When Bobbi McElravey first saw Avery House — as 14290 Edgehill Lane was called by many locals — clinging to the hillside near the Bowman exit off Interstate 80, she rechristened it as Falling Waters West, paying homage to the most famous of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations in the hills of western Pennsylvania.
The hand of America’s most renowned architect is evident as inspiration for original designer Paul Avery’s masterpiece, a landmark home on the rim of the American River Canyon in Auburn.
Paul Avery, landscape architect, designer and builder, and one of the original owners of Squaw Valley ski resort, built the home for his family’s immersion in nature in 1972.
Avery’s stepson, Mike Avery, had dug the original foundation for Avery house and was intimately familiar with the structure from stem to stern.
Mike Avery had become an accomplished stone artist and general contractor, so McElravey hired him to remodel and update the home.
The carpeting in the entry foyer was ripped out, and Mike Avery installed quartzite slab flooring to accent the quarried granite stairway and Old Tahoe Tavern timbered walls that greet you at the front door.
The stone flooring spreads through the dining room and living room and glistens in the sunlight from floor to ceiling dual pane glass walls.
One of his most innovative creations is a live stream running through the entryway imbedded in the rock — a cool and inviting immersion in nature.
Just off the living room a spa bath became the Orchid room as orchids grew well there.
In keeping with the artistic infusion, McElravey commissioned local artist Darien Hamilton to paint murals on the walls and ceilings. He did not disappoint. The profusion of color is bright and colorful enough to light a small planet.
From the spacious living room, anchored by a massive granite fireplace, you step down to the pond and garden areas outside where Mike Avery crafted two hot tubs, a stone picnic table and seating area, a stream, two waterfalls and two stone bridges that traverse the Boardman canal meandering through the property.
A very old 8-foot natural pine bonsai tree retrieved from Lake Tahoe grows bravely out of a rock.
Just off the entryway to the left a stairway built of old railroad beams leads to the master bedroom where Mike Avery replaced a solid wall with floor to ceiling, energy efficient glass walls to usher in more light.
At the headboard of the bed is a Chinese wall divider that separates the bedroom from an elevated meditation and yoga room with a large round window oriented to the south. You wake up here in the treetops to a dramatic view of the Sierra Nevada.
Throughout the 4,000-plus square foot home that rests on two acres, absolute privacy pervades.
A strong Asian influence is evident in the feng shui elements Paul Avery incorporated in the original floor plan — north facing front door, unpretentious entry, amazing views from every room, serenity.
The huge granite fireplace in the living room is ingeniously visible from the dining room, kitchen and from the long hall to guest quarters on the opposite side of the house.
The trickling of the waterfalls and stream is calming. Timeless design and quality craftsmanship. Balance. Nature is respected and honored. Chi is achieved.
