Note: This post was a long time coming and seemed so overwhelming that I didn’t start it…until now. And for those of you who don’t already know our “story”, check it out! We moved from what we considered a busy life to deliberately slow things down near the mountains that we love. Although, when we began this project we had no idea that years later, we’d actually live, full-time, in this very home.    

The Exterior:

This time of year, seven years ago, we acquired our own piece of McCall with the purchase of the Hobin (Home + Cabin). At the time, we were working and living in Boise but spent much of our time, especially winters, in and around this area.

The house we ended up buying wasn’t at all the dream cabin we imagined. Our friend and realtor, Shelly DeMoss, showed us the listing multiple times before we actually looked inside. After remodeling our home in Boise, we definitely were not looking for another project. But finally we decided that the price, location, and size might be right for us. And once the process was complete…we were beyond excited to have our own place in McCall!

The place was ugly. There’s no other way to describe the worn out and faded siding and crumbling brick entry. But the inside was nice and totally livable, especially for a cabin. That winter we spent powder days at Brundage and evenings shoveling snow from the garage to the front door. It didn’t take long to realize this part of the house  needed help.

After an epic first winter, we tackled the exterior the following summer starting with the siding.

We put corrugated metal along the base of the house primarily for protection from snow but also because we liked the look. The wood siding along the top ended up being in decent shape so we reused as much of the original material as possible.

Before

After

Before

After

The summer of 2011 wound down and we got the news of our lives. We found out we  would welcome a baby in the spring! We already planned to remodel the roofline by adding gables and extending the roof between the entry and garage, so that phase began that fall.

Truss pass

Jared and Clint dig in

Stain game

A new roofline appears

I can almost see it now

We contracted our friend Clint (Capital Construction) to help with the project. He and his dog Max stayed with us some of the time during the project. It was a bit concerning, at least for me, when fall set in. Jeff and his crew from Owyhee Roofing, installed the roof in the cold and snow!

topping it off

brr!

a real porch!

cozied up with Max

bossing

red roof

Jared must have just gotten the bill in this shot

And so, by early November the bulk of the remodel was complete. Just a few finishing touches we happily put off until the following summer.

Jared and Clint also took down a lodgepole to make room between the front and side driveway.

this looks safe

whew

the concrete apron extending out was later removed

Fast forward a few months…and voila! A brand new daughter!

baby bump

baby burrito

snuggle baby

sweet and..

..smiley baby (most of the time)

Luckily, we spent most of that summer at the Hobin. So, we finished up the exterior and recruited friends to help plant trees and shrubs in the yard. I must say, it felt pretty good when a few McCall locals stopped to tell us how nice the place looked!

TA DAH!

Before

After (pre-planting)

And the Hobin as it looks now!

* stay tuned for Part 2: The Interior