McCall is a magical place. It hit us like a thunderbolt in 1994 when we first drove into town. Not that we had planned to buy a second home, it's just that we HAD to once we felt this place. Over 27 years later, it's still heaven to us. The lake, the trees, nature, and the locals - all enchanting. If we weren't such weather wimps, we'd probably live in McCall year-round, but Southern California and the ocean makes a great combination with magical McCall.
We found this house on a beautiful spot in Rio Vista overlooking the Payette River. The original house was built by Corey Engen, the Olympic downhill medalist who was part of the group that started Brundage Mountain Ski area. He also developed the Rio Vista neighborhood and kept this lot for himself. A bit dated when we bought it, we loved it regardless, and family vacations were blissful.
Until the great fire.
An electrical fire started when we weren't there. After the initial shock and tears, the loss turned out to be a blessing. We were able to completely rebuild, redesigning the floor plan and adding on a luxurious master suite. It's so much more beautiful now. The forest around it didn't burn - we were so lucky. We put in a circular driveway and lots of custom features. Valerie used bronze tile from our art tile line in her floor and wall designs. We love the Craftsman style, using fine touches like quarter-sawn oak cabinets, Arts and Crafts lighting, and warm wall colors. Big log homes have their charms, but this has a special quality to it that feels cozy, warm, refined, and peaceful to us.