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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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Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort

May 12, 2009 by Hendricks Architecture: Tom Russell, Architect LEED AP Leave a Comment

Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho, as described by Tom Russell, an architect at Hendricks Architecture.

The first weekend in April this year was a real treat for Schweitzer Mountain skiers. It was the last weekend of the season, the sky was a cloudless deep blue, and there was new snow on the ground. By the end of the day Sunday, it was 50+ degrees. I stood on top of the Mountain on Sunday afternoon taking in the views of Lake Pend Oreille and Montana to the east . “This is why I live here” I thought. I find myself thinking or saying this an awful lot, and I probably wasn’t the only one at Schweitzer that day who felt lucky to have chosen Sandpoint, Idaho as my home.

The Great Escape Quad at Schweitzer

The Great Escape Quad at Schweitzer Mountain

It was a busy day at Schweitzer, maybe the busiest of the season, and there were people everywhere enjoying lunch, drinks , live music, the goofy games of “Spring Daze” or the great skiing . Despite the record crowds, I hadn’t stood in a lift line all day, and the slopes never seemed crowded. Schweitzer boasts 2900 acres of terrain, and it takes an awful lot of people to make that feel crowded. The only thing I would have changed that day was to have my family there to enjoy it with me – they were out of town for spring break. Schweitzer is a great family mountain, and we see most of our friends there every weekend.

Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho

Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho

Prior to living in Sandpoint, I lived in Colorado and Utah for 20 years. I tolerated big crowds, gridlock traffic, and expensive lift tickets to indulge my skiing habit. I knew Sandpoint had Schweitzer Mountain, and we had been there several times in the summer, but I had no idea how great it was until I skied there. I have been skiing for as long as I can remember, and I have been almost everywhere in the US and Canada. In all honesty, Schweitzer is near the top of my favorites list. I continue to be amazed at how un-crowded, affordable, and accessible it is. For quality of ski terrain, I would compare it to Crested Butte in Colorado, Snow Basin in Utah, and Bridger Bowl in Montana.

Schweitzer Village is only about 10 miles from Sandpoint, Idaho, up a steep mountain road. Its relationship to Sandpoint reminds me of Teton Village near Jackson and the Mountain Village at Telluride. Schweitzer has its own village center, with shops, restaurants, realtor offices, and lodging. It has everything you need, and there is still plenty of growing room for more businesses and accommodations. In the summer they have music festivals, mountain biking, mountain biking races, Frisbee golf, hiking, and lift service to the top of the mountain. Many people live there year round, though most residents are part time and seasonal.

Mountain biking is a popular summer activity at Schweitzer.

Mountain biking is a popular summer activity at Schweitzer.

One of my favorite aspects of the village is there is still room to move – it isn’t densely developed with homes and condos on every postage stamp sized lot. Schweitzer Land and Timber is planning to build new LEED certified ski in/out timeshare condos in a new open neighborhood right near the base of the new Basin Express Quad. A few new quality developments with sizable lots, ski in access, and incredible views have been created in the last few years. If you are interested in ski area property, check out The Spires & The Ridge at Schweitzer.

When I was a youngster learning to ski on the icy little hills of the Northeast (my Vermont friends might take issue with the little part), I dreamed of heading west to the “real mountains”. I seem to have ended up just where I hoped I would – a place a lot like the little Adirondack town where I came from but on a larger scale. I love Sandpoint, and Schweitzer is one of the biggest reasons why. If you are looking for a place to hang your boards and call home, give Schweitzer a try.

Schweitzer Bluegrass Festival

Schweitzer Bluegrass Festival

We design mountain homes of all sizes. If you find yourself falling victim to the charm of Sandpoint and Schweitzer, give us a call. We would love to help you create your mountain home.

Tom Russell, LEED AP

Hendricks Architecture, Mountain Architects in Sandpoint, Idaho

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Hendricks Architecture

We are mountain architects specializing in mountain architecture throughout North America, from lodges and lakefront homes to cabins and beach houses.

John Hendricks, AIA
418 Pine Street
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
Tel 208.265.4001
Fax 208.265.4009
Email: john@hendricksarchitect.com

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