Luxury Living Articles:
Big Sky Living
A custom design/build process delivers a beautifully detailed house, right down to the silverware.
It took the designer and builder a long time to find the logs used in the spectacular 6,000-square-foot, $2.4-million custom log home near Montana's Whitefish Lake.
"I took my plane out and we flew around looking for the right logs that would fit best in this project," says Walt Landi, owner of Whitefish, Montana-based High Country Builders. Accompanying Landi on his search for the huge cedar logs used as posts throughout the Montana-rustic style home was Randy Kaatz, president of Bend, Oregon-based Classic Log Designs.
The logs were dug out of the ground below grade to harvest them complete with roots, then stripped of the outer layer of thick bark. Because this made them very fragile, High Country Builders gave special attention to the logs, padding them during transportation, and while stacking and installing them in the house.
Reaping the rewards of the design/build process
The conception of this home started with the homeowners' excitement over a past project. "The clients saw a previous project by High Country Builders and wanted something similar but with a few different aspects," explains Kaatz. The homeowners benefited from a design/build process in which they laid out what they had in mind, including a saltwater fish tank as a divider between the kitchen, great room and foyer, and the huge cedar logs found as posts throughout the house. The homeowners left every other aspect of the house up to the builder and designer to decide and execute.
"We did the design, construction management, interior design, interior decoration, furniture selections," says Landi. "We completely furnished the house right down to the bedspreads, dishes and silverware. The homeowner wanted us to make the decisions for them. We worked closely with them but they put all their trust in us."
The design/build process is more of a turnkey building process. The homeowner also benefits because it maximizes the owner's budget and control. And the fact that the designer and builder can do many things in-house eliminates the middle man.
Attention to detail
The fireplace in the recreation room is an example of a carefully considered characteristic. Because the fireplace placement is between a wood dumbwaiter on the left and a bookcase on the right, Landi wanted to place a massive fireplace in the center that would protrude out. The firebricks used in the fireplace also demanded Landi's and Kaatz's atten-tion to detail. "The firebricks we chose were once used in a copper smelter in Anaconda, Montana. They are very old, and have been subjected to a lot of intense heat and carry a lot of history," says Landi.
The foyer also is an eye-catching feature of the home. It includes a slate entry designed to resemble a rug, a 35-foot tower for added natural lighting and an amazing view of Whitefish Lake. "When you walk in the front doors, Whitefish Lake is framed by the windows in the great room, which are unique because the stops to the windows are the massive cedar logs," explains Kaatz.
Making the most of the site
The house was modeled on the land before it was built, which eliminated some of the surprises that would have otherwise occurred.
The house was constructed on a hill overlooking Whitefish Lake. The house doesn't actually include lake frontage but most rooms include a view of the lake. "Almost every room overlooks the lake: the kitchen, great room, master suite, dining room, theater room, lower family rooms and boys' bedroom," says Landi. "You can see the lake from anywhere in the house. There is only one bedroom that doesn't include a view of the lake."
The placement of the house was carefully considered. Landi and Kaatz agreed to position the house in a way that the view of the lake could be incorporated with the view of the Rocky Mountains. "We were limited to where we could position the house, but we wanted to incorporate lake views and mountain views taking into account the effect of the sun in the large windows," explains Landi.
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