Alder Creek

The site is a secondary river canyon off the main valley near Mackey Idaho. To the south, the orientation of the long porch are views across Alder Creek toward some foothills and a black mountain ridge beyond. Long views back to the east and framed by the mountain ridges reveal the main valley with distant grey mountains beyond. The eastern views are again framed by the mountain ridges but are uphill to distant ridges that reach more than 12,000 feet. To the north are sage covered mountains. The design of the house attempts to capture this extraordinary situation.

The small ranch house is a simple rectangle with a great room on the south wrapped by porches on three sides from which the views east, south and west are all seen. Two bedrooms, with views east and west, and the kitchen fill out the rectangle on the north. The major timbers for columns and beams and siding are recycled materials from the dismantled spud cellar and other barns. While it is occupied, some landscaping will be completed after the spring thaw.