live there while the work is being

Continued on P. 22

Photo by Ashley LodatoThere are as many factors to consider when remodeling as there are colors of paint.


done. Cherrington points out that the homeowner can put in “sweat equity,” doing clean-up of the job site, painting and other tasks.

Smaller remod-els that typically im-prove the resale value of a home are re-dos of the kitchen and/or bath areas, indicated Patterson.

All the builders interviewed acknowl-edged the big un-known in all remodel work: what will be found when the home is opened up? There can be surprises in how the home was originally framed, and also with respect to wiring and plumbing. This makes estimat-ing the cost of a remodel more difficult than estimating the cost of a new structure.

Style and historySometimes deciding for or against a

remodel is not purely a “bottom-line” deci-sion. There may be historical elements the owner wants to preserve, or the building may possess a special charm or character. Likewise, the building may be sited such that

current laws would prohibit putting a new building on the same site. These factors can complicate a purely financial decision.

Following your dreamLast, but certainly not least, is the ele-

ment of knowing your ultimate goal. Builder Bob Elk points out the importance of analyz-ing your dream and going after what you want. While Elk tends to favor remodeling over new construction, the homeowner needs to ask whether the end result will suit his or her needs and wants. That may be the final decision-maker. H

Photo by Sue MisaoQuality workmanship is an essential key to successful remodeling.

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building the best floorBy Ashley Lodato

once rented a house with a carpeted bathroom. It seemed an odd choice for a room whose humidity

approached 100 percent while the shower was on. It also complicated routine tasks such as, say, returning the toi-let brush from the toilet to its holder. At the time it was the most unusual flooring situ-ation I’d ever encountered; then I moved into a house with a carpeted kitchen.

In addition to vastly improving my vacuuming technique, living in these houses confirmed one thing for me: Choosing flooring is an intensely personal deci-sion.

Bill McAdow of Har-mony House Interiors helps homeowners make such deci-

sions by first exploring their aesthetic preferences with them. Many homeowners come in with a general idea of what they want, but with such a wide range of flooring options available, they need help narrowing the field. “I work with color first,” says McAdow, “then we move on to practicality, and then to budget.”

Methow homeown-ers make tasteful flooring choices, notes McAdow, but above all they’re seeking prac-ticality. “Whether it’s carpet, Linoleum, or wood,” says McAdow, “people are looking for a good value. They want their flooring to look good and function effectively for a number of years, but they also need to work within their

budgets.” “Everyone is on a bud-

get,” comments McAdow wryly, “it’s just the numbers that differ.” McAdow can frequently suggest more practical options than the ones that his clients initially favor, alternatives that look similar but last longer.

Many Methow home-owners are turning to the most resilient flooring materials to use in entryways and mud-rooms: slate (and other stone) and concrete. Both materials resist excessive damage from the mud, gravel, dirt, and snow that get tracked in and both are relatively easy to clean. Furthermore, both are effective with radiant-floor heating, making it possible to get all those wet snow clothes

and boots dry without truck-ing them off to another part of the house.

Like the entry, the bath-room sees a lot of wet traffic and requires flooring that

resists water damage, such as ceramic tile or stone. Concrete slabs are great in bathrooms, too, as long as they’re warm. Radiant heat tends to be ap-preciated most acutely when you step out of the shower, so tile, stone and concrete are all good choices for bathrooms with in-floor heating – and less desirable choices for bathrooms without it.

As the use of radiant-floor heat becomes more wide-spread, notes Molly Patterson of The Patterson Company, so does the use of concrete, tile and stone flooring. “Virtu-ally all of the houses we’ve built in the last five years have radiant heat and most have either concrete or tile flooring,” she says. “It’s an

I

Photo by Ashley LodatoPeople need floors with functionality.

Under foot:

✩5


extremely effective way to keep a house warm and you have some really beautiful design options.”

The texture and color pos-sibilities offered by a concrete floor, coupled with its efficient compatibility with radiant-floor heat, make concrete increasingly fashionable in living rooms, kitchens and eating spaces. Pet hair and dust bunnies seem to float along on it quite visibly, but cleanup and maintenance are easy. Concrete is quite hard, though, and can be tiring to stand on. Similarly, slate and tile are beautiful and durable materials that hold heat and are easy to clean, but they don’t provide a cushioned surface either.

And then there’s wood. Less than a century ago, if you had a “wood” floor, you had a floor made of solid wood planks, strips or parquet. In the past 40 years, however, with the invention of laminate technology, “wood” floors come in several categories:

•Solid wood: which is milled from a single piece of lumber and can be pre-finished (sanded and finished in the factory) or unfinished (sanded and finished after installation);

•“Engineered” wood: which is not technically engineered, but instead composed of several layers of wood, with a thin piece of sawn lumber for the top layer and less expensive lay-ers beneath;

•Laminate: which is an image of wood with a core of different wood products, covered with a clear, durable

surface layer;•Bamboo: which is a

solid, sustainable, renewable material, but is actually a grass, not a wood.

Due to its warm and natural appearance, wood continues to be a prevalent choice for the main living areas of the house. It is clas-sic and classy, a reasonable combination of comfort and durability. It isn’t, however, always a good fit with radi-ant heat. For homeowners who want both radiant heat and wood floors, cautions Patterson, “make sure you’re getting really dry wood: re-claimed wood, quarter-sawn oak – something with a very low moisture content.”

Laminate flooring can work well with radiant heat, says McAdow, “but make sure your particular product is manufacturer-approved for radiant heat. Check the warranty on the laminate flooring and install above radiant heat according to manufacturer specifications. Then don’t crank your ther-

mostat above the recom-mended levels, or else your floor will begin to buckle.”

For bedrooms, carpet is a popular choice. Carpet feels nice on bare feet, stays fairly clean in bedrooms, and insu-lates noise nicely; it can also be relatively inexpensive.

“We’ve seen a tremen-dous increase in the quality of carpet in recent years,” says McAdow. “There are now a lot of relatively inexpensive carpet fibers that look great and wear well.” But for those with allergies, pets or an aversion to vacuuming, carpet is out.

Wood floors (and by “wood” I am including all the wood-like products listed above) are a good choice for bedrooms, too, because they have a warm and soft texture and are easy to clean. And with minimal traffic, the wood floors in the bedrooms remain in good condition.

Cork flooring is gaining in popularity, too. Cork is a natural, renewable and sus-tainable material, harvested

from the bark of the cork oak tree, which regenerates its bark about every 10 years. It is shock- and noise-absorbent, it resists allergens such as pet dander and it has a warm ap-pearance. Cork’s drawbacks are that it is more expensive than many other flooring choices, it is less resilient than other materials (it scratches easily) and thus requires regular maintenance, and it’s not recommended for rooms that need to be wet-mopped frequently.

There are also a host of other flooring products that are less frequently employed locally, but all of which are viable flooring alternatives, ranging from Linoleum (or Marmoleum), which is an all-natural product composed of linseed oil, cork, tree resin and limestone, to painted plywood, to earthen floors.

“There are so many floor-ing options out there,” says McAdow, “there’s something for every style and for every budget.” H

T


Using the solar systemBy Marcy Stamper

here are many aphorisms that center on the power of the sun: Make hay while the sun shines. Find your place in the

sun. Let the sun shine in.It is no surprise that people, par-

ticularly in the Methow Valley, look for ways to harness the power of the sun for warmth and light. After all, it’s free and is said to shine as many as 300 days in a typical year here.

While getting electricity from the sun is not exactly free, it has become increasingly affordable – and feasible – to incorporate a solar system to run lights, appliances or an entire house.

For most people, fulfilling all their electric needs with the sun and being completely off the grid means designing the house to accommo-date a solar system. The house must incorporate adequate insulation and appropriate materials and be oriented to take full advantage of the sun. Many people, however, have been able to retrofit an existing home

to use solar energy as an additional source of power, particularly during the summer.

State and federal tax incentives

have made solar power considerably more cost-effective, according to El-len Lamiman, who designs and sells solar-energy systems through her

company, Energy Solutions. With re-cent changes in federal tax law, people can write off 30 percent of the cost of a solar system, including materials and installation, she said.

On top of that, for households connected to the power grid, Wash-ington’s renewable energy program will provide an annual payment for every kilowatt hour you produce but do not need – it is essentially sold back to the grid.

Lamiman estimated that the combined tax benefits and utility rebates will amount to about 70 per-cent of the outlay for a grid-tied solar system over the first 10 years. People who are totally off the grid would probably not save as much, because they have to spend more on back-up batteries, said Lamiman.

Designing with solar in mind

“Being off-grid is everything about conserving energy, so that you don’t have to make it,” said

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Continued on P. 28

Howard Cherrington, the owner/designer of Inte-grated Design Concepts, who specializes in designing and

siting energy-efficient houses to take advantage of passive solar gain and incorporate solar power if desired.

Ideally, the house would be designed to take advan-tage of southern exposure for maximum solar gain in the winter, with overhangs that will shield it from too much sun during the sum-mer. This is fairly easy to do here because of the dramatic swing in the angle of the sun over the course of the year, said Cherrington. He also recommends berming the house into a hillside to help maintain a more constant temperature.

“The first thing you do is insulate as well as your budget will allow,” said Cherrington. He also em-phasizes the importance of good glazing. “Windows are not just things you’re looking through, but they will save you energy,” he said. Shades or other window coverings can help regulate the tem-perature by adding another layer of insulation and block-ing the sun, he added.

The interior mass of your house is the other key element, to absorb the sun

and store it for use in the evening, while keeping the house from overheating. People often use a concrete slab floor and adjacent concrete wall mass, said Cherrington.

Most people who rely exclusively on solar energy have a propane, diesel or gas generator to top off their batteries in the winter, when the sun is not strong enough to keep everything charged, said Lamiman. In fact, if they installed enough pho-

tovoltaic panels to charge the batteries in the winter, they would be wasting the power for at least six months of the year, she said.

Some people look for innovative ways to take advantage of this surplus power by setting up cot-tage industries or taking up hobbies that need electricity. One built a woodshop and outfitted himself with a sailboat, said Lamiman.

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Outfitting your housewith a solar system

In addition to the photovoltaic solar collectors or panels, people installing a solar system need an in-verter to convert direct to alternating current. Anyone who is completely off the grid needs a sizeable bank of batteries, and those who are connected to the utility’s power network often still elect to have a battery to power some circuits dur-ing an outage. In addition, people should expect to replace the battery bank about every 10 years and to perform regular maintenance on the batteries. Today a high-quality solar system tied into the grid costs about $15,000, with another $5,000 for an electrician and installation, according to Lamiman.

Anyone who is completely off the grid must incorporate an alter-nate heat source, whether wood or propane, because it is not possible to generate adequate solar power for heat in this climate. They also typically have a propane stove for cooking, said Cherrington.

Solar hot-water heaters can also be very cost-effective, said Cher-rington. Still, said Lamiman, you need to have a use for the hot water

you generate during the day or some way of storing it.

It is not hard to retrofit a house if you are simply adding solar elec-tricity to reduce your footprint and have excess power to sell back to the utility, said Lamiman. The surplus of summer power can be one good reason to be tied into the grid, because that power will generate a credit that will go toward your winter energy needs. Under Washington’s program,

which works in conjunction with the utilities, the excess will be returned to you in cash at the end of the year. Peter Morgan, who has a grid inter-tie system at his Balky Hill home, got a check for almost $500 last year, essentially cutting his power bill in half, he said.

Morgan and his wife, Raleigh Bowden, use the solar energy for lights and some appliances, but rely on the grid for electric radiant heat

and appliances that require more energy. Morgan said they opted for the grid inter-tie because they wanted “some of the conveniences of modern life,” but that he was drawn to the system to help with overall energy conservation.

Another thing Morgan likes about the system is the awareness it con-tributes about the household’s power consumption. “We have a meter on the wall, so you can see how much power you’re buying and selling at any given time. It does motivate you to run around and turn off lights,” he said.

“That is what truly off-grid people learn to do – they don’t run appliances all at once,” said Lamiman.

While solar can be a good option for many people in the Methow, not all sites provide adequate sun. You need unobstructed sun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the winter, or for longer if there is an obstruction, said Lami-man. Some people have systems that are essentially dormant for part of the year.

“You’re not going to get rich from solar, but with all the incentives today, it’s pretty doable – a long as you can come up with the money for the equipment,” said Lamiman. H

Photo by Sue MisaoSolar-power users know when to turn off the lights.

T


Siting your homeBy Mare Nemeth

Continued on P. 30

Photo by Marcy StamperDesign your home to be in harmony with the specific landscape at your disposal.

o rather varying ex-tremes, the Methow Valley has at least four distinct seasons:

winter, mud, summer and fire. Assorted sub-seasons such as: late-summer-winter, early-spring-winter or early-spring-summer are also prevalent, depend-ing on your location. Last November, during early-winter-summer, I was pick-ing tomatoes off the vine in my garden near Winthrop, yet my neighbor across the street lost hers to frost in late-summer-winter.

Perhaps that’s a sil-ly way of illustrating the quirky-sounding nature of localized atmospheric conditions. These weather patterns are not all about global climate change.

They’re actually ac-countable sub-climates that create locally unseasonable

conditions within the con-text of the current legitimate season. Not only does your land have a unique climate, but the addition of your lovely new home will further

complicate things by creat-ing different micro-climates around it. The key to living comfortably in any number of seasons or conditions is to design your home to be

in harmony with the specific landscape at your disposal.

Ideally, your site should be protected from the harsh ravages of Mother Nature while intelligently embrac-

ing and utilizing her abun-dant gifts.

A propitious homesite and thoughtful home plan-ning are key when working with, rather than against, nature. You will also save money, and the proper site can improve comfort and the aesthetics of your home. Design your home to be a sanctuary, where you will feel comfortable inside regardless of the weather. One of the primary things to forecast when locating the ideal homesite is how local conditions interface with the structure you plan to build.

The elements in this environment are harsh, can wreak havoc on your build-ing and landscape, and even-tually can be a major cause of increased disinterest in rural


living, as chores and mainte-nance quelch your dream of boundless recreation.

Better, you could make a conscious effort to assuage future headaches by design-

ing a smaller, more functional home.

First, orient the main living areas of the house to take advantage of the free warmth and natural light

of the sun as it changes throughout the day. Utilize ample windows to the south to allow maximum solar gain. Incorporating a natural shade-bearing screen of leafy

Photo by Marcy StamperOrient your home to take advantage of the free warmth and natural light of the sun.

Photo by Marcy StamperIncorporate natural shade to avoid an overly hot house in summer.


vines or deciduous trees and short roof overhangs on the south side will keep the house from overheating in the summer.

Natural light is easy on the eyes and doesn’t have to be turned off to save energy. Careful placement of glazing, skylights and clerestory windows on the east side of the house will allow pleasant, diffuse lighting, while generous overhangs will limit direct sun that can be dam-aging to the home’s interior.

Incorporate passive cooling by designing opportunities for cool air to enter the west side of the house and use deep overhangs to block hot afternoon sun, making a shaded outdoor area that can extend your overall living space.

If your land has a south-facing hillside, consider an earth-bermed design that will allow you to take ad-vantage of the constant temperature found beneath the frost line when you shelter the east and north sides of the building in the earth. These homes will be naturally cooler in the summer and easier to heat in the winter.

Low-maintenance finishes that do not require constant re-finishing and drought-resistant landscaping

will free you up to spend more time doing the things you want to do.

Creating a greenbelt or firebreak when you are building in the forest will give you peace of mind and help protect your assets.

You can take cues from what is already tried and true, but keep in mind that advances in building de-sign and materials should be utilized wherever possible to help ensure your home’s long-term viability. Metal roofing, stucco and metal siding are widely used, functional, low-maintenance finishes in this area, making them fine choices for a new house. However, using them to build a large ’70s-style chalet with a 30-foot north-facing wall of single-pane windows isn’t feasible these days.

Changes in our economy have finally precipitated one of the most progressive trends to come along in home design: modest-sized, efficient homes that fit into the environment are now in demand and will continue to be an asset as energy prices con-tinue to escalate.

Each new home built in coopera-tion with the elements will take us another step closer to a healthier and better-functioning society. H

Photo by Sue MisaoMud season is certainly to be considered when choosing your home’s building site.

Beautiful Results

(509) 997-0588www.mparksconstruction.com


Second home or future first home?By Marcy Stamper

Home is where the heart is.

Or is it where you vote, or where the IRS says it is – a place you’ve lived in for

at least two out of five years?The definition of home has fi-

nancial ramifications for individuals and the larger community, as well as a less tangible, but perhaps more important, effect on the nature of that community.

Anyone who has spent much time in the Methow has probably seen houses that are empty a good part of the year – vacation properties used seasonally or on weekends, or places that linger on the market after the residents have moved. It turns out that counting up these part-time residences is not that straightfor-ward, with the totals influenced by the vantage point of the person providing the estimate.

Okanogan County doesn’t keep statistics on whether a house is oc-cupied full-time or not, but county assessor Scott Furman was able to

extrapolate based on where his office sends property-tax bills. Pretty much any way he looked at it, full- and part-time properties in the Methow are split about 50-50.

Furman looked at the Methow

Valley School District, which runs from Gold Creek to Mazama, and found that 49 percent of taxable properties – houses, businesses and undeveloped land – have out-of-county ownership. Recalculating

by taxable value or acreage, the out-of-county numbers edged up by only one percentage point. When Furman looked only at single-family residences (eliminating duplexes and apartments, homes on farms and bare land), he came up with 44 percent out-of-county ownership.

But to people actively involved in the real estate market, the picture looks quite different. Linda Schmal, a broker-owner at John L. Scott Real Estate, said about 60 to 70 percent of properties are second homes. “Abso-lutely,” she said. “You go to Mazama, and there are 150 or 200 people – the rest are second homes.”

Bob Monetta, broker-owner at Windermere Real Estate, said his sales are 80 percent out-of-area, and he predicted that proportion would continue to grow. Particularly in the upper valley, he said, most buyers are looking for recreational proper-ties that are easy to maintain and close to trails. Those shopping for a full-time residence look closer to

Photo by Sue MisaoThe definition of “home” depends on who is doing the defining.

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town and want more space and more privacy, he said.

Often it is hard to de-fine where someone’s pri-mary residence is, said Jason Paulsen, executive director of the Methow Con-servancy. Many people can work remotely, and others have what Monetta termed “alternative-lifestyle jobs,” following seasonal work to different areas around the country.

Whether you use Fur-man’s figures or the real

estate numbers, the Methow is still very different from the rest of the county, where only about a third of proper-ties belong to people whose primary residence is outside Okanogan County, said Furman.

What do all these num-bers mean? When it comes to price, these preferences assign value to different fea-tures. According to Monetta, a small recreational cabin in Mazama costs about the same as a house on five acres

near Twisp. On the other hand, the sheer number and value of properties here af-fects the property-tax levy rate, so everyone pays less per $1,000 of value.

Then there are other ramifications of the popu-lation mix that are harder to characterize. “What it’s done is take a community that was more cohesive – we used to play poker, pinochle, have volleyball leagues and projects like the Winthrop Barn that were built totally

by donations of time,” said Monetta. “Now people are used to paying for things that we used to do by vol-unteerism.”

People who own second homes participate in the community, but they may be more apt to make financial contributions than devote time to a community project, he said. Schmal said she has found part-time residents are big donors to local non-profits and often give their time as well.

Housing marketfluctuates

“Real estate is not like any other market,” par-ticularly in the Methow, said Monetta. “It’s like buying a yacht – it’s not a necessity; it’s a luxury market.” As a re-sult, Methow sales fluctuate with the economy whereas, at Windermere’s Omak of-fice, with about 70 percent local sales, the volume re-mains more constant.

During the high-flying period that ended with the

mortgage and stock market crisis two years ago, real estate in the Methow saw unprecedented growth. Star-ing in 2004, home and prop-erty values increased about 30 percent a year, or five to seven times the normal appreciation, said Monetta. Nevertheless, even with the downturn, the recreational draw has kept the market in the Methow more active and has probably kept prices higher, said Schmal.

This dichotomy between full- and part-time resi-dences has other economic impacts as well. At the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, which supplies power to the upper valley, Winthrop and some areas near Twisp, 40 percent of the customer base is seasonal, but these households ac-count for only 24 percent of total revenue, according to co-op general manager Ray Ellis. Concerned that locals were in effect subsidizing those who come only for a

Continued on P. 34


weekend, last year the co-op restruc-tured its rates, a move that proved unpopular with many full- and part-time residents.

That threshold has significance for Robert William Sandford, a writer who focuses on natural and human history. In his book The Weekender Effect, Sandford wrote that “We are seeing that when a mountain town approaches 40 per cent part-time residency, the sense of community begins to implode.”

“There are subdivisions here now that have so few people living in them full time that they lack the basic elements that by definition con-stitute functional community life,” wrote Sandford about his town in the Canadian Rockies. “Big houses exist side by side but there is not enough interaction between those who oc-cupy them to constitute community as we have known it historically in the mountain West.”

Part-time: choice or necessity?

A lot of part-timers want to live in the Methow full-time but have trouble figuring out how to make a living, said Schmal. As a result, they may have to wait until they

retire, which has its own effect on the culture. “My experience is that everyone would like to live here, but most don’t end up doing it,” said Monetta. It would doubtless have an impact on the valley and its infrastructure if all those people – an additional 2,000 to 3,000 residents – were able to make the transition to full-time.

Enrollment in the school district is one measure of the demographic shift. Although the population in the Methow has increased by about 700 people during the past 10 years, from 4,400 to 5,100, school enrollment has dropped by about one-third over the same period.

Economic, cultural evolution

Sandford is not alone in study-ing what is happening – or could happen – in places like the Methow that attract people seeking to escape from urban areas, as well as those buying vacation properties.

“I want you to imagine the sud-den eruption of an economy that has nothing to do with wheat or livestock or timber, and everything to do with outdoor recreation, health care, wellness, fitness, and the ma-

nipulation of symbolic imagery,” said environmental studies profes-sor Donald Snow in a lecture on the transformation of the rural West.

“What we value most tends to be about the intangibles, the stuff that’s hard to describe about a given place but is palpably obvious to many who live there. It’s about culture, history, heritage, and the feeling that ema-nates from places still surrounded

by, and infused with, nature,” said Snow.

“What is the make-up of the Methow Valley 50 years from now, when people who love the Methow transfer their assets to their kids, who may have more distance in relation to their sense of place?” asked the Methow Conservancy’s Paulsen. “Does it change their level of engagement?” H

Photo by Sue MisaoEscaping urban areas to live in the Methow is the dream of many.


Know your zoneBy Amy Stork

P lanning and zoning requirements that are stricter than those in the rest of Okanogan

County – and much of the western United States – have guided development in the Methow for the past three decades.

Those rules, say lo-cal land-use consultants and conservationists, have helped maintain the valley’s open character and boosted the value of all the properties in the area.

“The zoning we have has worked for 30 years,” said John Hayes, a consultant who helps property owners figure out how to meet their goals while working within the zoning regulations. Compared to other parts of the country, “There’s no question [property] values are holding in the Methow,” said Hayes. “Without plan-

ning, this place would have been destroyed long ago.”

Jason Paulsen, executive director of the Winthrop-based land trust group the Methow Conservancy, agreed that zoning has protected the area’s natural resources, while allowing for some development.

“There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into the regula-tions that are in place and they seem to have found a pretty fair balance. One of the challenges in plan-ning in a county this large is recognizing that one size doesn’t fit all.”

Lot size, density are key differences

Community input in the 1980s led the county to es-tablish the Methow Review District, an area that roughly

Photo by Sue MisaoZoning and planning laws help maintain the valley’s open spaces.Continued on P. 36


mirrors the Methow Valley School District, extending south along the river to around Gold Creek.

This special subsection blankets the Methow with zoning rules that result in lower-density develop-ment.

In most of Okanogan County, the minimum lot size is one acre, but this will probably become stricter in the new comprehensive plan. Minimum lot sizes in the Methow range from 20 acres in upland areas like the Rendezvous, to five acres on much of the valley floor – with one-acre lots allowed in some of the more devel-oped areas.

Zoning for the Methow also limits the number of homes that can be built on one lot. Owners may build only one home besides the primary dwelling, and it cannot exceed 50 percent of the square footage of that first home.

Ben Rough, senior plan-ner for Okanogan County,

says Methow property own-ers also need to be aware of the many environmen-tal regulations that govern building in the valley.

“There are a lot more critical areas, such as flood-plains and wetlands. The valley is so narrow, with a lot of the private property close to the river,” Rough said. “If people understand that before they apply for their permits, it will make their process more simple.”

Rough recommends new property owners work with a consultant like Hayes, or study county critical areas maps to figure out if their property has environmentally sensitive sections.

Larger developments mean more planning

Anyone wishing to di-vide a Methow Valley prop-erty into multiple parcels with lots smaller than five acres must create what is called a planned develop-ment – a site-specific plan for how land will be subdivided

and how the developer will situate home sites, roads and utilities.

Paulsen says the planned development process gives developers the ability to achieve the density they

want, in exchange for setting aside meaningful open space or creating trail corridors.

“I would say it’s actually fairly progressive. A lot of the rural character and open fields along the highway to-

ward Mazama were achieved through that development tool, keeping the develop-ment in the trees instead of the meadows. Those levels of review and design standards don’t typically exist in other

Photo by John HanronZoning laws are intended to keep houses out of the flood plain.

a


communities.” Hayes says that planned

developments also ensure that the developer and new buyers pay for the impact of the development.

“It’s orderly growth. Roads are named, health is-sues are met, roads are built to standards. When you just short-plat and long-plat land, that’s just carving it into tiny squares. There are issues with road dust and sewer systems.

“There’s nothing wrong

with making a profit but when you make a profit and you cause indirect costs to the rest of the people in the community, that’s not right,” said Hayes. “And that’s what happens when you don’t have zoning.”

Property rights groups silent here

Paulsen and Hayes both say the Methow has been largely free of the kind of conflicts over development that have plagued other ar-

eas. They are hard-pressed to think of any vocal opponents to planning in the Methow.

“You hear those com-plaints outside the Methow Review District,” Paulsen said. “But at least at the [county] planning commis-sion level, there’s a respect that the people who live in the Methow have done this and it works for them, so who are we to tell them it should be otherwise?”

Meet the new planOkanogan County is in

the process of updating its comprehensive plan for the first time since the 1960s. Planner Ben Rough says it’s unlikely much will change for the Methow when the new plan is adopted a few years from now.

“I don’t think people want it to change. It is work-ing pretty well over there already. People want the Methow to be preserved, and I think the way the comp plan is now, it does that.”

“I hope they leave us

alone,” said Hayes. “If they start tinkering with the

Methow they can undo a lot of good that’s happened.” H

Photo by Sue Misao

When humans plan their developments carefully, deer and other wildlife prosper.


IMake tax sense of your renovation

By Soo Ing-Moodyf you have been think-ing about making reno-vations to your home, this may be the year

to put those thoughts into action.

Although residential home improvements typi-cally do not qualify as tax de-ductions, the recent addition

of some energy-efficient tax credits has made some seri-ous exceptions to the general rule. The credits may make a much-needed renovation seem not only sensible, but also may actually prove it does pay, in more ways than one, to replace those old drafty windows now.

“With all the tax credits available for improvements, it makes good tax sense to make improvements now and take advantage of the tax savings,” says Pam Floyd, enrolled agent at the Floyd Company.

“Residential energy-efficient property such as qualified solar electric, solar water heating, small wind-energy, geothermal heat pump and fuel cell properties could be eligible for 30 percent of the costs or $500 per half-kilowatt-hour of capacity of the property, whichever is less,” says Floyd, “and, with the ex-ception of eligible fuel cell property, there is no limita-tion to this credit starting in 2009.”

Another credit, the Non-Business Energy Property Credit, has been available since 2006 (with the excep-tion of 2008) and extends into 2010. It enables individuals to claim qualified energy property credits up to $1,500 a year based on 30 percent of the eligible property for improvements to their prin-cipal residence located in the United States.

The credit may apply to qualified natural gas, propane or oil furnaces, hot water boilers, hot water heaters, air conditioners, biomass (including wood) stoves, water heaters, insu-lation, and/or systems that reduce heat gain or loss in the home, exterior windows (including skylights), ex-terior doors, coated metal roofs, and asphalt roofs with appropriate cooling granules.

However, to complicate the eligibility for these cred-its, not all makes and mod-els of these items qualify, even if they are Energy Star rated. To determine if these improvements do qualify, you should ask the seller or manufacturer for proof of its qualification.

There are restrictions to note – these credits only apply to improvements to existing homes, not new construction, and as non-refundable personal tax credits. “If you owe no tax, you get no credit,” says Floyd.

However, even if you don’t qualify for these credits, keep good records on the cost of any and all improvements through the years. “Keeping track could save you a bundle in tax when your home is sold,” adds Floyd.

If you are considering purchasing a fixer-upper you may be given further incentive to act now, as you may be eligible for other ad-ditional tax credits.

D ro p p i n g a v e r a g e prices for homes and low mortgage-interest rates may provide the incentive for some to purchase a “fixer-upper” home and take advantage of these home-

improvement tax credits. In addition, new home-

buyers can take advantage of a recently passed tax credit that can further re-duce the amount of tax paid. The “First Time Home Buyer Credit” is $8,000 for first-time homebuyers, and has been extended to purchases in which a binding contract is entered into by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010.

The similar $6,500 “Long Term Resident Homebuyer Credit” is also available for those who have owned and lived in a home for five of the past eight years, but is sub-ject to income phase-outs.

“It is direct money in your pocket,” says Winthrop certified public accountant Bart Bradshaw. “You could look at it like the govern-ment is addressing the downturn in the real estate market and you’re getting advance compensation for the potential of market de-preciation; or you could see it as money that could help to make improvements and add value to the home. If the market was to go down, or the purchased home drops in value – in the end, you are still not out that much. Either way it may be a good

Photo by John HanronRenovating your home won’t necessarily empty your pockets if you consider some of the tax credits that are available.

“It is direct money in your

pocket.”


reason to buy now. It might be safer to buy real estate now than invest in the stock market, as long as you know you’ll be there for awhile.”

For those who have al-ready begun or completed the renovation process and discovered that the above credits do not apply, don’t fret. According to our tax experts, there may be other ways to maximize your investment, regardless of a year’s available tax credits.

“Just keep track of all home-improvement costs in a home file that will later work to offset the cost of any taxable capital gains when the house is sold,” advises Floyd.

If you purchased a fixer-upper, keep your final clos-ing statement. The final closing statement lists fees and interest that may be deductible in the year of purchase, while the cost of all improvements can be

used to offset the cost of any taxable capital gains when the home is sold.

“The interest, mortgage insurance, and real estate taxes you pay could enable you to itemize your deduc-tions, rather than use the standard deduction, possi-bly resulting in substantial tax savings,” says Floyd.

“If you own a home, always be sure to look into all the possible itemized deductions available to you

before using the standard deduction,” advises Floyd.“ Seniors could save a bundle depending on their income level by contacting the Okan-ogan County Assessor’s of-fice to inquire about a real estate tax discount.”

“Since 2008, under cur-rent law, even people who do not itemize can receive a deduction of up to $1,000 for property taxes paid,” adds Bradshaw. “This is an extender bill which gets re-

approved by Congress every year – and since it acts as a sort of stimulus, it is likely to continue in the year to come (tax year 2010). Also new is that mortgage-insurance fees are currently deductible, extended through 2010.”

Though it is unclear how much longer some current incentives may be available, with the economy being a major influencing factor, one thing is certain – no two tax years are ever the same. H


You’ve got mail

Photo by Bob Spiwak

Photo by Bob Spiwak Photo by Marcy StamperPhoto by Marcy Stamper

Photo by Marcy Stamper




in the Methow Valley

Letter-writing may be a lost art, but folks in the Methow Valley know how to get their bills and junk mail in style.

Photo by Bob Spiwak

Photo by Bob Spiwak





AccountantsBart Bradshaw, CPA ..............19

AppliancesAlpine Designs ......................15Webster Furniture ..................16

Architects & DesignersBalance Associates Architects ...44David Coleman Architecture ... 11GP Designs ..............................6Integrated Design Concepts ...29Johnston Architects .................2Lawrence Architecture ..........43Pinto Design ..........................19Richard A. Fisher Architects ...10Shadowline Design & Construction ..................2Sun House, Alex Hall ..............32

Artists & ArtisansBruce Morrison, Raven Ridge Sculpture ...........14Jerry Cole Woodworking ......27Kamron Coleman ..................37The Slagworks, Barry Stromberger .................15Swanson Woodcraft ..............25Tannehill Company ............... 11

Building SuppliesAlpine Designs ......................15Bear Creek Lumber ...............44 Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ...38East Slope Building Supply ...24Methow Resource Recovery ...6Methow Valley Lumber ........12MM Wood Restoration & Protection ..........39North Cascade Builders Supply ..............17, 25North Valley Lumber ..............21 Sierra Pacifi c Windows .........36Winthrop Ace Hardware .......15

Builders & ContractorsArtisan Flooring ....................25Bart & Company Construction ................20Big Valley Builders ...............19 Brandenburg Construction ....43Byro Construction .................14Common Sense Custom Homes ........14, 20, 28Cougar Creek Timber Frame ...32Custom Building Services.....33David Rudholm Construction ...18D. McLane Construction .......13Eagle Handcrafted Homes ....43France & Co. .........................34GP Designs ..............................6Hilton Construction ...............22

Builders & Contractors, Cont. Hungry Mountain Construction ..................... 28Laverty Construction ..............7Libbey Construction .............37Methow Mountain Homes ......8Micheal Parks Construction ...32North Cascades Construction ...34Norseman Company ..............39Palm Construction ..................8Rhinehart Construction Company .....................39Rockwood Greene .................18Shadowline Design & Construction .................2Stopwater Construction .........22Sun House, Alex Hall ............32Washington Timber Frame Co. .................... 11Western Ranch Buildings ......17WSA Construction .................9Yellowjacket Construction ....15

CabinetryAlpine Designs .....................15Jerry Cole Woodworking ......27Swanson Woodcraft ..............25Tannehill Company ............... 11

Carpet CleaningHigh-Tec Carpet Cleaning ....24

Cafés & Coffee RoastersBlue Star Coffee Roasters .....10

Concrete & GravelBrandenburg Construction ....43Byro Construction ................14Cascade Concrete ..................10Five Star Concrete .................25Palm Construction ...................8

Conservation ConsultantsMethow Conservancy ...........20Plantas nativa east .................26RW Thorpe & Associates ......18

Construction Cleanup ServicesHigh-Tec Carpet Cleaning ....24Housewatch ...........................19Methow Recycling Round-Up ....................27

Damage RestorationFrance & Co. .........................34High-Tec Carpet Cleaning ....24

ElectriciansMethow Electric ....................29Switchback Electric .............32

Energy Consultants/SalesDerosa Edwards ....................27

Energy Consultants/Sales, Cont.Energy Solutions ..................27France & Co. .........................34Solarwind Energy ................ 26

Engineering & DesignFL Cooley & Associates .......31

Equipment Sales & RentalCascade Concrete ..................10Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ...38Hamilton Farm Equipment .............33, 39Okanogan Truck & Tractor .....9Winthrop Ace Hardware .......15

ExcavatingB & B Excavating .................31 Doug Haase Excavating ..........7J.A. Wright Construction ......37McHugh’s Excavating ...........30Palm Construction ...................8

FlooringArtisan Flooring ....................25Bear Creek Lumber ...............44Harmony House Interiors ......24Methow Valley Lumber ........12North Valley Lumber ............21WCC Tile ..............................24Webster Furniture ..................16

Furniture & FurnishingsWebster Furniture ..................16

GalleriesConfl uence Gallery & Art Center ...................28

Geothermal ServicesFisher Refrigeration ..............22Fogle Pump & Supply ...........17

Glass Supply & DesignD&R Glass Works .................14

Heating & Air ConditioningAl Ju Stoves & Fireplaces .....29Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ...38Energy Solutions ...................27Fisher Refrigeration ..............22Hamilton Farm Equipment .............33, 39North Valley Lumber ............21

Interior DesignHarmony House Interiors ......24

InsulationAll Valley Insulation .............17Cascade Foam & Coatings ....27Methow Valley Lumber ........12North Valley Lumber ............21

InsuranceMelbourne Insurance Co. .....20

Irrigation Services & SuppliesBeaver Creek Well Services ...37Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ...38Doug Haase Excavating .........7Hamilton Farm Equipment .............33, 39

Land Use Permits RW Thorpe & Associates ......18

Landscaping Services &Supplies

Cascade Concrete .................. 10Cascade Pipe & Feed Supply ...38 Eastern Green Hydroseeding ...25Eric Claussen ........................22Kamron Coleman ..................37Loup Loup Tree Service ........15Plantas nativa east .................26 Wild Hearts Nursery ...............9 Windy Valley Landscaping ....28

MasonryKamron Coleman ..................37Masonry Arts .........................32WCC Tile ..............................24

Metal WorkersThe Slagworks, Barry Stromberger .................15

Non-Profi t OrganizationsConfl uence Gallery & Art Center ................28 Methow Conservancy ...........20 Methow Resource Recovery ...6

Offi ce Supplies & Reproductions

Havillah Road Printing & Graphics ..................18

PlumbingAllways Plumbing .................38

Pole BuildingsNorseman Co. .......................39

Porta Potty RentalsJ.A. Wright Construction ......37

Pre-Fabricated HomesMethod Homes ........................7Winton Global Homes ..........13

Property MaintenanceHousewatch ...........................19

Real EstateBlue Sky Real Estate ...............9

RecyclingMethow Recycling Round-Up ....................27Methow Resource Recovery ...6

Restaurants/BreweriesOld Schoolhouse Brewery ....27

Roofi ngCascade Foam & Coatings ....27 Triple T Roofi ng ....................13

Septic DesignFL Cooley & Associates .......31 J.A. Wright Construction ......37 Monetta & Associates ...........19

Small Engine RepairSawtooth Small Engine Repair ............................9

Solar PowerDerosa Edwards ....................27Energy Solutions ...................27 Solarwind Energy Systems ...26 Sun House, Alex Hall ............32

Steel BuildingsWestern Ranch Buildings ......17

SurveyorsErlandsen & Associates .........31Tackman Surveying ..............26

Tree ServicesLoup Loup Tree Service ........15

Well Drilling & Pump,Sales & Service

Beaver Creek Well Service ...37 Fogle Pump & Supply ...........17 MVM Quality Drilling ..........30

Windows & DoorsAll Valley Insulation .............17D & R Glassworks ................14East Slope Building Supply ..24 Methow Resource Recovery ...6Methow Valley Lumber ........12 North Valley Lumber ............21North Cascade Builders Supply ...................17, 25Overhead Door Co. of Wenatchee ...............37Sierra Pacifi c Windows .........36

WoodworkersAlpine Designs .....................15 Jerry Cole Woodworking ......27Swanson Woodcraft ..............25Tannehill Company ............... 11

Directory of AdvertisersPage 42 Methow Valley Building 2010

Lawrence Architecture

www.lawrencearchitecture.com206.332.1832

balanceassociates

architectsinnovative architecture + interiors

prefab options available

winthrop 509.996.8148seattle 206.322.7737balanceassociates.com

Documents

Methow Valley News Building Guide 2010