Boise natives say 12,000-square-foot home will be a haven for family
As a child, Darren Blaser rode four-wheelers, motorcycles and bicycles on the Foothills now covered by Quail Ridge subdivision.Kim Blaser, his wife, grew up in the Collister area below.
In four months, the couple will move to the Foothills that loomed over their childhood in what will be one of the largest houses in the Treasure Valley — a sprawling estate perched on the ridge above Hill Road.
The Blasers are now in their late 30s, and both have found success with local businesses and investments. They created and grew Jamaca Me Tan salons in Idaho and Arizona and now run a commercial real estate construction business called Kimberlund Homes.
And the home they’re moving into — with their five children aged 2 months to 16 years — will be a whopping 12,000 square feet and will cost an estimated $906,000 to build. When it’s finished, the home’s assessed value could be far more.
The stunning Mediterranean home with grand arches and lots of large windows will join just 16 other houses of more than 10,000 square feet in Ada County. Only one of that size exists in Canyon County.
The Blasers are humbled by their good fortune and try to give back — they support food banks, homeless shelters and children in need.
They’re slightly embarrassed about the size of their new home, but this is the very ridge where Darren Blaser’s father once vowed to build a family home, and the palatial house will be a safe haven for their family.
“It’s all about family,” said Darren Blaser, a self-described workaholic who says he never misses his children’s sports practices and games. “We do everything with our family.”
The construction on the prominent northwest Boise ridge has spurred speculation. It was even a hot topic on a local radio talk show one day, and some people have referred to it as a hotel, Kim Blaser said.
Neighbors said the design and dimensions don’t match nearby homes — it’s larger than any home up there — but the house will benefit the subdivision by raising property values.
“If it were tucked into the development, it wouldn’t be as noticeable,” said Sharon Clawson, president of the Quail Ridge Homeowners Association. Still, Clawson said she hasn’t received many comments about the Blaser house from nearby residents.
Darren Blaser designed the home with large, open spaces, views from nearly every room, elegant inset ceilings, a movie theater and a suite of rooms for his mother.
“I just wanted big rooms,” he said. “If you have a dream, why hold back? Go for it.”
He said Quail Ridge is special to him because his father, Albert Blaser, used to walk up to it every day when he was alive.
“He’d say, ‘Someday we’re going to build the family home up there,'” Darren Blaser said. “It’s quiet. It’s a good community.”
Kim Blaser said her husband promised when they were married 12 years ago that they’d have a home there one day. Though it seemed way beyond their abilities and means, she credits his “no-failure attitude” with achieving the dream.
“He looks at challenges as a positive thing,” she said.
Both said they plan to live in the home for many years, even after the children grow up.
“It’ll be a place for them to return to,” Kim Blaser said.
“Family is worth more than anything,” Darren Blaser said.
By Sandra Forester, IdahoStatesman.com
