A Home that Captures the Heart

photos by Alan Bisson

For Bud and Judy, reverse snowbirds from Arizona, the southwest is their home. With houses in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, they were perfectly content to split their time between the two Southwest communities, assuming it was where they would spend the next several years.

Then in early 2005, Bud and Judy’s close friend and neighbor in Santa Fe, had a heart attack, something Bud had also experienced. Both men were looking for residences at a lower elevation than Santa Fe’s 7,000 feet, which can be difficult for anyone with heart conditions. Being in the same boat, they decided to tour some possible spots together. “We went looking on his plane,” says Bud. “Black Rock had been ranked the number one new private golf course development in the U.S. for 2003, so we knew we definitely wanted to see this.”

“We were totally surprised,” says Judy of their reaction on their first visit to Idaho.

“We came here last and it stood out in so many ways,” says Bud. “The clean air, the beautiful lake; Coeur d’Alene has big city amenities and Spokane is only 30 minutes away with great hospitals, an international airport…”

Finding this great community was the first step, but Bud and Judy needed to find someone to build their home. They were already working with an architect in Scottsdale, Terry Kilbane, who was helping them create the vision for their home. Now it was time to find someone who could make that vision a reality. That someone was Randy Campbell of Campbell and Campbell, L.L.C.

“We found Randy through an interview process,” says Judy. “The caliber of his homes was above and beyond. Randy’s work stood out like Cinderella at a ball. Our architect, Terry Kilbrane came up here and walked the lot. We talked with him about how we live in and use our home.”

“When we met Bud and Judy, we knew immediately this project was going to be a number 10,” says Campbell. “They chose one of the top architects in the country, Terry Kilbane, to design their home and picked one of the best lots in the development to build on. They asked us to come to New Mexico to visit their current home to see the architecture and learn how they use the home. This was extremely helpful as it gave us a perspective on what worked and what didn’t, the level of quality they expected and their taste in terms of finishes. As Kilbane developed the plans this background helped tremendously in forming the team we needed between us, the architect and client.”

“The process to build a home of this caliber is very exacting,” says Campbell. “Detail and design is what this house is all about. From the mechanical layout behind the sheetrock to the elegant wide planked hand scraped hickory floors. Everything was done with artistry.”

That artistry shows in every detail of the construction process. “The structure was actually excavated into the site so that it would blend into the sloping hillside resulting in an exterior architectural statement proportional to its surrounding and an exceedingly balanced design,” says Kilbane. “The interior has a smooth architectural flow and was designed in such a way that all spaces have one corner of glass that takes advantage of the two dominant views of the lake.”

As soon as construction began, workers dug into the ground and ran into solid rock, which wasn’t expected. In order to hold the earth back on the sloping driveway that curves down hill toward the property, they had to create a retaining wall that became nicknamed “the great wall of China.” Concrete footings run six feet down into the ground and are encased with the same stacked-stone used throughout the home. It is essentially an exterior wall of a house, built to withstand the weight of the sloping earth butting against it.
The wall also corrals the house into a bay of privacy. For those who walk down the driveway, a small gate stops you at the walkway off of the driveway. It is a simple latch on a low gate and doesn’t take much effort to open it, but once you pass through, it is as if the cares of the world have been left behind. A walkway curves the short distance to the front door, passing a stone water fountain and pristine landscaping that has become one of Black Rock’s signature features. Flat stacked stonework and flat stacked logs pair together to give the home its rustic style. Built in staggered sections, the home boasts sloping rooflines and stacked profile. The shakes on the roof were a unique find. They are hardwood from old growth trees in British Columbia and were infused with fire retardant.

The beauty of the home’s exterior is traded in for the beauty of the home’s interior when you walk through the door into the entryway. A 15-panel copper and grommet door encased in wood trim accents the hand carved beams of wood in the house greets visitors as they enter the house. “It looks and feels like fine furniture,” says Campbell, of the exquisite piece.

Entering the door you will be greeted by Molly and Scarlet, Bud and Judy’s two King Charles Spaniels with silky soft fur and warm loving personalities. That feeling of warmth is continued throughout the home.
Immediately inside the foyer is a tumble limestone floor, of which the elegantly rough texture matches the texture of the stacked stones used for large pillars throughout the house. The limestone foyer runs the length of the entryway, curving like a catwalk around the living room on one side and curving down the hallway to the master bedroom and office area to the left. Three rock pillars separate the hallway from the living room.

The living room ceiling climbs to 20 feet and is accessorized at the top by an impressive custom made two-tier metal chandelier and twelve surrounding wood beams. A massive bureau placed against the wall was purchased by Judy before the first walls were even up in the home. “That was just one of those things Bud took on faith that it would work,” says Judy of the furniture in the living room. With her eye for design, she knew it would work perfectly in the space.

Overstuffed chairs and a massive coffee table take up the center of the room, while a gas fireplace is tucked into an angled stone-stacked pillar in the corner. All of this is highlighted by the light that continuously pours in through the living room’s back wall of windows that open out onto the deck and provide gorgeous views of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

While the walkway surrounding the living room sports the tumbled limestone, the room itself has ten-inch-wide hand-scraped hickory planks. “The guys, plank by plank, made this,” says Judy of the wood floor. “We watched them do the stain, getting exactly the right color. We were very involved in the process.”
The walls of the living room are a beautiful combination of hand-hewn chinked siding created from 13 by three foot planks are hand-hewn and fastened to the wall with bolts, and dry stacked stones. Cleaned and coated with a sealant, the stones were not caulked together – henceforth, the dry stack name.

A dining room off of the living room is open on both sides. The kitchen, which is on the other side of the dining room, is set back slightly further. The end result is a staggered section with incredible views on three sides no matter which portion of the house you are in. “When you look out the windows and see the stacked stone, the lake the beautiful trees, it is just gorgeous,” says Judy of the view that is found from every room of the house.

The deck takes advantage of the staggered plan, by creating multiple seating areas as well as an outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill. “Because of the staggered seating, you have isolated areas that all serve a purpose,” says Bud.

“Otherwise it would have been a huge long bowling alley deck,” says Judy of the limestone covered deck. “We took the stone and made sure it was good outside, and put it on the deck,” says Judy of the limestone which runs throughout the house and out onto the deck, providing a unified look to the home and avoiding the chopped up feel created by numerous floor coverings.

One of the seating alcoves on the deck opens into the kitchen, which is an elegant combination of caramel, rich brown and elegant cream colors. “We looked everywhere for granite,” says Judy. They had looked in Texas and Arizona and finally found the granite at Gargoyle Granite in Coeur d’Alene. “We saw the slabs and were so happy. Basically, they drove the décor design for the rest of the house. The granite drove the design for everything. Normally you find one thing that makes everything else in the house go.” The same granite was used in the master bathroom as in the kitchen, but in the bathroom it was honed it, meaning the shine was taken away.

The kitchen’s granite-covered island sits under a sloping ceiling with five large beams and accents of stone. Across from the island, a double sink is positioned in front of a massive picture window, where doing dishes is a reward, not a chore.

The appliances in the kitchen will make any chef long to reach for the controls of the Dacor six-burner range, or the double Dacor convection oven and microwave with a flat screen television located above. The refrigerator and freezer are masked behind alder cabinets while four overstuffed bar chairs proving seating at the island.

The wall cabinets are heavily distressed alder with a light stain. The doors are solid one-inch thick Alder with mitered corners and solid raised panel distressed and glazed. Judy found a design she liked in a magazine, and she showed the picture to Paul Pidskalny of The Joinery who was able to create a custom style for her.

The cupboards weren’t the only idea Judy found in a magazine. “I saw the fabric print in a magazine,” she says of the print that covers the walls of the guest bath, as well as the pillows that pepper the living room couches with color. “I said to Sharon, (the interior designer) ‘I absolutely have to have this fabric and have walls upholstered in it.’” They ended up finding out the print was available in a wallpaper and used it in the guest bath. “That’s how it evolved. A house is never done, it is always evolving.”

Across from the guest bath is a beautiful office with rich dark walls, and beautiful views of the lake, beyond. “This is the room we are in the most,” says Judy of the office. “We work in here and have the views. Once you’ve lived in the west and with the sun, we know we like to have the deck facing east so you get the morning sun.” The office has built-in woodwork in the ceiling.

According to Paul Pidskalny of The Joinery, who also built the cupboards in the kitchen, “The owners wanted a dedicated room in the house to serve as their office, but with a rich library feel. They provided me with pictures they collected over the years of wood work that they liked for color and design.” With their concept in mind, Pidskalny designed the room with a wooden countertop on three of the walls that hold legal and standard file drawers, drawer banks and cabinet doors with storage behind them. The walls in the room are designed to have solid Alder raised panels that surround the upper bookcases; those bookcases are built with quarter columns, and a large cornice molding. The north wall of the office library has extensive cabinetry that holds their television audio video equipment and also serves as an upper bookcase with storage below.

The finishing touch to the room is the heavily beamed ceiling. Because of the height of the room, the ceiling beams needed to have a larger dimension so they wouldn’t get lost up so high. They were large and heavily molded with a finish to match the rich finish of the paneling and the cabinetry below.

Not far from the office is the master bedroom, which has a cocoon-like feeling with its high, sloped ceiling. A custom suede and nailhead accented headboard sits behind the bed, but in front of a hand-hewn log wall. The windows and French doors, which lead out onto the private deck, are tucked behind billowing silk plaid drapes.

“We kept it very simple,” says Judy of the master bathroom, which opens off of the bedroom and showcases the same granite from the kitchen, and the tumbled limestone that is found on the walkway through the home and out on the deck. Follow the limestone and one can navigate throughout the entire main level.

“The openness and the fact that our living area is all on one level was important to us,” says Bud. “In Santa Fe we had a casita, which is a guest house that is built separately. Basically, on this lot, what Terry Kilbane has done is design us a casita on the lower level.”
Guests feel right at home in the lower level, which has two guest suites and a kitchen, as well as two private decks and a separate entrance, allowing them to come and go as they please. A door at the base of the stairs locks, as do the doors at the top of the stairs, ensuring that there is privacy and a sense of ownership of the space for guests.

For guests who stay with Bud and Judy, the lower level “casita” is a great getaway in a home that no doubt captures their heart the minute they walk inside. While Coeur d’Alene, Black Rock and their lot in particular captured Bud and Judy’s hearts when they first visited, the beautiful home they have created with the help of friends like Terry Kilbane and Randy Campbell is what continues to capture their hearts each day.