March 29, 2024

North Idaho home designed by DIY Network show ‘Blog Cabin’ hits the market for $4.5 million

Oct. 15—A Lake Coeur d’Alene waterfront home designed by DIY Network as part of its “Blog Cabin” home improvement series is up for sale.

The 4,200-square-foot luxury home and an adjacent 5-acre parcel at 26508 S. Highway 97 in Harrison, Idaho, hit the market at $4.5 million.

The home, described by DIY Network as a “modern-style mountain retreat,” features expansive windows with panoramic lake views, exposed laminate beams and wood-plank flooring, said Mark Hensley, broker with John L. Scott Real Estate and listing agent for the property.

“That’s what kind of makes it unique, and it seems to be catching on here,” Hensley said, referring to the property’s design.

The two-story, three-bedroom, three-bathroom property includes “smart home” controls, a gourmet kitchen with quartz counters, and a breakfast bar accented with an antique Hoosier cabinet, game room, library and a “Zen room” for yoga and meditation.

The primary bedroom suite features a private deck with lake views.

The property also has a heated, covered patio with an outdoor gas firepit and hot tub, in addition to a water feature on the ground level.

The home incorporates local elements into its design, including a pile of Idaho diamond stone used to build the outdoor patio and barstools made with trees salvaged from the property, Hensley said.

“Every part of this house has a story,” he said.

The adjacent 5-acre parcel of buildable land comes with community waterfront access and a boat slip, Hensley said.

“And it’s just minutes from Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club,” Hensley said. “This house definitely competes with the styles that are being built in Gozzer, but it’s millions of dollars cheaper and it’s more private.”

Hensley did not reveal the property owner’s identity, but stated they are choosing to sell because of a lifestyle change.

Kootenai County Assessor’s Office records show Scott D. Howarth and Gina Baffico own the property. The owners were not immediately available for comment.

The home was featured as DIY Network’s “Blog Cabin” reality show in 2015. Hensley helped DIY Network producers find waterfront land in North Idaho for the series.

A 1970s ranch-style home was torn down to its foundation and transformed into the luxury mountain retreat, which was built by Coeur d’Alene-based Edwards Smith Construction.

Viewers voted on design features for the home and the network gave it away in a sweepstakes that garnered more than 23 million entries.

Albert and Ellen Zaranka won the property, but chose to sell it because the couple had just moved to New York and timing wasn’t right, according to a Spokesman-Review article published in 2016.

Hensley told the newspaper then he planned to list the property for $895,000.

Hensley, who is the property’s listing agent for a second time, said he’s marketing it nationwide. There’s been interest from other brokers looking to see the home, but he hasn’t yet scheduled any showings, Hensley said.

“I don’t expect there to be 15 people waiting in line to purchase this house,” he said. “It’s a very special buyer that would be looking for this (home) in this price range.”

The Coeur d’Alene luxury housing market has changed since the Blog Cabin home was built in 2015, Hensley said.

In 2015, one home sold for more than $3.5 million in Coeur d’Alene. For comparison, 32 properties sold for more than $3.5 million through October of this year in Coeur d’Alene, Hensley said.

North Idaho waterfront home values have soared nearly 30% to 40% in the past six months and more than 70% in the past two years, said Bill Fanning, a Realtor with Century 21 Waterfront.

“It’s not just our area. Everything, everywhere is exploding,” Fanning said, referring to the real estate market. “I think people are continuing to focus on quality of life situations, and we are attractive to a lot of out-of-towners, for sure.”

Fanning said luxury home prices seem to be hitting a peak, possibly signaling a coming slowdown. However, buyers don’t necessarily have to spend millions to obtain a waterfront home. Price varies by location, Fanning added.

“It’s always true that everybody can own waterfront at any price point, but it just depends on where they want to go,” Fanning said. “We have 60 lakes in between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane. The biggest lakes don’t have to be the best lakes. Anyone can own waterfront if they really want to.”