Jake's Bed and Breakfast

Sometimes when a person builds a house, they scrimp and cut corners on certain amenities to save a few dollars. Mark Fobaire is not one of those people. If anything, Fobaire's home, a sprawling three-story house that doubles as a bed and breakfast, is a study in excess. From floor to ceiling, inside and out, the home is a state-of-the-art building with top-of-the-line gadgetry and bells and whistles at every turn.

"Everything is overkill in this home," Fobaire said with a laugh. What makes the home even more impressive is that Fobaire constructed virtually the entire home. Aside from the ceiling, rock work and deck, the home was built by Fobaire. A project that took him five years to complete.

Initially, Fobaire planned on building a "$30,000 shack" but quickly abandoned that plan. "I, liked the shopping part of it too much." He said. That is evident through out the home - from the large high definition flat screen TVs in the guest rooms, to the specially ordered furniture, to the top-of-the-line bedding. Everything in the home is first class.

Fobaire's family used to own land around where the home sits and the family operated Fobaire Ranch nightly rental cabins for years. He built the home/bed and breakfast (named Jake's Bed and Breakfast after his cat) to give people who used to stay in the ranch cabins a place to stay when they came to Custer.

The home is located on a unique lot at the top of a hill just northwest of town. For years, the lot was for sale for $5,000. It never got a sniff from a buyer. "Nobody wanted the lot. They said you couldn't build on it." Fobaire said. "I finally, said OK, I will build something on it. It's such a pretty site."

Fobaire did build something on it, starting with a large shop/two car garage that he moved into as he built the rest of the home. Today the shop serves as a place for him to work on his stained glass art and store his own custom wrapped foods for the bed and breakfast. The bed and breakfast has guests year around from all over the globe. "It gets many compliments," he said. "People like it here. They never want to leave."

The walls in the home are insulated inside and out, with concrete in between. Each floor has 20 inches separating it from the next. It also has a built in sound system that is piped throughout the house. Most of the rooms have an individual volume control that allows guests to either crank the music up or turn it completely off - whatever is their pleasure.

Each floor in the home is heated with hot water. Fobaire did all the wiring and plumbing in the house, and each room has its own thermostat. Guests can have their bedroom cool at night, but still have their bathroom floor nice and warm when they walk into it in the morning. Each of the guest rooms has a large bathroom and walk-in closet.

The main floor of the home has the master bedroom, kitchen, living area and a dining room. The kitchen is a marvel all to its own - it has top-of-the-line appliances, ash floors and custom cabinets. In addition to a swivel flat screen TV that can be watched while cooking or eating, the kitchen also has a wine rack and wine cooler. Every cabinet in the kitchen has pull-out shelves for the ultimate convenience.

The home has three bedrooms and four bathrooms, but perhaps the most interesting room is the Jacuzzi room. In addition to the large Jacuzzi that sits next to a window and offers a magnificent view of the Black Hills National Forest and rock outcroppings, the room also has a completely stocked refrigerator and a cappuccino machine. Not to mention the pristine water. "When I fill it up, the water is blue, like an iceberg," Fobaire said. "It's perfect water. When I send it in for testing, it comes back just perfect."

The outside of the home is just as impressive. In addition to the large logs that make up the outer walls, the home has intricate rock work, a massive redwood wraparound deck, a fire pit, antique lighting, picnic tables and even benches to sit on. With a house this big and beautiful, one would figure Fobaire would be set for life where he is. However, as a person who is always looking for the next project to fill his creative urge, it's only a matter of time before he is on to bigger and better things. "I want to sell it and do another one," he said with a laugh. "Bigger."

Jason Ferguson, Western Trader, December 17, 2008

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