|
 |
$399,000 22.24 private acres on a salmon spawning year-round creek Wood house originally designed and built by Portland architect Will Martin who designed Pioneer Courthouse Square Low property taxes because the property is in conservation Water rights, state-of-the-art water system 12 miles from the beach; an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Portland Beautiful stone terrace overlooking Soapstone Creek |
Beautiful Property for Sale Unique house with 22.24 private wooded acres on Soapstone Creek, 12 miles from the beach (Nehalem and Manzanita are the closest), an hour and fifteen minutes from downtown Portland. It is inside the "sunbelt" so that in the summer when it's cold and foggy at the beach it's usually sunny and warm at "Soapstone." Soapstone Creek runs for close to half a mile through the property, year-round, a spawning creek for fall Chinook and coho and winter steelhead. Click here to download a printable PDF with photos and detailed information about the property.
Originally owned and built by Will Martin, a well-known Portland architect, and added to and adapted by Andrews Architects for use as a writer's retreat for two writers at a time, with some shared and some private space. It has the feel of a cabin—the floors, walls, ceilings, doors, and cabinetry are white pine. There are many windows that look out onto the creek, forest and sky. It has its own state-of-the-art water system, with water rights to Soapstone Creek, and its own septic system. Two trails follow the creek going north and south from the house. A native plant area around the house and along the edges of the meadow provides interesting textures year-round and flowers from early spring through late summer.
About the Land Soapstone's 22.4 acres stand near the confluence of two freshwater creeks fed by a spring-fed lake. The combined waters flow as Soapstone Creek for close to a half mile through the property, eventually emptying into the North Fork of the Nehalem River. The land is densely forested with cedar, Western hemlock, bigleaf maple, cascara, red alder, Sitka spruce and Douglas fir. In spring wildflowers carpet the forest; in summer red huckleberry and elderberry bushes flower and fruit; in fall the red and burnt umber of vine maple and Oregon grape stand out against the many rich greens of fern and moss. We have cut trails and a small meadow, but otherwise have left the property in its natural state. The stream is a spawning ground for annual runs of wild salmon. During the fall and early winter, you can see coho, chinook and steelhead as they swim up Soapstone Creek to lay their eggs. You can watch the females create a redd (nest) with much splashing of their tails, and see the males chase one another away. Just downstream from the cabin, Soapstone Creek widens to form a swimming hole. The water in Soapstone Creek is pure and clear except when a hard rain has stirred it up. There are no dwellings or other users upstream from us in the watershed.
It is not unusual to see deer, coyote or beaver tracks or to hear the coyotes at night. Occasionally river otters have been spotted playing in the creek. Other animals that visit the land but are not likely to be seen are elk, mink, black bears, nutria, voles, ground squirrels, beavers, moles, raccoons, muskrats, skunks, shrews and chipmunks. Many birds make their home here including kingfishers, woodpeckers, barred owls, and water ouzels; great blue herons, bald eagles and osprey are often seen. Although you cannot see any other building from Soapstone, you are not far from several neighbors. It feels isolated and wild, but is not wilderness. It would be more accurate to describe it as "rural." The land east of Soapstone Creek is zoned R-5 (residential, 5 acre minimum per house). The land west of the creek is zoned F-80 (forest uses only). For additional information about the land click here.
About the House On the ground floor of the main structure there is a cozy living room area, a kitchen and eating area, a hallway with bathroom, 4 closets and a washer & dryer. The kitchen has hand-built wood cabinets, a glass-top electric range with oven, refrigerator, small dishwasher, a table for 6, and an alcove with windows holding a hand-built captain's bed with drawers underneath. The bathroom has a shower, toilet, and sink with hand-built pine cabinet. Stairs lead to a sleeping loft and an outdoor deck with wrought iron railing that looks out over creek and meadow. The third level is reached by two short ladders and is a perfect cube with large round windows that face exactly north, south, east and west, two of which look out over the creek. There is a built-in desk and drafting table. 
A breezeway connects the main structure to a separate bedroom/studio with a twenty-foot vaulted ceiling, and two walls of windows looking out over Soapstone Creek and the forest. A skylight over the bed shows the moon and stars at night. There is a small loft accessed by a ladder. The breezeway has a built-in Jacuzzi tub spa with tile surround, a custom-made wrought iron gate at one end and a sliding "barn" door at the other end, so the breezeway can be either open or securely closed.
There are two out-buildings: a shed that houses the water system (wood construction, composition roof) and a good-sized woodshed (wood construction, open in front, mostly closed on 3 sides, same green metal roof as house; holds a year's worth of wood, 3.5 cords). For additional information about the house click here.
The main structure and the studio are 1714 sq. ft.
Outdoor living space
Out-buildings
State-of-the-art water system: Property has water rights from the State of Oregon for an amount sufficient for all water needs. Water collects in a "ranney well" by the creek (a 12 foot deep cistern made from concrete rings). A submersible pump pumps the water up to a 1500 gallon storage tank where it is purified with an Ozonator (ultra-violet light and ozone), then goes by gravity to a 50 gallon pressure tank and from there into the house. The water shed holds the pressure tank, the breaker box, a filter system and the Ozonator. Installed with permits 1998. Modern septic system installed with permits in 1998 with septic tank alarm for maintenance. Property tax information: Clatsop County; tax code: 1004; prop. class 641; account ID1786; map 409220000402; 2012 taxes: $1458.
|
home • the property • the writers • history • about us • contribute • blog • contact ©2013, Soapstone, Inc. all rights reserved :: retreats@soapstone.org |
