Living in the Most Unique Home in Corbett?

Retiring from her career as an occupational therapist at OHSU, Jean Motley and her husband Frank are completing their "unique" home. Married back in 1965, Jean and Frank purchased raw land in the Gorge. Living in Minnesota for four years, they then moved to Olympia, Wash. and began coming down on weekends to start the process of putting in septic, electricity and a road for their Corbett property. After two years in Olympia, they moved into Corbett, living with their future neighbors for 5 years! When the home was still not completed, they moved into Portland so that their only child could attend Wilson High School. A Quonset hut that was originally an oyster processing plant was put into the ground on a concrete pad. This is their underground shop, while their home is built on seven concrete piers, with columns of fir trees on top of the piers to create a foundation for the home. A spiral staircase in the home leads into a steel tunnel underground so that one can have access to the shop from the house! Many workers, mostly college students and senior folks in the Corbett area have worked on the home. Asked if Frank was an engineer or architect, the truth is, he was a librarian and a college professor before retiring! His genius mind created and designed the entire home while his hands built the entire home except for the finish work. There are 100 tons of steel in the home with not one piece of sheetrock! All finish work is hardwooods. Jean loves living in the unusual home with her dog nearby. She said all her chickens are now long gone. She volunteers up at the Grange on Mondays dish washing for the senior's lunch on Monday's. She says she has always been a country girl, growing up on wildlife refugees in the western U.S. with her family. She is a grandmother and also takes regular care of her dad- who is now 101 years old!