Five Commonly Asked Questions When Embarking on a Custom Home Build in the Mountains

Embarking on the journey to build your mountain home is an exciting process of bringing your dreams to reality. As you navigate building a completely customized home, whether for the first time or not, you may ask yourself questions you want answers to before you start breaking ground. To start your journey, we have gathered the top five commonly asked questions during the early phase of the buy and build process.

With three development phases at Whitetail Club, you have many options for selecting the perfect homesite. Two key ways to help you narrow it down are selecting your view and doing a site analysis.

• Views: One pivotal factor in identifying the perfect homesite is the view. At Whitetail Club, our homesite views vary from showcasing our award-winning golf course, the glistening waters of Payette Lake, the expansive valley floor, sweeping meadows, and the rugged mountain peaks around McCall. Understanding your desired views for your mountain home will help you eliminate options and narrow down your search.
• Site Analysis: Before you close on a homesite, a walkthrough with your development team helps to provide you with a better understanding of the options and expectations for the site. They can perform a site analysis considering the necessary choices for building a home in McCall’s natural environment. Plus, their expertise can identify potential in a homesite that may not be immediately obvious and what may or may not be possible before you start building.

Truthfully, there’s no “right design” for a home. Right materials and proper foundation, yes. But when building the home of your dreams, there’s no universal blueprint for everyone. The answer depends on various factors, such as the insights from your site analysis, your personal aesthetic, and any amenities you want to include in your build.

If you’re looking for guidance on architectural styles suited for our mountainous setting, look no further than the Design Build Collection. The Design Build Collection at Whitetail Club offers an exclusive selection of seven modern mountain homes, ranging from 4,000 to over 6,000 square feet. Designed by accredited architects who understand the unique challenges of constructing in mountainous terrain, these homes come with modifiable blueprints and finishes that simplify the building process, eliminating guesswork and making it more streamlined.

When conceptualizing a 4,000-plus square foot home, you can dream big. Plus, McCall offers its residents a lifestyle filled with year-round outdoor adventures, allowing for unique opportunities to incorporate into your new home. From a true Idahoan perspective, here is a quick rundown of amenities we see in new builds, especially when purchasing a Legacy Ranch homesite.

Legacy Ranch at Whitetail Club is our third development phase within our private community. It features 36 homesites ranging from 5 to 21 acres on the edge of Idaho’s wilderness. A 21-acre homesite is where aspirations come to life. Aside from the traditional upgrades like a primary bedroom fireplace, spa-inspired wet room, immaculate wine cellar, and state-of-the-art at-home movie theater, don’t miss out on these other amenities you might not have considered.

Knowing you’re not constrained by space, you and your design team can challenge yourselves to explore the endless possibilities of building a home that serves your needs. Consider investing in a fully equipped secondary residence to comfortably host your out-of-town family and friends. This approach not only safeguards your personal space but also ensures that your guests have the privacy they need during their stay.

When living in McCall, adventure calls just outside your door. From Nordic skiing and mountain biking to ATVing or snowmobiling in McCall’s famed terrain, one can enjoy many outdoor activities year-round. So why not dedicate a space to store all your gear? According to Mansion Global, toy barns are the new amenity must-have. These spaces store your ATVs, Razors, snowmobiles, skis, mountain bikes, you name it.

Your toy barn can also be where you store your tennis or pickleball equipment. This way, you can conveniently grab your racquet or paddle and then stroll to your backyard tennis or pickleball court. Not huge on sports? Swap the court for a heated pool to cool you down in the summer and keep you warm in the winter. The possibilities are endless, and your imagination is the limit.

Integrating a home into its natural surroundings is a hallmark of exceptional mountain design. Two key elements contribute to this successful blend: 1) a collaborative team consisting of an interior designer, builder, and architect, and 2) the effective merging of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The best mountain homes are the ones that leverage the unique terrain, towering Ponderosa pines, and rugged landscape to their advantage to build something extraordinary. There’s a reason one of the tried-and-true trends of mountain homes is the incorporation of floor to ceiling windows wherever it makes sense to maximize natural lighting and showcase the stunning surroundings.

But that doesn’t eliminate the need of incorporating natural native materials from McCall or the Pacific Northwest into your build. Incorporating elements such as wood, granite, and stone not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also reinforces the connection between your home and its environment. Their details and unique textures elevate your space and make it feel like a seamless integration for the outdoors in. It’s this attention to detail that creates a mountain home that feels like a natural extension of its landscape.

Located in McCall, Idaho, Whitetail Club is an award-winning private club where luxury meets the wild and adventure is waiting at every corner. Just a two-hour drive North from Boise, Idaho, Whitetail Club serves as the perfect basecamp for a mountain-lake retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city or the ideal oasis to call home for year-round seasonal living.

Upscale amenities such as our 18-hole golf course, serene lakefront clubhouse, groomed Nordic Ski and 10-mile single track mountain bike trails, private marina, and more are available exclusively to our members and their guests. Meaning there’s lots of fun within our gates.

But life is more than expectational facilities and amenities at your ready. That’s why our annual calendar is packed with over 70-year-round events you can be a part of. From competitive golf tournaments, seasonal excursions, a roaring summer concert, exclusive culinary events, there are endless opportunities to create lasting memories and friendships to last a lifetime.

That’s what life is like at Whitetail Club. But it’s a lifestyle better experienced rather than told. Come experience why Whitetail Club is the place for you and your family to call home with a Discovery Tour. Contact our Real Estate team and come experience this life for yourself.