A unique feature of the fractional ownership will be a concierge type service where someone will completely customize the home to each owner’s preferences prior to their arrival so that everything will be ready for them when they arrive. This service will include filling the refrigerator with food as ordered and getting gear out of storage so owners are ready for action as soon as they arrive.

The new homes that are being built at Mountainside at Schweitzer are employing some green building technologies, and plans call for them to attain some level of LEED certification. Some of the green strategies they will be using include:

• Geothermal hydronic heating and snowmelt
• Structural insulated panels on the Roof
• Reclaimed wood interior finishes
• High Efficiency windows
• Walking distance to the Schweitzer Village and all resort amenities
• Increased development density to maximize open space

The homes in Mountainside at Schweitzer will have excellent views of Lake Pend Oreille and the Cabinet Mountains beyond. They also look out on Schweitzer’s South Bowl, the Sunnyside lift area, and have exterior decks that look down to the village. The design style of the homes being built at mountainside currently is Modern Mountain Rustic, a subdivision of Mountain Architecture.  Some of the features include large rough sawn timbers, stone veneer, predominantly shed or flat roofs, and lots of windows. All of the homes have garages and indoor gear storage, virtual necessities given the amount of snow that Schweitzer gets.

There are more ski-in/ski-out building lots available at Mountainside at Schweitzer, and also at other desirable subdivisions around Schweitzer, including The Ridge at Schweitzer and The Spires.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect and Tom Russell, LEED AP

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects in Sandpoint, Idaho.  For other photos, please see previous mountain architecture projects.

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Mountain Residence overlooking Lake Pend Oreille

Elements of wood, stone, and natural light flow from the rugged exterior into the interior, adding a sense of connection with nature.  The exterior materials consist of western red cedar horizontal beveled siding, Montana stone with tight joints, and copper accents.  The interior is rustic contemporary, with douglas fir trusses, beams and columns, along with other wood and stone accents.  The home is 5,600 square feet on five steep acres.  The house is perched near the top of a nob, yet the profile is kept low to blend into the site.

Great Room

The home is designed to take advantage of the beautiful mountain and lake views, including Lake Pend Oreille and the Monarch Mountains to the southeast.  The Pend Oreille River, the City of Sandpoint, and the two mile Long Bridge can be seen to the southwest.  To the west and northwest are Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort and the Selkirk Mountains.  The owners are avid snowboarders, and their master bedroom suite is angled forty-five degrees from the rest of the home to look directly at Schweitzer.  On winter mornings a slight raise of the head is all that’s needed to check the snow or weather on the mountain.

The bar is one of many rooms with great views.

The home has four bedroom suites, and includes four and a half baths.  Also included are a home theater, study, game room, bar, wine room, a great room, a circular staircase and a bridge, along with covered and open decks.  Hydronic floor heating heats the residence.  The owners opted for gas appliance fireplaces rather than wood burning.  Air-conditioning cools the upper level in the warmer summer months.  Large overhangs and trellises minimize the summer solar heat gain, and the south and west facing windows have a higher low-E rating of low-E3 glazing.    The exterior has layered flagstone patios and includes a built-in spa and barbecue.  Storm water is managed by retaining swales.

Wine Room

For further information on mountain architecture, please see our previous posts Mountain Architecture and Origins of Mountain Architecture in America.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect, NCARB

Hendricks Architecture, Idaho mountain home architects in Sandpoint.  We specialize in the design of luxury mountain style homes, cabins and other structures.

Porch - photos by Karl Neumann

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 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.  All About Adventures hosts a mountain bike race series at Faragut every Wednesday in July.

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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There are some interesting real estate statistics over the first few months of 2009 in the Selkirk MLS, which includes Sandpoint and all Bonner County.

Year to date through April 20, 2009 there have been a total of 157 closed real estate transactions for a total volume of $41.5 million (includes selling and listing side).  This gives an average closing price of just $132,000.  Of the 130 residential (non-land) sales during this time, 120 of these were less than $350,000.  Only 10 sales in just under four months that were above $350k!  That makes me feel pretty good considering I’ve had closings at $675k, with a pending at $850k and another at $450k.

For the month of March there were 29 residential closings, 10 land, and 1 multi-family.  Only one of these 29 residential listings closed above $300,000!  The numbers definitely indicate that the first time home buyer and entry level buyers are the ones actually buying homes right now.  These numbers really start to show why the few buyers at the mid to higher price points are truly in the drivers seat.  I think the real sweet spot in the market (from a standpoint of value for buyers) is in the $400 to $900 price range, where many sellers are extremely motivated.  The lower price point has enough demand that prices have not had to adjust as significantly.  The million and up properties also have not had to adjust as much, simply because many of these property owners own their homes outright and are in a different economic bracket altogether.  They simply do not have the same pressures to sell quickly.

Another interesting statistic is that the average sale price as a percentage of FINAL list price is 94%.  Average price per ORIGINAL list price is 87%.

This should indicate that once a Seller gets real on listing price, Buyers are not getting a significant price reduction beyond this point.  A perfect example is a listing at Schweitzer that started at $1 million a year ago (certainly an aggressive price point), then reduced to $899k, then $799k, and finally to $699k.  I learned of this final price drop the day before it hit the MLS, and my Buyer jumped on it and closed at $675k.  There were suddenly multiple showings over a few days, and the Seller did not have to reduce significantly beyond the final list price.  The message here for Buyers is to work with a good Agent to identify the true values in this market, and when the value is found for a place that fits your needs, be ready to move forward.  Don’t expect to necessarily negotiate yet another steep discount if the home is already priced below the market (although it doesn’t hurt to try if you aren’t set on buying that property).

If you find these stats interesting, please let me know.  I’d be interested in any insight that others might garner from these figures.

If you are a Seller looking for a real market analysis, I’m happy to provide the figures for you to make an informed decision.  If you are a Buyer looking for a ‘deal’, I’m happy to help you locate it.

Visit www.SandpointResortRealty.com/propertyfinder.html.

For other blog posts by Rick:  www.SandpointResortRealty.com/blog.html.

Or call 208-304-5665

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 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

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.

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

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

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 generally 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 colors.  Roofs may consist of cedar shakes or slate,  sometimes with copper accents.  Siding is frequently cedar (boards 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.  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, 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, 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 will host 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 or blog on 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.  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. If you are interested in having us design you a mountain home, or you have any other inquiries, please contact us.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects located in Sandpoint, Idaho.

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If you want more information on these contractors, or want to know who might be a good fit for your project, please feel free to contact me.  I am including their contact information and any websites if you would rather contact them directly.

Baker Construction (208) 263-9550

R.W. Bianco Construction (208) 263-5794

Dan Fogerty Custom Builder (208) 263-5546

Henry & Sons (208) 263-5778

Hope Builders (208) 264-5125

Legacy Construction (208) 266-1622

McMahon & Easterbrook (208) 264-6700

Mountain View Construction (208)263-1058

Pacific Construction Company (208) 264-5564

Pucci Construction (208) 263-7424

Sandpoint Builders (208) 263-7315

Frank Wakeley Construction (208) 263-0952

Western Luxury Homes (208) 290-3490

Brian Wood (208) 755-9677

Dvonne Yoder (208) 255-6696

There may be some diamonds in the rough who I’m not familiar with.  If there is a contractor out there who feels you should be included on this list, please let me know.  I would love to see projects you’ve completed and are currently working on.

John Hendricks, AIA, NCARB

Hendricks Architecture, Mountain Architects in Sandpoint, Idaho

I searched for Sandpoint on the internet and found Schweitzer Ski Resort.  I had heard of Schweitzer, but never realized it was in Sandpoint.  I requested some information, and Jennifer Fortune, a realtor at Evergreen Realty at the time, sent me several brochures.

Lake Pend Oreille from Schweitzer Mountain Resort

I was busy with several projects, and it went to the back of my mind. A year later, I noticed an advertisement for Dover Bay, a new community just west of Sandpoint. I called up the Owner, Ralph Sletager, who invited me to come out. I made the six hour drive from Seattle. My first impression of Sandpoint was the Long Bridge, a two mile bridge dividing Lake Pend Oreille from the Pend Oreille River, leading you into Sandpoint. It was late afternoon on a cold December day, and I must say I was quite impressed. Mountains stretched everywhere over huge expanses of water.

The next morning, I met with Ralph, and then Tom Mehler, a realtor at the time at Dover Bay Real Estate. Tom showed me around Dover Bay and gave me the whole run down on Sandpoint. That afternoon I met Jennifer at Schweitzer and had lunch at the Chimney Rock Grill. She then drove me all around the Schweitzer neighborhoods. It really is beautiful up there, especially the lots with views of the lake.

I was able to get a small project in the area, and came to Sandpoint a couple more times, the second time bringing the family. One morning on that trip I met with Dick Villelli, the owner of Hidden Lakes Golf Resort. He told me he was selling the property, and invited me and the family to meet the new owner that evening. We showed up and Dick was serving some great margaritas. He introduced me to Chuck Reeves and his family. Chuck was to be the new owner of what would soon be called The Idaho Club. Chuck was very excited about the new development and Dwight DeMay, the planner from Hart Howerton was there briefing me as well on the Jack Nicholas designed course and Hart Howerton designed community. Unfortunately, our youngest child was not a happy camper so we had to leave early.

Nevertheless, Annie was impressed with Sandpoint, so the next visit Luke Webster from Evergreen Realty showed us some properties (Jennifer was on vacation in Spain), and we moved out a few months later.

So far we’ve really enjoyed Sandpoint. Our two older children are enrolled in Sagle Elementary and are very happy there. They are also involved in soccer in a town that surprisingly is one of the most active soccer communities in the country. Annie is active as a PTA co-president, while I have been busy with work and various organizations. I’ve been asked to participate in various career fairs for students which is always fun (though nothing beats the time I was asked to show second graders how to draw Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles).

Sandpoint has just about every restaurant imaginable. The best meal I’ve ever had was the seasonal elk tenderloin, cooked rare/medium rare at The Sand Creek Grill. MickDuff’s is my favorite spot for lunch during March Madness.

There is one movie theater at the Bonner Mall, and there is also the beautiful Panida Theater. The Panida offers theater productions, movies, and music, along with various other events. The Panida has been around since 1927 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

My favorite event in the summer is The Festival at Sandpoint. This is a fun, casual two week event that holds evening outdoor concerts. You can bring in your own coolers and sit on the grass or on the stands.There is also plenty inside to eat and drink from various local establishments. The last two nights I was there I saw The Los Lonely Boys, along with 70′s night with The Marshall Tucker Band, Pure Prairie League, and The Richie Furay Band (formerly of Poco and Buffalo Springfield). Other recent artists have been Wynonna, The Bodeans, Ziggy Marley, David Gray and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.  This year’s lineup includes Blues Traveler, Boz Scaggs, Michelle Shocked and Clint Black.

The Festival at Sandpoint 2009

Sandpoint is located on Lake Pend Oreille, between the Selkirk Mountains and Cabinet Mountains, which are part of the Rocky Mountain Range (although in Canada the Selkirks are designated as part of the Columbia Mountain Range).  Lake Pend Oreille is the biggest lake in the Northwest, and the biggest in “lake country” consisting of other behemoths Lake Coeur d’Alene and Priest Lake. These lakes produce the biggest trout in the country, along with some big Kokanee. Several of my friends have made the trip up here and prefer the gamey shoreline fishing for bass, perch, pike and bluegill. There’s plenty of wildlife here as well. On my trail runs I’ve met up with several white tailed deer, elk, moose and black bears. There are some grizzly bears in the Cabinet Mountains to the northeast of the lake, but I’ve never seen one.

For other things to do in Sandpoint, here is a website with loads of Sandpoint activities.  Rick Evans, a Realtor in Sandpoint, has another blog with some great North Idaho information.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect, NCARB

Hendricks Architecture, Mountain Architects in Sandpoint, Idaho