Coeur d’Alene – Mountain Architects

Architecture for Specific Sites (Part 1): Personalities and Views

May 17, 2013 by John Hendricks, Architect AIA 1 Comment

Architecture is highly site specific. Every one of our clients has their own personalities, and we design to fit each of their unique goals, yet each home is also created to fit into its own specific site. We’ve designed all over, from snowy mountain slopes to warm oceanfront beaches, and everywhere in between. This wide range of locales brings different influences into the process of placing a home on a site.

However, there are many other factors that also go into the individual building and site designs. The views, local restrictions, solar orientation, wind, water, vegetation, topography, and numerous other factors, also play a role in the overall concept. This topic is so extensive that I’m breaking it up into separate posts, and, because I’m an architect and not a book writer, I’ll only be covering the basics.

Building Site above Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Individual Personalities

Every building site is unique and deserves its own design. Taking advantage of everything the site has to offer (the layout of trees, boulders, topography, etc.) is important, but so is matching the owner’s individual personalities.

The design process is typically a collaborative one. I’ll talk with the owner and discuss their site, or potential site, along with what they would like in and around their home. I’ll also provide a questionnaire to give them more opportunities to share their passions and ambitions. If they are looking for something playful, I’ll throw out some fun ideas to help provide some sparks. It’s an enjoyable brainstorming process where we’ll create something appropriately unique for them to treasure in the years ahead. This is important since they will most likely be spending a good amount of their lives in and around the home.

One homeowner I’ve been working with has a home he’d like to remodel, as well as a barn that we’ll transform into a guest cabin. The site is surrounded by large cedar trees. We started talking about a way to connect the two, and came up with an enclosed bridge that will travel between the trees. A connecting open bridge will link trees and end up in a tree house.

Views

Most building sites have at least one of the following; good views, neighbors, adjacent roads, or unwanted noise. The trick is to take advantage of the views, while masking out the neighbors, roads, and noise. Unless of course you enjoy observing the neighbors a la Dudley Moore (or vice-versa), listening to their music, and watching the cars go by.

Mountain home view from a side deck

Not everyone has a beautiful view of the Grand Tetons or the Pacific Ocean, and I have yet to meet anyone who has both from the same house. Many, however, may have broad or peek-a-boo views of mountains, hills, a pond, a grassy area, a beautiful tree, or other “territorial” views.

Placing and designing the home, or parts of the home, to face the best views is essential, yet needs to work with the topography and landscaping. Most of our clients want the great room, kitchen, dining areas, master bedroom, and the main decks and patios facing the best views.

When there are unwanted elements in the view corridor, the field of vision can be enhanced by framing the landscape with trees, shrubs, hedges, boulders, and natural or man-made berms or other topography. Man-made structures such as fences, half walls, sculptural elements, a playhouse, and even a guest house could also be placed in the right spot to frame the view.

For privacy, strategically placed plantings similar to all of the above could be used, as well as thicker railings to provide privacy on decks. If your site is above the unwanted views, a simple solution from the interior is to have window shades that pull up, which will block the neighbors below, while providing views above. When we lived in Seattle we had these to see the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound, while blocking the neighbors below us.

The best way to mask noise is to provide a fountain near the point where the owner wishes to admire the views. The farther away the water feature, the less effective it is. Vegetation can absorb some of the noise, and vertical walls, fences, etc. can provide a sound barrier by reflecting some of the noise away.

Next: Part 2 – Site Restrictions

John Hendricks, Architect AIA, NCARB

Hendricks Architecture is located in Sandpoint, Idaho. We specialize in mountain architecture, and have been listed the past few years as one of Mountain Living’s Top Mountain Architects. We have designed all over North America, from open oceanfront homes to mountain homes. Please visit our selected projects page for some of our more recent projects. Click to Subscribe to Hendricks Architecture’s Blog

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Mountain Biking Around Sandpoint

August 14, 2009 by Hendricks Architecture: Tom Russell, Architect LEED AP Leave a Comment

Mountain Biking in and around Sandpoint, Idaho, as described by Tom Russell, project architect at Hendricks Architecture.

I love summers in Sandpoint. The weather is great, the lakes are warm, and the local events calendar is jam packed with enough festivities to keep everybody busy and active. One of my favorite activities in the summer is mountain biking, and I feel lucky to live in a place that has so much great riding. There is a great variety of mountain bike trails here, and a healthy population of mountain bike enthusiasts to enjoy them. A local cycling club/ advocacy group called the Pend Oreille Pedalers is actively building new trails, so the opportunities for great riding keep expanding. There are lots of trail guides and they are always looking for new members or people to help with trail building.

Lake Pend Oreille with Mineral Point in middle of photo

Lake Pend Oreille from the Monarchs, with Mineral Point in center background

When I go out riding I am always surprised at how uncrowded and well maintained the trails are. If you have ever ridden in places like Moab or Colorado’s front range, you’ll appreciate the quality conditions and solitude that can be found here, even on the most popular rides. I was in Bend , Oregon a few weeks ago and did a ride that was loose, dusty and rutted from overuse. It was a great trail, but I kept thinking how much more enjoyable it would have been if it was in North Idaho.

From the town of Sandpoint, there are several great rides you can do without ever getting in your car. There is a network of high quality single track trails just west of town in the hills between Pine Street and the town of Dover. Known as Syringa Ridge or Sherwood Forest, the trails there are not well documented, and it is a bit of a local’s secret. Efforts are being made to map it, but I haven’t seen anything public yet. When I first moved here , I enjoyed the adventure of finding my way around there without a map and checking out trails I had never been on. I won’t deprive anyone of the same opportunity by giving away too much about it. If you do go exploring in that area, be aware that there is a lot of private land and access is an issue, so please read the signs and obey parking restrictions.

Gold Hill Trail #3

Gold Hill trail #3 is my favorite. It is a thrilling ride with a sustained 3 mile climb, spectacular views, and a smooth, fast descent on the return trip. There is an expanding complex of trails above the gravel quarry on Bottle Bay Road (another local’s secret area) that connects to the Gold Hill trail #3 and offers a variety of alternatives to explore.

Mineral point has some great trails not unlike Gold Hill in quality and scenery, but noticeably easier on the legs and lungs. My favorite ride there is a 10 mile loop that starts and ends at the fabulous Green Bay beach.

One of the views from Mineral Point

Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort also has some great biking, both lift served and self-serve. Ambitious pedalers can get to the resort trails by climbing the 9 +/- miles to the ski area on a fun single track trail that is accessed from several of the even numbered switchbacks on the Schweitzer road. My favorite rides at Schweitzer are cross country ski trails in the winter. For those who like to compete, Schweitzer has a mountain bike race series every Wednesday evening in August.

New Schweitzer Mountain Resort Trail

Priest Lake is about an hour from Sandpoint, and has some great trials on both the upper and lower lake. Spectacular views, lots of berries, and nice beaches with crystal clear water are all highlights of mountain biking around Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake.

Upper Priest Lake

Faragut State Park between Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene has a lot of mostly moderate mountain bike trails, and it is also a nice place to camp on the lake. It is a good spot for a family outing, especially if cycling is not the only activity you have in mind. One ambitious ride here worth checking out is Bernard Peak. I think you will agree – the views are well worth the effort. On Wednesdays in July local bike shops organize a mountain bike race series at Faragut.

Partial View of the Southern End of Lake Pend Oreille

There a many more great rides in the Sandpoint area, including some big, epic rides in the Cabinet and Selkirk Mountain Ranges. Information on many of these can be found with a quick internet search. There is currently a Falcon guide to mountain biking in the Spokane Coeur d’Alene area that covers some of the Sandpoint area rides. While there is no formal guide to Sandpoint yet, rumor has it a comprehensive guide is in the works.

Tom Russell, LEED AP, Project Architect

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects located in Sandpoint, Idaho.

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Northwest Mountain Home Developments

June 6, 2009 by John Hendricks, Architect AIA Leave a Comment

As an architect in a mountain resort community, I’m often asked, “What are the big mountain home developments in the Northwest?” Generally, in terms of mountain homes, I think of the Northwest as Idaho, Western Montana, Western Wyoming, Washington and Oregon. I won’t include Canada for the sake of keeping the list down. You can see our recent blog Mountain Home Developments in British Columbia for that, and include areas in Whistler, BC and Canmore, Alberta on the list. So here are some of the main mountain home developments in the Northwest.

Sandpoint, Idaho is a resort area located on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, the biggest lake in the Northwest. Homes and properties surrounding the lake are just starting to be bought and turned into more upscale luxury homes. The Idaho Club is one example of a private mountain home community in Sandpoint, and has a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort has a few mountain neighborhoods, including The Ridge, The Spires, and Mountainside at Schweitzer. Dover Bay, The Crossing at Willow Bay, and Salishan Point are lakefront developments along the Pend Oreille River.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho boasts Black Rock and Gozzer Ranch on opposite sides of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Black Rock is a private lakefront community and has a Jim Engh designed golf course. The course is often mentioned as one of the finest golf courses in the Northwest, and the Clubhouse is beautiful. Gozzer Ranch has a Tom Fazio designed course. Galena Ridge in Kellogg has a mining theme, set on a golf course below Silver Mountain Resort.

Sun Valley, Idaho has been around forever, so there are big mountain homes everywhere, sometimes mingled with smaller homes. Sun Valley has the original ski resort, and includes the cities of Sun Valley, Ketchum and Hailey. Basically the closer you get to Sun Valley Resort the more upscale they are. A few examples of development occurring on new lots are White Clouds on the northern edge of Sun Valley Resort, and Independence, located about a mile east and up the hill from Sun Valley. White Clouds includes 30 home sites at the northern edge of Sun Valley Resort, bordered by the Sun Valley golf course and open space.

In Western Montana, The Wilderness Club in Eureka, north of Whitefish is a big development with a Nick Faldo designed course. In Whitefish, the area is centered around Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly Big Mountain), and Whitefish Lake. Iron Horse has been around for a few years and the homes have the rugged, rustic Montana look. Smaller, newer neighborhoods include The Homestead and Elk Highlands. Saddlehorn, in Big Fork on Lake Kalispell is another big development.

The Ranch Club, six miles northwest of Missoula, Montana, has a Les Furber designed course, with 198 custom homesites on 343 acres, 72 townhome & condominium sites, and 95 club lodge sites. In Hamilton, Montana, south of Missoula, is Stockfarm. Stockfarm has a Tom Fazio golf course among it’s 2,600 acres. East of there, Rock Creek Cattle Company outside Deer Lodge has 3 to 110 acre homesteads, and a Tom Doak golf course.

Big Sky, Montana is well known for the Big Sky Resort in the Spanish Peaks. The Big Sky area includes The Yellowstone Club, The Club at Spanish Peaks and Moonlight Basin, all well known for rugged Montana mountain style homes. The Yellowstone Club is an ultra-exclusive, invitation only private community with it’s own ski area and Tom Weiskopf designed golf course, all on 13,400 acres. The Club at Spanish Peaks also has a Tom Weiskopf designed golf course, as well as private ski lifts to Big Sky Resort. Moonlight Basin is on the north side of Lone Mountain, and the ski resort also accesses Big Sky Resort with the “Lone Peak Ticket”. Moonlight Basin also includes a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course.

Northwestern Wyoming includes Grand Teton National Park, and directly to the north, Yellowstone National Park. The Grand Tetons are one of the most beautiful, picturesque mountain ranges around. Jackson, in the Jackson Hole valley, has always been well known for the rustic mountain resort architecture. Mountain style subdivisions are all over, including Spring Creek Ranch. The Bar BC Ranch has 35 to 53 acre ranch sites on 1,400 acres with world class trout fishing, along with views of the Teton Range, Yellowstone National Park, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Amangani is a newer development with more contemporary mountain architecture.

Washington mountain style neighborhoods include Suncadia Resort and Tumble Creek (formerly known as Trapper’s Creek) in Roslyn, a town a little over an hours drive east of Seattle in the Cascade Mountains. Suncadia is an eco-friendly resort and is the largest 3-star built-green resort community in Washington State. The lodge has 254 luxury guest suites and penthouses. The Methow Valley is also a popular spot for mountain style architecture, and is a very popular cross-country skiing area. One of the trails stretches for 120 miles, one of the longest XC trails in the world.

In Oregon, Bend is becoming a well know spot for the mountain style. Bend is the home of Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors. Jeld-Wen owns several communities, including Suncadia and Galena Ridge described above. They also own Brasada Ranch near Bend. Probably the most upscale resort in Bend is Pronghorn, which includes Signature Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio designed golf courses. The latter has one of the most unique holes in the world – a par three, eighth hole that includes a 45-foot canyon and exposed lava tube.

Hendricks Architecture specializes in the design of luxury mountain style homes and cabins. While it is not the only type of work we design, most of the homes we’ve completed are in mountain resort areas throughout the West. Most of our clients are looking for mountain style homes, often fairly rustic. Feel free to peruse projects and renderings of mountain architecture.

John Hendricks, Architect AIA

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects located in Sandpoint, Idaho.

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Mountain Architecture

April 19, 2009 by John Hendricks, Architect AIA Leave a Comment

What is Mountain Architecture? The mountain architecture vernacular consists of bold, natural and textured buildings and materials. These buildings should functionally and aesthetically withstand rugged mountainous environments, as well as blend into the topography.

Mountain homes should take advantage of nature by bringing the outdoors in through ample amounts of glazing and natural materials, and by extending indoor living spaces to the outside (outdoor living rooms) with decks, terraces and other exterior areas. A home exterior should look like it has grown out of the site rather than being lowered down from a helicopter. It can take advantage of the surrounding trees, boulders and other landforms by incorporating them into the home and the outdoor living rooms, and designing around them. Interiors should have a good range of natural materials and forms. These are often more rustic than the typical home, and sometimes have an “old world” appearance. Designed tastefully, this will often give the home a “rustic elegance”.

Mountain architecture is organically massed to taper down into the site. Multiple volumes conform to the existing terrain and are in scale with the existing landscape. Large, symmetrical, obtrusive building forms are often avoided. Some single story elements help keep a mountain home residential in scale.

Broad sheltering roofs appear to cascade down in steps or multi-level designs, and protect against winter snow, spring rain and summer sun. Roofs generally have a 4:12 to 12:12 pitch. Depending on the locality, there is little ornamentation. For instance, the rugged, bold architecture of Big Sky and Whitefish in Montana, Telluride, Colorado and Jackson Hole, Wyoming may often have less ornamentation and detail than buildings in Vail, Colorado and Lake Tahoe.

Architects who design mountain architecture most often utilize natural materials and warm, earthy colors. Roofs may consist of cedar shakes or slate, sometimes with copper accents. Siding is frequently cedar (boards, shake shingles or logs) and stone. Recycled barn wood is sometimes used for a more rustic look. If wood is to be stained it should let the natural grains show through. The stone should be bigger at the base to give it an anchored and structural appearance. Large mortar joints should be avoided in the mountain style.

In the mountains, columns, beams, rafters and other structural elements are bigger and bolder for protection against heavy snow loads. These are typically douglas fir and/or reclaimed wood, and can be built in timber frame or timber post and beam construction. Windows are typically kept to a minimum on the front elevation, while opening up to broad views on the back or view elevations, which many times have daylight basements to take advantage of the steep slopes. Windows typically have wood or metal clad (aluminum, copper or bronze) frames. These frames can have an aged patina for an older appearance. Garage doors are wood, many times in the carriage style.

Landscaping is also an important element in quality mountain architecture. Home sites should be designed for maximum privacy, minimal visibility, minimized grading and disruption of natural drainage. Sites are kept natural by containing water runoff, and enhancing the natural landforms and vegetation. Smart design should keep retaining walls to a minimum, both to preserve a natural look as well as save on costs. These retaining walls are most often natural stone. Vegetation will help these walls blend into the site.

Other landscape elements include native hardscaping (patios, walkways), and minimal walls, fences and gates. When these are incorporated they should look open and natural, and relate to the building. A good architect or landscape architect should know of some good tricks here for the benefits of privacy and the homeowner’s personal tastes. Driveways are often natural materials such as stone, but are more cost effective with concrete (colored, stamped, aggregate), pre-cast pavers, or asphalt.

Mountain style architecture has similar elements to other vernaculars. These include Montana ranch, rustic western style, Adirondack, and historic logging and mining styles. Craftsman/Arts & Crafts, Chalet, Prairie, Japanese and even Tuscan elements can be incorporated into the mountain style if done tastefully.

Mountain Architecture generally occurs in the mountains of the West, and in pockets of the Northeast and Southeast. In the West, besides the previously mentioned Vail, Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Whitefish, Telluride and Lake Tahoe, other areas with mountain style homes include Sun Valley, Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Priest Lake in Idaho, Aspen, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Durango and Crested Butte in Colorado, and Park City in Utah. In Southwestern Canada, Whistler is by far the most popular mountain resort area, and hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. Canmore in Alberta is popular with it’s close proximity to Banff, and was the site of the nordic events when Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics.

For further information, please also see our blog post Origins of Mountain Architecture in America.

Feel free to peruse more mountain architecture photos and renderings. Hendricks Architecture specializes in the design of luxury mountain style homes and cabins, and has been listed yearly among Mountain Living’s top mountain architects. We try to add a little bit of soul into each home, to reflect the personalities and wishes of the homeowners. Most of the homes we’ve completed are in mountain resort areas throughout the West.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects located in Sandpoint, Idaho.

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