 Home
|
"Best Mountain Home" in
Sisters
By Kim Bentley
Nancie Owens' Sisters home has won the "Best Mountain Home Award" from Mountain Home Magazine. The award was given for the best design for a mountain home of 3,000 sq. ft. or under. "I have always wanted to build a timber-frame home," said Owens, who is property manager for Ponderosa Properties. Being a property manager for 18 years gave her an opportunity to observe many designs and styles of homes. By the time her house was to be built, she knew just what she wanted. The project began to take shape three years ago when Owens found an ideal site. Her five-acre lot is on the west-facing side of a gentle hill off Indian Ford Road. It overlooks meadows and forests with an uninterrupted view of the mountains. Owens, who did the interior design of the house, wanted to capture a feeling of open space. The home's walls are filled with windows to frame the beauty of the blue sky and snow capped mountains. Construction began two years ago with the combined talents of designer Chad Phillips, Chris Calvin of Earthwood Homes and Glen Miller, general contractor. The material for the home was 100 year-old timbers from an old lumber mill in Springfield, Oregon. Owens wanted to use recycled timber because it was already shrunk and cured so the wood would not shift or change. Earthwood Homes worked the timbers based on the designs of Chad Phillips. The technique is an ancient one of mortise and tenon where the wood is fitted together without nails. Only pegs and the fit of the timbers holds it together. The house was first put together at the Earthwood Homes shop in the Sisters Industrial Park and then reconstructed on the home site. "It only took two days to reassemble the house," said Owens. "It was like a barn raising." All the wood on the inside of the house has been washed in a taupe tint to brighten the interior and create a sense of open space. The house is carpeted and furnished in shades of taupe. Mexican volcanic tile accents the entryway and fireplace. The effect is spacious and at the same time warm and comfortable. Owens said one of the advantages of the house is plenty of rooms for her grown children and new grandson to visit. |
