1 - Our first fire - living in what we built

In our first year of living in our mountain home, we continued to work on the house (really, is a house ever DONE?). But there were also a lot of significant “firsts” as we slowly began focusing more on living than building.

We had chosen to design the home around using an efficient wood stove as our primary heat source. The wood stove truly became the heart of the home and was placed right in the very center of our life together. We had mini wall heaters throughout the house to satisfy building requirements, but our hope was to rely mostly on wood rather than electricity to warm our home.

Surrounded by 18 acres of forest, we had plenty of fallen and dead trees to manage as part of caring for the land. We have always loved the saying that wood heats you three times: with the gathering, the splitting, and finally the burning. We did a great deal of research and were thankfully able to purchase an excellent stove that burned hot and clean with very little smoke or emissions.

There is something special about heating with wood, even though it is certainly a lot of work. The warmth feels different, deeper, softer, and somehow more…warm. That stove has served us faithfully for years and years, sitting atop the hearth I made from stones taken from Mark’s family walkway. (Niklas is in his Peter Pan Halloween costume in this photo.)

Throughout the main living areas of the home, we chose Pergo flooring—or what is more commonly referred to today as laminate wood flooring. Installing it was primarily Mark’s job, and this was back when he was still a mere pup, so getting up and down off the floor was a little easier than it would be today, 30 years later!

This was also before laminate flooring was designed for DIY with a simple snap together. Back then, every piece had to be glued and clamped tightly so the seams would hold securely. It was slow, painstaking work that seemed to go on forever.

Laying the flooring was a huge job. Actually, so many of the steps in building the house were huge! Because of that, we tried hard to celebrate the victories as they came, even when each stage took far longer than we expected. Finishing even one room felt like a milestone.

As the house slowly came together, life began to take on a new rhythm. Niklas was in kindergarten by then, and Daniel was four years old and attending preschool. For the first time, we were not simply building rooms, we were truly living in them.

It was deeply satisfying to experience everyday life inside spaces I had once only imagined on paper. This kitchen peninsula had been part of my original vision for the house, and it soon became the setting for breakfasts before school, homework in the afternoons, and long family conversations at the end of the day.

Did living in the house match what you imagined while designing it?

Yes! I had the luxury of a year to imagine and design while we were living in Seattle, so the final home was more or less what I had envisioned. One change was the angle of the garage due to buried electrical cables, which made our entry hall longer than anticipated. But really, living in the home was more than I could have imagined as we watched the boys grow and flourish there.

What was it really like heating an entire mountain home with wood?

Heating with wood is a romantic and practical notion, but I am not going to lie, it is dirty, hard work. Mark did most of the harvesting and splitting, but keeping the fire stoked eventually became a family effort. I particularly remember cold winter nights when I would go downstairs in the wee hours to stoke the fire, knowing it would make a difference by morning. The sound of clanking metal pokers in the wood stove as someone else added wood is a happy memory.

How long did it take before the house truly felt finished or livable?

We were in the construction phase for about a year, from the fall foundation to moving in the following Thanksgiving. So, it felt livable as soon as we moved in, but honestly, Daniel never did get molding on one side of his bedroom door…even by the time he left for college!

Why was the kitchen peninsula so important in your original design?

Looking back, I remember being a short-order cook for the boys every morning as they got ready for school, chatting while I finished packing their lunches. It worked exactly as I had hoped. We also hosted many holidays with family in Chattaroy, and the peninsula became the buffet where everyone filled their plates. And as I imagine the Making Space Retreats, I know how wonderfully functional it is. That important design element will live on.