Change Of Space Habitat For Humanity Inspires Professor To Build New Career
Bob Riggleman believes good residential design requires a balance between technical knowledge and aesthetic judgment.
That’s why the Washington State University assistant professor says his doctorate in molecular biology, coupled with a strong interest in Asian art, gives him a good foundation for his new career as a general contractor.
Riggleman’s just-completed five-bedroom home overlooking Lawson Gardens is one of six stops on Saturday’s Palouse Habitat for Humanity Springtime Home Tour. Others range from an 1889 Victorian furnished with family heirlooms to a 1952 rancher remodeled around an elaborate Japanese garden. Also featured is the second local home built by Habitat volunteers.
It was Riggleman’s volunteer work for Habitat that inspired his shift from scientist to contractor.
“I was doing fund-raising for Habitat when someone invited me to help with construction on Saturdays,” recalls Riggleman, 36. “The more I built, the more I realized I’d rather be working outside in the rain than sitting at a desk filling out forms.
“Professors spend 90 percent of their time writing grants and research papers, responding to memos and completing radiation safety forms.
“What I really like about building,” says Riggleman, “is that every day there’s a new challenge, new problems to solve. That’s what I liked about lab work, too, but now I get to do it without working in a biohazardous room that always smells like phenol and chloroform. Building seems like a lot more wholesome thing to do.”
The only project he’s designed and built so far is his own house at SE 780 Glenwood Court, a sort of Arts and Crafts Revival with a few features Riggleman refers to as Northwest contemporary.
The first element visitors notice is an unconventional 10-inch-wide band of copper outlining the roof. Riggleman says he chose to clad the fascia board in hand-bent, chemically stained copper to add color and texture to the facade.
Another distinguishing characteristic is the 900-square-foot wrap-around cedar porch that creates outdoor living space while disguising the home’s basic rectangular shape.
Inside, the home has a turn-of-the-century country estate ambiance. Oak floors and 10-foot ceilings, French doors and handsome millwork help make the most of a relatively simple, compartmentalized floor plan.
“I was trying to get the feeling of an old house,” he explains, “of quality, warmth and something slightly funky. Narrow passages lead to separate rooms, each with their own function.”
In these days of eco-homes built of recycled products, Riggleman has no reservations about using the best natural materials available.
“The house that’s going to last the longest is the one people care the most about,” he predicts. “And the overwhelming factor that determines whether people fall in love with a house is its beauty.
“Beautiful homes are the ones, years from now, that people will meticulously revive rather than tear down and start over.”
He may be right. But in neighboring Moscow, Idaho, Tim and Romana Hillebrand saw potential in a lowly 1950s rancher - a style of architecture Tim describes as among his least favorite.
“The house was pretty much trashed when we bought it,” says Hillebrand, “but it sat on more than an acre, and it was cheap. It looked like a good investment.”
So far, the couple have gutted the structure at 857 Orchard Ave., remodeling a bathroom and adding bay windows upstairs, and attaching an office to the daylight basement below.
Out back, though, is where they’ve given their ambitions free rein. That’s where you’ll find a Japanese garden, complete with two large ponds - one for koi, the other for domestic goldfish - a waterfall, stream, bridge, weeping cherry and ornamental herons.
Hillebrand prefers Japanese-style gardening because “it’s an elegant imitation of nature. It doesn’t try to control it, like a Victorian garden or formal landscaping normally does.”
During the past two years, Hillebrand has brought in 300 tons of rock to achieve that natural look, but acknowledges he’ll probably never be done. “It keeps me out of trouble,” he jokes.
Other stops on Saturday’s tour include:
Staley Museum, located two miles south of Pullman off Highway 195, was originally the home of pioneers Daniel and Catherine Staley. Great-granddaughter Molly Staley Benscoter and her husband, Jack, moved the home to its present site in 1993, and spent the next two years restoring the interior and exterior.
Today the home serves as a time capsule for Staley and Benscoter family mementos, from a great-uncle’s journal and a grandmother’s needlepoint seat cushions to French china and antique farm tools.
The future home of Dan and Georgeana Knight, 423 Henry, is the second project undertaken by Palouse Habitat for Humanity.
Construction of the simple, four-bedroom house began last June, teaming the Knights with dozens of local volunteers, including WSU and University of Idaho students.
When completed, the home will be among the more than 30,000 built by Habitat for Humanity worldwide.
Bill and Joan Webb created the home of their dreams at 2190 Moser in Moscow, with the help of builder Jim Jacksha and local artisans.
The home combines stained-glass windows, custom furniture, exotic lighting and a view of Moscow Mountain.
When you’re ready for refreshments, stop by the architect-designed home of Habitat board member Bob Wilson and his wife, Diane, at SE 505 Crestview in Pullman.
Saturday’s self-guided tour is from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, $25 per family, and are available at any of the six homes. For more information, call Palouse Habitat for Humanity at (208) 883-8502 or 882-1349.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo; Graphic: Springtime Home Tour