This Martis Camp home has space for everyone.

Walk through the front door of this Martis Camp home and “Hirshy” will catch your eye.  With tongue-in-cheek mountain humor, Doug and Chona Hirsch – whose last name means “stag” – mounted this acrylic deer head on the fireplace at their great room’s far end.  There the deer sits in the light from a wall of south-facing windows and epitomizes what this Tahoe home is all about: a light-hearted, family-friendly environment showcasing a contemporary mountain style.

“We really wanted something both rustic and modern.  We’ve rented a lot of places in Tahoe over the years, and I felt like I had stockpiled all these ideas for when we were ultimately able to fulfill our dreams,” Chona says.

The Los Angeles-based family’s home was completed in 2010 after a fun collaboration between the Hirsches, Truckee architect Jason Wooley and Truckee builder Mark Tanner.  While the goal was to blend a family-friendly home with one ideal for entertaining, equally important to the team was to create exciting blends of styles and materials.

“This whole project inside and out is about blending a contemporary architectural aesthetic with a more mountain architectural aesthetic,” Wooley says.

The home often contrasts rustic reclaimed wood with contemporary elements such as steel detailing.  Heavy granite, indigenous to Sierraville, surrounds the black metal garage doors.  Mountain materials such as reclaimed picklewood, barnwood and ghostwood from a Montana reservation are mixed with pre-rusted corrugated corrugated Corten outside and exposed steel beams inside.  A tin corrugated ceiling in the kitchen contrasts with modern stainless steel appliances.

“They really like a contemporary look, but they felt it wasn’t entirely appropriate for this environment,” Wooley explains.   Traditional gables face the street, but in back, a modern roof covers the large great room to open up the scenic view.

The project began with Wooley suggesting Martis Camp, the 2,177-acre private community in Martis Valley, as a site for the Hirsches’ vacation home.  Their kids, Kaya, 9, and Zade, 7, can hop on their bikes and ride around the fishing pond, go to the Family Barn for bowling or walk to the sports pavilion, Chona says.  “It’s a great place to try out their independence mode.  Having young kids and living in LA, we are not in a place where they can go down the street and get an ice cream.”

The Hirsches chose a long, skinny “challenge” lot, but it had expansive views and was south facing, Wooley adds.

Taking advantage of this exposure, the home was outfitted with Sierra Pacific Windows’ new bi-fold system that allows a wall of glass doors to completely open to the outside.  In the Hirsch home, this connects the indoors with an outdoor fire pit and a heated dining area.  They’ve sat by the fire pit and watched two bald eagles swoop into the pond, Chona says.

Within the great room is a variety of entertainment areas: a TV space, a game nook, a conversation pit by the fireplace, a large kitchen, an area with a 12-person expandable dining table and an office with panels that open to the great room.  There’s a pantry off the kitchen as well as a covered barbecue area.

“The great room needed to be great,” Chona says.  “For my husband’s 40^th, we had 30 friends and it feels a lot more spacious than it is.”

A transitional space connects the great room to the entry and garage and includes a laundry room with a row of individual lockers for each family member’s sports gear.  There are high ceilings throughout the home with radiant heated floors to keep it cozy and warm.

The home fits 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths into 3,192 square feet, plus a two-car garage.  The upstairs interiors are hardy and durable, with barnwood and contemporary furniture.  Small bedrooms were intentional, Chona adds, to draw family and guests out of their rooms and downstairs.  Each room has its own bath, however.  The children’s room sleeps seven with a wall of bunk beds, including one cubby bunk reached by a rope ladder, a response to the Hirsches’ request to be able to accommodate three families at once.

“There’s not a lot of sleeping that goes on there,” Chona jokes.  In the center of the bedrooms is a kids’ TV area.  Throughout the upstairs, there’s a delightful array of nooks and crannies, steps to guest rooms, popped-out window seats and built-in, custom furniture and cabinetry milled or welded in Mark Tanner Construction’s in-house design shop.

“It was all done with a budget in mind, as well as a desire for easy upkeep,” Tanner says, “but the Hirsches allowed us to come across with different ideas and push the creativity.”

Chona says the home was built for less than $400 a square foot because Tanner’s firm was able to create elements such as a stainless steel sink and reclaimed wood doors.  The economy also lowered the cost of building, and Tanner had a knack for the serendipitous discovery of low cost, quality materials.

“So far, it has completely lived up to all the expectations,” says Chona.  “There’s nothing we would change.”

History of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church The first Mass of the Assumption Parish offered in the newly constructed church building was on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1869. It was a mere 3 months after the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. The first pastor was Fr. John M. Mevel, a Frenchman. At the time Truckee was included in the Catholic Diocese of Grass Valley. The church was located on railroad land next to the Central Pacific locomotive roundhouse. The church burned down in 1890 and was immediately rebuilt in the same location. In 1907 the church building was moved to Church St., just east of the large rocks that are in back of the Methodist Church. (Church St. was so named for an extremely skilled teamster of the 1800s named Eli Church, not for the religious establishments on the road.) The church building was moved again in 1949 when State Highway 267 was constructed, co-existent with Donner Pass Road. Its location on E Street south of Trout Creek is where it remains today. No written records exist to establish when exactly or by whom the bell in the tower was purchased and installed, but photographs held by Truckee Donner Historical Society show the tower being constructed in 1883. The bell apparently survived the fire of 1890 and was re-hung when the church was rebuilt.

The bell is the oldest in Truckee. The yoke was made in 1873 and the bell was cast in 1878 by W.T. Garratt foundry in San Francisco. The early years of the Assumption Parish saw many changes. In 1885 Bishop Monogue of the newly formed Diocese of Sacramento established parish boundaries that included Truckee, Verdi, and the Sierra Valley. The new pastor was Father Michael Walsh. He served until 1889. In those early days all of the priests assigned to Assumption Church found their duty to be extremely taxing. Until 1912, the parish of Truckee embraced the entire territory lying east of the Sierra and north of the Southern Pacific Railroad, including the counties of Modoc, Lassen and Plumas. To offer Mass in all areas of the territory the priest might traverse a distance of 600 miles via stage line, railroad, or horse-drawn buggy. The mission church of Our Lady of the Lake was established in 1947. An addition to the building was needed within just a few years. A significant addition was made to the Assumption Church building in 1954, but the tiny church was often full to bursting on holidays or on any Sunday when lots of travelers were in the area. The new church on Alder Drive is more spacious and energy efficient, and holds many of the sacred items that had been in the old church: the tabernacle; the crucifix; the Stations of the Cross; statues of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, St. Jude; and the stained glass windows. The bell is in safekeeping until a suitable location for it can be established. Even without the sounding of the bell, the Catholic faithful of the Truckee area still are answering the call to come to worship their Lord.

These are my recommendations for the Tahoe and Truckee areas only, including Martis Camp. Lower elevation cities (Roseville, Cisco Grove, Reno, and Carson City) should be watering once or twice a month until there is regular precipitation.

Let’s look at the facts; all plants go dormant in the fall based on fewer sunlight hours and temperatures. So far fall and winter have been normal considering these factors.

It’s cold at night (at or below 25) and not much warmer during the day (30-40 degrees). And the amount of daylight hours are few as is normal at this time of year.

And the ground is frozen. Try sticking a shovel into the soil around your house. Hard! Any water applied will not penetrate the soil easily and could add a lot of time to the project. You would have to apply the water slow enough so it seeps into the ground.

A report from the Colorado State University states that if air and ground temperatures remain above 40 degrees, with no snow pack, then watering is advised. Once or twice a month. Depending on the plant type (how deep are their roots), applying 5 to 15 minutes of water is recommended.

“If conditions are this way how do I water?” you ask. If you have a sprinkler system you can use that.

But what if it has been winterized already? The only alternative is to hand water your lawn and/or gardens. This could be a big undertaking if you have a substantial landscape.

If you DO decide to hand water, don’t forget to remove the hose from the hose bib when you are done. You wouldn’t want any freeze damage done to the hose bib, and house, afterwards.

If the lack of snow persists, watering earlier in the Spring may be necessary. Let’s see what Mother Nature has in store for us, and then decide.

Here at Estate Landscape I am monitoring the weather conditions as closely in the Spring as I do in the Fall.

For those of you that are clients, rest assured I will be activating your systems for the best health of your landscape when it is time. Pray for snow!

Submitted By Mark Osberg, President of Estate Landscape.

estatelandscape.com

Mark Tanner Construction, Inc. builds new, custom homes and remodels throughout theTruckeeand Tahoe area.  The 14 year old company is well-known for its exceptional custom, in-house cabinetry and millwork.

Owner, Mark Tanner, commented, “I think of my company as a family. We try to make decisions as a team that will be positive and ensure success for all. Overall, our goal is to achieve unique, custom homes that our clients love and enjoy. We believe that ‘We are Building Relationships, Not Just Your Home.’”

Mark added, “Plumas Bank is also an important part of our ‘family’. Shelly Wright and her team work hard to help make our growing business even more successful. In fact, Plumas Bank is helping us acquire new office space on East River Street.” He concluded, “It’s important for us to work with a Bank that understands the value of building relationships!”

To find out how Plumas Bank’s personal approach to business banking can help your business, call us at 1.888.3PLUMAS (375.8627), or ask Mark Tanner and team.

Upon looking at the article Mark was pleasantly surprised that the home Scott was writing about is a cottage we recently finished in Martis Camp.  An even bigger surprise, when we looked at the front cover, the same home was on the front!

Clean up of the grand old structure was performed by Mark Tanner Construction out of  Truckee during the weekend of July 16-17.

The barn was featured in Sierra County Historical Society’s Barns of Sierra County in Sierra Valleyand states, “was built in 1909 on a cedar block foundation. It has milled timber with some mortise and tenon joints with wooden pegs. The stanchions have been removed and the barn is now being used for storing hay.”

-photos courtesy of Jim Smith, Mark Tanner Construction, Inc.

Mark Tanner Construction is pleased to be a premier builder in Martis Camp. The home on Kaweah Circle  was featured in the brochure on page two on the left hand side.   More photos of the home can be viewed in our Portfolio. http://marktannerconstruction.com/portfolio/projects/kaweah-circle/ 

Martis Camp is a 2,177-acre private, luxury community located in the historic Martis Valley. More than a mile above sea level, this pristine community blends seamlessly into the High Sierra landscape, providing the perfect balance of respite and recreation.

Intricate architecture and roof designs like those found in Martis Camp and many Truckee homes can create areas where roof slopes converge and tend to slough off snow in large amounts.  This can create life threatening situations and extensive damage to personal property. Don’t worry, this can be prevented!

With the use of properly engineered snow retention systems the achievement of smaller and controlled releasing of snow can help alleviate these types of problems.  Eckard Roofing, Inc. www.eckardroofing.com suggests the TRA-MAGE   snow retention systems. http://tra-mage.com They adhere to strict design and engineering guidelines,  ensuring a successful installation and  properly functioning snow retention system.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that snow retention systems are as simple as a just fastening something on your roof. Snow load calculations, roof pitches, and roofing materials are just among a few things that are needed to design a snow retention system.

The TRA- Mage snow retention system was installed on this home in Tahoe Donner.  You will see that they were installed on just one side to protect the homeowner while walking from the house to the detached garage.

Blog submitted by Scott Eckard Eckard Roofing, Inc.

Mark wanted all of our clients to be aware of potential ice dam issues caused by the weather.  When the house gets nice and warm the  warm ceilings gradually become a little warm from the outside too. But the  snow and ice on the outside leads to a  layer of ice in direct contact with the warm ceiling which melts and turns into water. This water then flows towards the slope so that it is drained off. When this flowing water reaches the edge of the slope it again encounters freezing temperature and freezes. This in turn entraps the rest of the water underneath the sheet of snow.  You end up with   a dam of water and ice under the snow. Gradually, since this water has no outlet, it seeps into the house and can damage the ceiling, walls, gutter and the attic etc.

As much as we would like, we can’t make it by everyone’s house to check and see if you have any potential ice dam issues.  Given the potential freeze-thaw issues, we would like to remind you to make sure your Bylin or heat tape system is turned on.  If you are up in the area, take a quick look around for any large ice formations coming off the roof.  If you notice something that isn’t quite right, give our office a call an we will make arrangements for one of our guys to check in  or put you in touch with our roofing contractor, Eckard Roofing.