Escape Home
On the shoreline of Priest Lake lies a cedar-shingle retreat. It’s a cozy cabin, just as a cabin should be. But it’s not tiny by any means. At 2,800-square-feet, this rustic getaway is spacious. Yet, it is so smartly designed that it retains the intimacy and charm you would expect in a quintessential cabin. Many more like it are found along shorelines and nestled in the mountains of North Idaho. These vacation getaways take a modern spin on the age-old wilderness retreat. Think granddad’s cabin only rebuilt, remodeled and re-imagined.
All in the family
Byron and Susan Henry call North Idaho their home away from home.
Since 1985, the Vancouver, Wash. couple has retreated to their cabin on Hayden Lake. They spend three months of the year there, plus holidays.
It’s the cabin of their dreams, at least since the major remodel. Five years ago they gutted their 1,250-square-foot lake house and completely remodeled and expanded it. It’s now double the size and exactly what they wanted in a North Idaho retreat.
“It was great space,” Byron says of the original two-bedroom home. “But as a family, it wasn’t adequate.”
The couple added two bedrooms, one bathroom and a large living space with a glass wall that slides open to the deck. The cabin’s exterior style is rustic. But the inside design is minimalist and incorporates natural materials, all of which Byron and Susan chose.
Grade A plywoodand 115-year-old fir from a grain elevator in Ritzville reflect the old and new that is the cabin. The plywood, used in some of the cabinetry and ceilings, was left natural and reflects a modern look.The reclaimed vertical grain fir used inside and out, gives the cabin a rustic feel.
“When we built, we built with quality in mind,” Byron says. “This will belong to our kids and we want it to last.”
The project was a major undertaking but worth it to the Henrys. The extra room means their two sons and their families can stay comfortably in the cabin. And it’s all about family for the Henrys.
Their cabin is one of 17 on a large piece of family property that Byron’s dad and his brothers bought in 1946. Every year since, the family has come to the Hayden Lake peninsula. Today, five generations of Henrys make the pilgrimage each summer. “This really is a magical place,” Byron says.
Builder: Doric Inc.
Architect: Michael Flowers Architect
Log cabin living
Inside the Dillon’s log cabin sits the best little après ski spot on Schweitzer Mountain. It’s a cozy pub in the entryway of the couple’s new ski retreat. Comfy chairs, a wood- burning fireplace and a bar with two taps greet you at the front door.
Robyn and Rick designed the spot as a place to warm up and hang out separate from the main living space. So when you enter the home, you can leave your gear on and sidle up to the walnut bar, never having to walk through the house. A staircase leads to the main level and a killer view.
The Vancouver, Wash. couple bought the cabin in 2013. Robyn had her eye on it since she and Rick started skiing on the mountain 15 years ago.
“I told our Realtor that if it ever comes available to let me know,” Robyn says. It was on the market one day before the Dillons bought it.
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Log cabins invoke strength, simplicity and warmth, things Robyn wanted in her mountain retreat. She wasn’t going to let an opportunity pass, even if it meant taking on a huge renovation project. A big winter storm in 1996 dropped 7 feet of snow on the roof. That and years of neglect caused structural, electrical and water damage.
“The house had quite a few problems,” said architect Tim Boden. Tim, contractor Spud Stockdale and DGT Engineering had their work cut out. New support logs that perfectly match the old ones were added, the size was expanded and the old four-bedroom log cabin was transformed into six with en suites.
“We left the shell but pretty much redid everything,” Tim says.
The cabin was largely completed last ski season. But most of the finishing touches were added over the past summer, including the pub, which the Dillons can’t wait to inaugurate this season.
“It’s a great spot to hang out,” Robyn says.“We just hope there will be snow this year.”
Builder: Stockdale Construction
Architect: Boden Mountain Architecture
Best seat in the house
Most weekends, Michael Altringer loads up his dogs, Leah and Chuck, and heads two hours northeast to his cabin on Priest Lake. The stress of his high-pressure job in the investment business fades as he turns onto Highway 57. At that point, he can hear the call of his barcalounger and the stunning lake view it faces.
Michael has been coming to this spot for 27 years. It’s his getaway; the perfect place to hike, bike and ski but also to relax and recharge before returning to his busy life in Spokane.
“I always knew that if I ever had a cabin it would be here,” he says. “Schweitzer Mountain, along with Priest Lake, are my two favorite places in the world.”
When he acquired the property, it came with an 800-square-foot cabin built sometime in the 50s. It had loads of charm, even as it slowly began to fall apart.
So when Michael rebuilt three years ago, he was determined to keep it cozy. The new place is 2,000 square feet larger, but you wouldn’t know it by the way it’s laid out. He was careful not to overbuild. He wanted the warmth of a cabin but the space for his immediate and extended family to gather.
“I wanted a cabin,” he says. “I didn’t want a castle.”
The cabin is traditional mountain architecture, rustic inside and out. Michael incorporated a mix of woods and worn metal from old barns he bought in Harrison. He used the wood for flooring and trim and the metal as accent wall covering.
Michael took over the interior design. But he had help from his daughters, Nicolle and Courtney.
After all, “one day, it will be theirs,” he says.
It’s a comfortable cabin, a place where you leave your shoes on when you walk through the door and where scattered dog hair isn’t a mess; it’s part of the décor.
Michael wouldn’t have it any other way. Neither would Leah and Chuck, who find comfortable spots in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and right next to Michael’s recliner, which is, by the way, the best seat in the house.
Builder: North Idaho Builders
Architect: Boden Mountain Architecture
By Kristina Lyman
As Featured In: Winter/Spring 2016