The cabin has been owned by the Hann family since 1980, and serves as a vacation rental in both summer and winter. Winter rental is structured as a five-month lease. Since 2006, Byron and Cindy have managed the winter cabin and have organized a group of like-minded folks and friends to share the lease. In addition to 16 partnering families, the four Hann sons (Jay B, Byron, Mike, Robert) and their families are members of this group.
How does it work this year?
The shared winter lease for the Hann Family cabin on Donner Lake covers the five-month period from Dec 1, 2019 until April 30, 2020. This rental period is structured as a five-month lease. Since 2006, Byron and Cindy have managed the winter cabin and have organized a group of like-minded folks and friends to share the lease. In addition to 16 partnering families, the four Hann sons (Jay B, Byron, Mike, Robert) and their families are part of this group.
Where is the cabin?
Located at 13059 Donner Pass Rd, the cabin is on the northeast shore of Donner Lake, adjacent to Donner State Park, and about one mile west of Truckee, CA.
What is the cabin like?
The property consists of three attached living areas; the main unit on the lower, lake-level (Unit 1) and two “apartments” on the upper, street level (known as Unit 3 & Unit 4). Collectively they comprise three kitchens, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and beds for 22. Included with the lease is heat, utilities, cable TV, high-speed internet (password: holidays), towels, bedding, kitchen/bath consumables, twice monthly house cleaning, spa servicing, ski tuning bench/tools, outdoor gas grill, firewood, trash collection and plowed parking (for approx. eight cars). There is an outdoor hot tub, as well as lake access (including docks/canoes/kayaks) for the warmer days.
What is that password again? holidays
How much does it cost to be a partner?
The total lease payment of $24,000 is divided among 16 paying partners. This works out to be $1,500 per partner. We ask for a 50% ($750) deposit by Sept 30th and for a check for the entire amount by December 1. Please address checks or PayPal to:
Byron Hann 1171 Larch Ave Moraga, CA 94556 e-payments to: byron.hann@ucsf.edu
How Do We Book the Cabin?
Specific dates can be reserved at the cabin through our google calendar booking system Book only the NIGHTS that you will be staying over! In other words, do not book the day of departure, only for the nights that you will be staying. In addition, please indicate the number in your group (adults and kids) as well as any guests that you are planning to invite.
Please email Robert Hann (robertehann@gmail.com) for an invitation and information on how to access the calendar.
To avoid calendar congestion, the cabin policy is that: * any one partner can have up to four pending calendar reservations at one time. * After one of your reservation dates passes you can add an additional calendar reservation.
Important: please only book dates that you definitely plan to use, and avoid booking times that you are only thinking about – failure to do this causes confusion, as non-used bookings give a misleading impression of cabin vacancy.
And, please remove any bookings as soon as you know that you will not be coming! No-shows also cause confusion.
Can we bring guests?
Accompanied guests are welcome when space is available. There is a fee of $15 per guest per night (for guests aged two and above). The host will be responsible for seeing that this fee is collected and left in the guest book in the kitchen drawer (cash preferred, or checks to Byron Hann are fine). These monies are used to cover costs for consumables, and for cabin upgrades. Examples include new knives, cookware, cabin art, contribution toward new heating system, etc..
Although we encourage members to bring guests, cabin members have priority over guests. When the cabin is at full capacity, reconsider bringing guests. If you do, guests should tuck in with their hosts to the extent possible. As mentioned above, we encourage folks to shuffle room assignments to maximize cabin usage and find creative solutions!
Can we pick a specific room?
Feel free to indicate a room preference when you book, but keep in mind that such requests are non-binding. We ask everyone to be flexible re room/bed usage to allow last-minute redistribution for efficient and comfortable cabin utilization. On occasion, this may mean relocating during the course of your stay. This cabin strives for a spirit of community and cooperation/flexibility is paramount.
There is a dry erase board (on the stairs as you enter the house) that can be used to indicate who’s sleeping where and for late arrivals to know what’s available, etc.. Please use this.
Where are the keys?
There are electronic locks at the two street level entrances. Members will be provided codes. All interior doors, including the inside door to the garage, should remain unlocked, including the door between Unit 3&4. Please leave all internal doors unlocked.
Can we leave gear at the cabin?
Cabin members are welcome to leave gear at the cabin during the 5-month lease period. Skis/poles/snowboards can be stored in the garage. Jackets/helmets/boots can be stored in the laundry room, and bags can be located in stair-storage crawl space (on your left as you come down the entry stairs). Everything (including skis and poles) should be clearly labeled. For clothes, duffel bags are a good system.
Wet clothes and ski boots can be left to dry in the laundry room. There are drying racks in both apartments and in the laundry room, and a place for parkas and an upper shelf for boots in the laundry room. Please remember to bring home ALL gear at the end of the season. There is a lost-and-found box in the laundry room that tends to overflow. At the end of the season these items go into either a community ski clothes basket or are slated for goodwill donation.
Situational Q & A:
Q: I want to come up but the cabin calendar looks pretty full, what should I do?:
A: If the cabin appears to be fully booked, you can do two things: 1) email everyone on the calendar to confirm their intentions to come up, 2) Go ahead and add your name to the calendar and plan to find an available bed, use one of the folding mattresses to sleep on the floor, grab a couch, etc.. Don’t panic, be flexible; 90% of the time it works out fine.
Q: How can you tell when the cabin is fully occupied, and for that matter what is fully occupied?
A: In the three units (Main House, Apt 3 and Apt 4), there are a total of 22 beds (see description below) plus four very comfortable fold-out mattresses. There have been rare times when upwards of 30 have stayed happily (lots of creative solutions in this sprawling home). See notes below re guests; in general the policy is for guests to tuck in (i.e., share space) with their hosts if things are snug.
How do we clean up the house?
Please leave the house clean when you depart. This includes doing all dishes, wiping counters, emptying perishables from refrigerators, vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms if necessary, etc…. Take advantage of the two Rumbas! The dishwasher can be loaded and run when you leave, and the next person can unload it. In general, please leave the cabin as you would like to find it when you arrive.
Trash should be bagged and placed in cans inside of bear-proof container located at the side of the parking area. Recyclables (mixed paper, metal, glass) need to be bagged and tied in special blue-colored bags (available at Mountain Hardware) and placed in the mesh metal bin attached to the side of the garbage container. Garbage pick-up is on Mondays.
Twice a month, there will be a thorough cleaning of the main house and both apartments by a hired service (Howe Cleaning Service, Jenn Martinez). This service will include cleaning sinks, toilets and showers, vacuuming, and hot tub service (by Truckee Tahome Service)…, but not laundry (see below).
What about food?
Please avoid leaving perishable food in the refrigerators. The exception to this is milk/butter where the policy will be that you should/can leave items that will not pass the expiration date before the next group arrives. Any food/alcohol left up at the cabin will be considered communal. Even non-perishable items, however, can quickly accumulate, and we strive to keep to a minimum the amount of left food, including frozen food.
What about towels and linens?
There are two sets of linens for each bed, and towels for both bath and hot tub. When you arrive, you should find a set of clean sheets folded on each bed. A second, used set of sheets may be in a basket in the room, or on the floor near the bed.
During your stay, please wash/dry the dirty set of linens (there are two washing machines in main house and one in Apt #3 closet). It is not necessary to wash the sheets/towels that you are using. When you leave, simply strip the beds and leave a set of folded, clean sheets on the unmade bed. The used linens should be left in a basket or in a pile on the floor in each room for the next user to wash, and not in the laundry room. This way, washing can be done over the course of your stay and you are free to make a fast get-away if you so desire. Similarly, any towels that you find can be washed during the course of your stay, and dirty towels left for the next tenant to wash and dry.
Please do not wash the comforter covers or pillow shams.
Please do not leave your dirty/clean linens in the laundry room when you depart; they may never find their way back to the correct room. Instead, leave them on the floor or in a basket in your room.
Please: .. wash sheets and towels separately .. do not overload the machines .. do not leave a load in a washing machine when you leave
The cabin will provide consumables such as toilet paper, dish soap, etc,.. If you see something missing, check in the stairway crawl space. If we’re out feel free to buy more and leave receipts in the guest book for reimbursement.
How is the cabin heated?
The cabin is heated by a variety of systems including * a central forced air furnace for the lower level and * gas-fired stoves on the upper level.
The heating system for the lower level is controlled by a single thermostat located in the living room, near the entrance to the master bedroom.
Upstairs, thermostats are located near the entrances and can be adjusted individually. These control the gas fired pot-belly stoves. Please remember to turn the upstairs thermostats down to 50 F when you depart.
Feel free to build fires in the main house fireplace. Wood is stored in the workshop (entry through laundry room) and outside on the west side of the house, accessed through a door at the back of the workshop. No need to remove ashes from the fireplace; a good bed of ashes improves fire performance.
Safety, Electric, Water
There are fire extinguishers in each apt and in the main house. A first aid kit is stored in the laundry room of the main house. Emergency flashlights are provided and located in each unit.
There are two circuit breaker locations. The one for the main house kitchen is located in the back of the laundry room (on the left behind the washer/dryer). The other is located under the carport on the east side of the house (at street level).
The main water shut off is located under the stairs to the bunk room. The shut off valve is inside a locked door on your right as you go up the stairs. The key to this door is located on the left side of the refrigerator.
Trash should be bagged and placed in cans inside of bear-proof container located at the side of the parking area. Recyclables (mixed paper, metal, glass) need to be bagged and tied in special blue-colored bags (available at Mountain Hardware) and placed in the mesh metal bin attached to the side of the garbage container. Garbage pick-up is on Mondays.
Description of the cabin layout The house is divided top to bottom. Downstairs there are four bedrooms and upstairs there are two one-bedroom apartments attached with an internal passage. The functional sleeping areas are shown in bold. We can use more than the six sleeping areas shown, but it will take some coordination to use the living rooms with sleeper sofas, etc...
Main house (beds for 12)
Master Bedroom - off living room and opens to Jacuzzi deck. One king-size bed. Attached bathroom with tub. Lakefront Bedroom - Off entry hallway and kitchen. One queen. Shares a bathroom and shower with Hall bedroom. Hall Bedroom - Off entry hallway and kitchen. One queen bed and one single bed. Shares bathroom and shower with Lakefront bedroom. Bunk Room - Off Laundry / drying room. Four single beds and attached bath with shower. Good for kids
Unit #3 – Upstairs (beds for 5) Entry at top of stairs. Wood burning stove and small kitchen. Two small baths, each with shower. Connected to Unit #4 by inner door. Queen Bedroom - Entry from outside and Unit #3 Living room. One queen bed and one trundle bed (two singles, where one rolls out from under the other). Attached bath with small sink and toilet and shower. Stacked Washer and Dryer in closet. Unit #3 Living Room – Full size foldout couch, small bathroom with shower.
Unit #4 - Upstairs (beds for 4) Entry from carport, or via door from Unit #3. Newly remodeled fully equipped kitchen, bathroom with bathtub, thermostatic controlled gas-fired stove. King Bedroom - King-size bed. Unit #4 Living Room -Queen-size sleeper sofa.
Additionally, there are four folding mattresses, located in the closets of Apt 3 and the Master bedroom. Please use with a sleeping bag, and return after use.
Other rooms: Garage (inside entrance at top of stairs); for ski/snowboard and sled storage, cross country boot storage. Big garage door, lockable, can be opened as well. Please remember to re-lock if you open it. (fasten the latch inside)
Workshop (off of laundry room); work bench with ski tuning equipment, waxing iron, etc… There are an assortment of tools in the workshop. Feel free to use ski tuning vises, but please clean up when you're finished. If you scrape wax, please do so over a trash bin.