When we first begin the process of picking out all the “things” to go in a house there is always something, the one special item, which starts it all off. It could be a paint color, a piece of flooring, a stack of old barn wood, piece of art, just something to get the direction of the house going. In the case of the East Rim, it was this slab of granite picked out back in May. We had to battle other builders for the sheet, find other pieces to make the edge, base the kitchen around it…and today when it was being installed I could not have been more excited, because I know this was the IT piece!! And it looks perfect.

Sliding barn doors are a feature we like to work into our homes. In this case, we didn’t have quite the right spot, so we modified the concept for the panty. Here’s a shot of our custom 8 foot beetle kill blue pine bi-pass doors from RBM, and they look perfect in the kitchen of our East Rim house. We are in the last 10 days of this project, more photos to come!

The entrance of our Middle Fork Lodge is coming together, every day I drive up and something else has changed. Next week it will have a roof, the shingles, and the start of rock pillars. I thought the house looked great before, but this entry brings it to an entirely different level!

Our Whitetail project is in the siding phase this week, our framers are doing a fantastic job…I love seeing the transformation take place. This is the phase of the project when all the color selections start to come together. What do you think about the choice of a bold window color (in this case, harvest cranberry) set off by the dark trim?

The beams are going up on our Middle Fork Lodge project, and as I walked around today I could not help but admire the bones of this house. The clients worked on this design from the very beginning, they poured their hearts into creating this space…and walking around today it feels just as it should. It feels like a home. I can’t wait for them to see it…all those plans and ideas coming to life!

The fun part about design and building a home is watching all the pieces come together…and the things you change along the way. From the start, our clients imagined a barn gray wood floor, but then they saw it in person yesterday. We all stood back and took a second look, decided this floor was meant to be left natural, and today the first coat of sealer went on. I love the fact we can take a breath and change directions. In the end this floor is going to be the show stopper of the entire house. It’s just a little bit exciting…one piece closer to a home!

Just came back from a quick visit to our garage house (carriage house – sounds much more refined) in Rexford. As always, I am amazed at the feel of this small space, and can’t get over how fantastic everything looks. We need to make a return trip and photograph everything for the website soon. I think I need one of my own…

For everyone who was through our parade house last weekend and saw our circle sawn fir/larch floor, I am excited to show you a different option. We are just finishing laying this 6″ beetle kill blue pine floors, with a wire brushed texture from RBM. I can’t wait to see this floor stained (a barn wood gray shade) look for some photos next week!

The past 3 days of sharing our Old Montana home as part of the Flathead Builder’s Association 2013 Parade of Homes has been such an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. We loved hearing the positive feedback and compliments about our house; the efficient and open floor plan, leathered granite, wood floors, bunk beds, man cave, the thoughtful details, our craftsmanship, and so many more. It is the most fun and rewarding weekend of the year for our company. To everyone that came out to see our home and meet us – thank you. If you spent time talking to us about your future plans to build and how we could help, we will be in touch with you this week. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send an email or give us a call.

324 Bowdrie Trail…Parade of Homes starts today and goes all weekend!!