SundayNewspaper

At Home in theNorthwest 4 COVER STORY Think vacation homes are for other people? Here’s how to create your own dream getaway — without losing your mind or blowing your budget By Jeff Layton Special to NWhomes W hen city dwellers get fed up with the expense and congestion of urban life, they frequently entertain the same dream: pack it all in and move to the country. Maybe you’ve been think- ing about building a small vacation house (or a forever home) on a quiet piece of land, but don’t know where to start. It’s understand- able. For those considering constructing a country escape, there’s a steep learn- ing curve. Here are some of the major factors to consider before taking the plunge, as well as insights I gained frommy own experience building a home outside of Leavenworth. Pick the right site and right people Finding a buildable property: Locating the right property is one of the big- gest challenges of building in a rural area. Not every lot is suitable, or the costs to develop the lot may break your budget. If you’re too far off the beaten path, a huge portion of your budget will go to- ward expensive infrastruc- ture such as road building and utilities. Rural properties must also meet environmental criteria. You’ll probably have Above: The author fused an architectur- al plan with a photo of his property to visualize how his house would look nestled into the trees on the heavily wooded lot near Leavenworth. Left: The author included two spaces in his design that can serve as rental units, including this apartment over a garage. to drill a well. The lot must be large enough to place a septic field and the soil must percolate. Steep slopes, shorelines and wetlands may dictate where you can build, or whether you can bring in certain construction equip- ment. The easiest solution is to build in a housing develop- ment, but close neighbors may defeat the purpose of building in the country. Building for the sur- roundings: While it may be tempting to choose a design from a catalog, in truth, it’s the site that chooses the house. The Northwest has some wildly different climates, and your house should be able to handle the local conditions. In the Cascades, houses that handle the snow poorly are nicknamed “westside homes” because snow avalanches over en- trances or piles up in huge Continued on next page PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEFF LAYTON