After spending 30 years in the San Francisco Bay area, Rick and Janice were looking for a simple, quiet spot to retire. They found the ideal community just southeast of Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho, where they built their 3,120-square-foot home on a 130+ acre property. Known for its rugged beauty, the area offers year-round recreation opportunities as well as plenty of space for solitude.
Rick and Janice built the home for a lifetime, adhering to the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or universal design principles. Homes that are ADA-compliant have features that make them friendlier for people with handicaps and can be easier to live in as people age. ADA-compliant homes are usually one story and have an open floorplan, good lighting, and wider doorways. “We plan to live out the rest of our days in this house so that was very important,” says Janice.
With stunning views from every window, Rick and Janice enjoy the privacy and relaxation their new home affords. Their kitchen overlooks the Coeur d’Alene River, while the living room looks out over the Silver Valley Mountains. “We are here during spring, summer, fall, and early winter,” says Janice. “The fall colors are my favorite, with a crisp feel of winter approaching.”
Though retired, the couple stays busy with philanthropic work in the local community. Down time is spent exploring the property. “We spend time down at the river that runs through the property when we can,” says Janice. “Fly fishing is a favorite of my husband’s, and I enjoy just relaxing watching him fish or reading a book by the river while he catches dinner.”
Completed in 2016, the home took just over a year to build. Luckily, Rick and Janice were able to live in an existing home on the property while their new home was under construction. “Rick is a retired general contractor, so he was on the job site daily,” says Janice. Though this was not their first home project it was the first log home they have built so they welcomed the expertise of their log home company, PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes, a PFB Custom Homes company based in Meridian, Idaho.
Crafted from square Douglas fir wall logs with dovetail corners and Douglas fir timbers, the construction incorporates a mix of trusses including a hammer beam, simple king post, and queen post trusses. Douglas fir is native to the Pacific Northwest and is prized as a building material for its strength. The golden hue of the wood is complemented by abundant windows, and white sheetrock walls to give the home a spacious, airy feeling.
The richly hued stone used for the fireplace and on the exterior of the home is a quarried architectural stone called Paradise Mountain Mahogany from the Clark Fork River Valley in Montana. “We have an amazing relationship with Pacific Resource Brokers,” explains Phil Mattison, director of project management for PFB Custom Homes. “This stone has gone into premier projects across the country. Pacific Resource Brokers sells most of the Paradise Mountain Mahogany in the country and that’s how we were able to get access to it.”
Rick and Janice started with PrecisionCraft’s Wood River floorplan and customized it to suit their needs. The resulting home has two bedroom suites as well as an additional full bath and a 750-square-foot outdoor kitchen. “They did a good job mixing different materials,” says Mattison. “The house is rustic but very functional and tastefully done.”
The rustic kitchen cabinets were custom built by a local craftsman. “The existing house on the property has some of the most ornate woodwork that I’ve ever seen,” says Mattison. “The same person who did that woodwork custom built all of the cabinets in the new house.”
With a large service dog as part of the family, tough flooring was a must, so Rick and Janice selected a high-durability tile that looks like hardwood. It’s easy to clean and will last without requiring the kind of maintenance true hardwood floors would need.
“The living room is our favorite spot by far,” says Janice. “We have an open concept so there are very few walls. At the end of the day you will find us in our double recliner having dinner in front of the TV or just relaxing, discussing our day, and enjoying the view of the mountains and forest while sipping our favorite beverage.”
“The view off to the east over the river valley is beautiful,” agrees Mattison. “Part of the existing home had an old-growth fruit orchard, so they decided to locate this home in a portion of the orchard. They are visited by moose and deer in the front yard every day.”
The home has touches of personal inspiration in every room. An upholstered headboard in the master bedroom spurred the vision for the interior color palette. “The master bedroom headboard was a real find,” says Janice. “I saw it in a design store in Coeur d’Alene and loved it. Another client had ordered it, but when her husband saw it he didn’t like it, so the designer sold it to me for a great price. It was the inspiration for the color theme for the rest of the house—deep red, eggplant, chocolate brown, tan, and colors you find in nature.”
An art glass collection welcomes visitors in the front entryway. “I’ve collected glass art for a few years, everything from Dale Chihuly to sea glass to recycled art glass,” says Janice. “The pieces in the entry are from an artist who studied with Chihuly. We recently purchased an original Chihuly piece that is displayed with the art glass plates on the entry wall.”
Rick and Janice found the ideal setting for their retirement years, and now they have the ideal home. Even so, Janice says, “Our favorite aspect of our property is the close, friendly community,” she says. “Neighbor helping neighbor is our life’s motto!”