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Written By Alex Clarkson | Photos By Josh Wells

When the world was upside-down in the middle of the pandemic, people took Stock of their lives and sought safety and refuge in the beautiful natural Surroundings of Blaine County, Idaho. Having visited since the 1980s, one family Wanted to set down more permanent roots in a place where they could get Away, unwind, entertain, and focus on what was important in their lives.

“Pulling the new house farther forward on the property revealed an elegantly filtered and longer view of the river instead of being perched right on it.”

–Gretchen Wagner, Architect, scape design studio

Nestled among the cottonwood trees in a forest at the end of a dead-end street, they found a unique lot in the Gimlet neighborhood of Sun Valley. An attached unbuildable parcel helped comprise 320 feet of Big Wood River frontage with views up and down-stream and facing a wide gravel bank. As avid fishermen, they had found the ideal place for their retreat.

Architect Gretchen Wagner, AIA, NCARB, Principal at scape design studio inc. in Ketchum, designed a 10,000-square-foot house that feels woodsy and relaxed, is spacious yet modest, and is a comforting home base for a family of anglers.

The owner’s brother and sister-in-law had previously worked with SV Custom Builders and landscape architect Kurt Eggers of Eggers Associates on several successful projects including an extensive remodel and new ADU, so hiring them was an obvious choice. They did a Zoom interview and were engaged shortly thereafter. scape design studio came highly recommended by the builder and landscape architect.

The first order of business was to remove a dated structure. The old house was closer to the river than modern zoning setback laws now allow, but it did not interact with the outdoors in the way the homeowners hoped. What initially seemed like a loss by having to move back from the river became an opportunity.

“Layering natural materials with manmade ones strikes a balance between hard edge and soft edge. The design can be clean and contemporary while still feeling grounded in this place.”

–Gretchen Wagner, Architect, scape design studio

“Pulling the new house farther forward on the property revealed an elegantly filtered and longer view of the river instead of being perched right on it,” explains Wagner. Care was taken to preserve as many trees as possible on the site to heavily screen neighbors and maintain the feeling of wooded seclusion.

The homeowners were interested in a low-slung mountain house with a modern prairie feeling. They did not want to take up the entire lot despite having an ambitious program, and the design evolved into a two-story flat roof house with varied roof heights. The architecture features deep overhangs that speak to the prairie style and large corner windows that bring in the trees to give it a mountain feel. Wagner says, “Looking at a river forces your eye to travel. The floor-to-ceiling corner windows were designed to maximize indirect views and draw your gaze through the near and distant landscape.”

“The owners knew exactly what they wanted and were very specific, so it was never unclear. But they were also very receptive to suggestions.”

–Gretchen Wagner, Architect, scape design studio

The owner’s business is in the sustainable wood industry, and thoughtful discussions of materials led to their deliberate application inside and out. Thin, layered standing seam metal roofs created the deep over-hang ‘skirts’ that concealed the flat ballast roofs above. Wood siding was kept primarily on the upper level and deep front porch where it would be protected. A combination of Equitone fiber cement board siding, wrapped aluminum panels, and limestone from Montana reduced the need for future maintenance on the rest of the exterior. With a grainy photo as inspiration, several mock-ups led to the final stone installation.

Inside the house, light stained rift sawn and select white oak unifies floors, cabinetry, and paneling while steel accents punctuate the space. Creamy leathered quartzite calms the palette. A limestone and travertine fireplace and corresponding media area anchor both ends of the great room.

The owners wanted all the bathrooms to be white. Fearing this might feel too stark relative to the rest of the palette, scape employed texture, pattern, shade, scale, and distinctive lighting to give each bathroom its own personality. “It’s colorful in a very subtle way,” Wagner shares. The diamond-shaped white glazed tile in the upstairs powder room is delightfully unexpected. “The owners knew exactly what they wanted and were very specific, so it was never unclear,” she recalls. “But they were also very receptive to suggestions.”

The team agrees that 90% of their clients request a version of mountain modern, and it’s their job to define what mountain modern means to each client individually. Generally, mountain modern means a mixture of wood and stone – natural, organic, amorphous, and irregular materials – with modernity introduced through hard edges and windows. “Layering natural materials with man-made ones strikes a balance between hard edge and soft edge,” Wagner explains. “The design can be clean and contemporary while still feeling grounded in this place.”

The design team was tasked with function above all else. The house had to really work for the owners in an easy and uncomplicated way.

Although there are many automated systems through-out the house, the clients wanted it to be intuitive for everyone to enjoy – no owner’s manual would be needed to operate it. Their request to not make anything too complicated translated to the home’s comfortability.

With two adult children, the owners were specific about the program because they anticipated having their children’s future families stay at the house together. The layout includes three primary bedrooms, two of which are upstairs with private terraces and river views. These suites are insulated from each other audially and physically and have room for extra beds as the family’s needs expand.

The home is a dream combination of a cozy atmosphere with plentiful storage. The owners keep two cars at this house, and a four-car garage offers generous space for toys, gear, and guests. Two double twin bedrooms upstairs were created for potential grandchildren or younger guests, along with another guest suite on the first floor. There are two laundry rooms, a butler’s pantry, a gym, a downstairs study, and a family room upstairs.

“They love being with each other and love entertaining. They are very generous with how they share their lives and this home with their friends and family.”

–Gretchen Wagner, Architect, scape design studio

The house offers many opportunities to be together as a large group, and also more intimate spaces for the family and guests to seek privacy. “They love being with each other and love entertaining,” Wagner says. “They are very generous with how they share their lives and this home with their friends and family.”

The owners have lived overseas and acquired an extensive art collection on their travels. Some items were purchased specifically for this house, but many pieces were part of their personal journey, including a sculpture made by the owner’s 90-year-old mother who is an artist.

Another highly personal space is the “snoratorium.” Adjacent to the owner’s suite on the first floor is a closet with a twin Murphy bed in it. “More of our clients are asking for this type of space,” Wagner shares. “The snorer gets banished to the closet so everyone can sleep but is still connected through their closet and bath. It keeps the peace.”

“Every time I’m there I feel a sense of satisfaction. I am proud to have helped build their house.”

–Victor Vandenburg, Principal, SV Custom Builders

A light-filled office that displays books and objects from their travels is accessed from the main hallway and also through a private storage annex off of their bathroom. Dual staircases on either end of the house connect bedrooms to public spaces below. The intricately detailed wood paneled stair-cases with long windows and elegant chandeliers make ascending or descending the stairs an event. Upstairs, high windows let light down the hallway that is lined with more of the owner’s art.

The owner is an amazing cook and desired a highly functional kitchen with two islands and dual sinks, almost like a double kitchen. One end has refrigeration and the coffee center and the other has a bar with more formal wrapped steel and glass cabinets. In the kitchen, the owners prioritized views over upper cabinets, so food storage and dishes are tucked away in the pantry and drawers.

They wanted four people to be able to move freely throughout the kitchen at the same time. The islands run parallel to the great room and have two seating areas to keep guests out of the fray but also facilitate interaction and conversation between the kitchen and the great room.

“We like to say we practice architectural sleight of hand. In some cases that means making small spaces feel bigger. In this case, it meant making large spaces feel intimate and cozy.”

–Gretchen Wagner, Architect, scape design studio

One seating area in the great room gathers around a 72” fireplace while the other has a large TV over steel-faced cabinets in a travertine mantel. For all the space, it doesn’t feel sprawling or too big. Wagner says, “We like to say we practice architectural sleight of hand. In some cases that means making small spaces feel bigger. In this case, it meant making large spaces feel intimate and cozy.” Playing with angles of entry, intentionally curating limited views, and adjusting ceiling heights, the team created expansive living at an appropriate human scale.

“It’s a very comfortable house,” says Victor Vandenburg, Principal/Superintendent, SV Custom Builders. “We’ve visited a few times and had coffee with the owners at their kitchen island. Every time I’m there I feel a sense of satisfaction. I am proud to have helped build their house.”

A priority for the owners was an outdoor patio terrace with a built-in fireplace at one end, a dining area in the middle, and a kitchen at the other end. The outdoor kitchen is complete with a smoker and barbecue, refrigeration, pizza oven, sink, storage, and exhaust system. It’s closer to the river and covered so it offers protection from the sun and weather. Ceiling heaters and skylights over the entire area make it an easy three-sea-son outdoor destination for entertaining.

Beyond the terrace, the spa area has more seating by the pool. Snowmelt runs from the door of the exercise room to the edge of the perpetual pool and hot tub, making them usable year-round.

At the entry of the home, concrete steps lead up to a long front porch that receives morning sun. It over-looks the yard that has been landscaped with a versatile native grass that can be left to grow longer to complement the woodsy look or cut down for when they want to put a tent on it and have company. Near the end of construction, a food truck pulled into the motor court and the party branched out from there.

The house is the total package of beautiful architecture, meticulous craftsmanship and building, and an exceptional property. It is a testament to collaboration and the trust the clients put in the design team, but the home did not take shape without some challenges.

“We were waiting for tile to get here from Spain for four months when we got a call that the shipping container transporting the tile was bug infested, so they were shipping it back,” shares Robin Story, Principal/Project Manager, SV Custom Builders. “Even though tile isn’t affected by bugs, U.S. Customs will turn it around immediately when they find something like that.” The team sourced a comparable tile with a short lead time, and they pivoted.

The upper deck pavers on pedestals and sand-set pavers surrounding the hot tub spa are all the same Daltile. This versatile material that could be installed two different ways tied the spaces together and helped streamline the building process.

“It was a delicate balance to keep everyone engaged and functioning at their highest potential.”

–Victor Vandenburg, Principal, SV Custom Builders

The expanse of surfaces and top-end finishes meant skilled coordination and intricate scheduling of the subcontractors. As Vandenburg reflects, “It was a delicate balance to keep everyone engaged and functioning at their highest potential.”

The building challenges continued with labor and materials delays during COVID. They installed the pool and hot tub eight months after when Vandenburg had originally wanted it in. It was winter and they had to negotiate putting in heating elements and septic into frozen ground at the back of the property. There were potential groundwater issues that meant the patio and spa had to be elevated, but it worked out in the end. Ultimately the views are better, and the hot tub sits at the perfect height and does not need handrails to get in. Even with those and many other challenges, it took just two years to build the house.

There were extremely qualified professionals on the client side of this project. The owner’s mother is also a landscape architect, and she was sensitive to building in an environmentally friendly way that would minimize the soil disturbance. She took issue with a large asphalt driveway because as an impermeable surface, it would create drainage issues that could cause erosion or contamination.

“As much as we could allow some water to infiltrate through the product and preserve the general aesthetic to be consistent with the setting, we tried to not impose something different than the site might encourage,” Eggers reflects. They discussed chip-seal, a budget-friendly mix of gravel over asphalt with aesthetic appeal, but it was still too impermeable. They ended up with a combination of asphalt and pavers.

Eggers credits SV Custom Builders for contributing to the home’s low impact on the environment. His team didn’t have to revegetate the whole house because the builders limited the disturbance to the natural landscape. “When we were planting, we focused up around the building, blending the linear, more contemporary plantings that spoke to the mountain modern architecture with native plant material to achieve a symbiosis of the natural, surrounding environment with the introduced landscape design,” Eggers says.

In addition to the versatile fescue mix they used for the large grass areas, they used popular Karl Foerster and Blue Oak grasses for a contemporary aesthetic that takes less water and fertilization compared to traditional bluegrasses. Dogwood shrubs around the house add great fall color, and a perennial garden contained within the walkway from the outdoor terrace to the spa ensures that something is always in bloom through the spring and summer. The house has drip irrigation to the shrubs and plantings around the house monitored by a weather station controller.

“When we were pl anting, we focused up around the building, blending the linear, more contemporary plantings that spoke to the mountain modern architecture with native plant material to achieve a symbiosis of the natural, surrounding environment with the introduced landscape design.”

–Kurt Eggers, Landscape Architect, Eggers Associates

There’s also a 25-kilowatt solar array on the roof (the maximum allowed in Idaho) that is hidden from view. “I think the quality of building is so high in this valley that some things we take for granted should be mentioned,” Wagner offers. She lauds the owners for being willing to invest in things for the house that would improve comfort and energy efficiency like solar, triple pane windows, and above code insulation.

“When we were tearing down the old house our clients asked us to recycle as many materials as possible,” Eggers shares. He notes that the land trust reclaimed some materials, but much of it was not in good enough condition to keep. “We prioritized adaptive reuse where we could.”

The house exudes a sense of uncomplicated comfort. The team worked well together, the site was easy, and the clients were incredible. “Give me a good hillside, or an impossible site, or a client with an unrealistic budget and it’s almost easier to work against those constraints. In this case, the owners were clear in their intent but gave us so much freedom to create their home that it was ironically both the ideal situation and also the greatest pressure,” Wagner says.

Or maybe that is the true success of this home. Comfort was not just an abstract idea for the design team. That sense of ease is inherent in the physical space. It is a refuge that is deeply satisfying and fulfilling for the people who live there as well as for those who helped bring it to life.

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