Featured in “At Home” Magazine, “Estates West” and the July/August 2008 issue

Of “Mountain Living.”

This Van Bryan Studio Architects designed home, built in 2003 by Langlas and Associates for the present owner (a licensed real estate agent), has set the standard for gracious and refined Montana living. The earthy palette of the exterior stone, timbers, and stucco melds the home into the grassy hills overlooking Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley. Only six minutes from town, on the desirable Southside, the setting is completely private, at the end of a cul de sac, surrounded by conservation easements, open space, and other 20 acre (+/-) sites. The 360 degree views are jaw-dropping and unparalleled, with the Hyalites close enough that you feel you can touch them, while the Spanish Peaks and Tobacco Roots set the stage against the endless sky. Weather watching is a terrific pastime in practically every room of the house.

The stately home combines the very best of Montana design elements and materials with Old World details including  arched doorways, columns, travertine marble trim, soaring timbered ceilings, integral plaster walls, and irregular width and length distressed cherry floors. The house abounds with defining touches that set it apart from all other houses in the area. Between its spectacular setting and the abundant use of windows, the interior and exterior of the home enhance the awe inspiring setting.

The entry foyer, with a Montana slate floor, overlooks the great room and the valley stretching into seeming eternity below. A grand hall with perfectly placed columns links the great room with the spacious dining room and gourmet country-style kitchen. The fireplace and bar open to both the living room and kitchen, yet each room is intimate, with its own defined space. The Stainless Steel and Granite kitchen has been created for entertaining and serious cooking, with 3 Gaggenau ovens (including a steam oven), a 6-burner with griddle Thermador Professional cook top, Bosch dishwasher, 3 bowl main sink, large kitchen island with bar sink, ice maker, refrigerator drawers, butcher block inset on the counter, an area that hides small appliances, and a refrigerator in both the kitchen and large food pantry room. There is a separate butler’s pantry as well, with display and ample cabinets and counters.

The main level also includes the master suite with sitting area, his and her walk-in closets, double sinks, bath and walk-in shower, and private patio, an office with built-in cabinets and filing drawers, a  powder room with a handmade Italian vanity, a second powder room off the kitchen, a laundry room with a view, and the mud room a joining the 4-car garage.

Two staircases in the house lead to the two separate upper floors and single lower level. A dramatic spiral staircase with a metal railing created by Doug Adelmann is at the front of the house, drawing you to a “penthouse” office as well as to the lower level. The office is bathed in light, with a cathedral, timbered ceiling, windows on three sides, and a private patio. During winter months, a herd of 100 (+/-) elk are camped on the hillside directly to the south of the house and are a main attraction from the office windows.

The staircase off the kitchen area accesses the very private upper floor bedroom suite, which includes bunk beds built into a nook for sleep-overs, walk-in closet with a hidden play room, a built-in desk, wall-mounted television, and a library area. The bathroom with a shower is shared by the suite and the guest “Tent “ room—everyone’s favorite room. A hand painted mural of a magical mountain wilderness adorns the wall of the hallway and the canvas tent room.

The lower level, nestled into the hillside, walks out to a patio with hot tub and a trampoline flush with the surrounding lawn. The rec room is the centerpiece to this level, with high ceilings, stained concrete floors, a pool table, big screen TV, ample bookshelves, and a utility kitchen. A back up laundry room, a guest bedroom with bath, and a junior suite that contains a hidden computer room, a spacious bathroom, and a built-in day bed for sleep-overs are off the rec room. The hallway leading to the front staircase contains a bank of storage cabinets on one side with the other side opening to a gift wrapping room, tool room, cedar closet, luggage storage, and mechanical rooms. There are 2 large water heaters, water filtering system, water softener, humidifier, and 3 air conditioning systems.

A Jack-leg fence encompasses the nearly 20 acres of rolling ground. At the top of the property is a level playing field for football and soccer or even practicing your cast for fly fishing. The yard surrounding the home has been meticulously landscaped with perennial beds providing color and cut flowers throughout the growing season.

At the front of the house, a waterfall welcomes guests as it gushes down the aspen covered hillside.  The rear outdoor entertainment area includes a patio with a barbeque area overlooking a small stream with two connecting ponds and a waterfall. A sculpture of a bear by noted Montana artist Jim Dolan graces the larger pond, with an 18^th Century French fountain splashing water into the stream. Sprinklers and drip irrigation systems make maintenance easy.

North Ridge Ranch covenants allow for 4 horses and a barn, with guest accommodations above, or perhaps, an artist studio.

Interior Resources

Architect:

Van Bryan Studio Architects

Bozeman, Mt.

(406) 586-4777

Builder:

Langlas & Associates

Billings, Mt.

(406) 656-0629

Flooring:

Irregular width and length cherry

Jackson’s Hardwoods

Bozeman, Mt.

(406) 586-9358

Wood floors are trimmed with honed Travertine Marble

Metal Railings in circular staircase & Fireplace screens and tools:

Anvil Art-Doug Adelmann (deceased)

Bozeman, Mt.

Faux Painting: Owner, along with:

Melissa Branson

Bozeman, Mt.

(406) 581-7545

Living room Chandeliers: Studio Steel

Light fixture in Entry Hall: Fine Arts Lamps

Dining room & Master Bedroom Chandelier, stair sconces: Laura Lee Designs

2008 REPLACEMENT COST

19.33 acres of vacant land, North Ridge Ranch         $1,200,000

7,742 sq. ft. finished space @$325 per sq. ft.            $2,516,150

Architect & Engineering Fees                                     $125,000

1,262 sq. ft. garage @$125 sq. ft                               $157,750

1,560 sq. ft patios @ $50 sq. ft                                  $78,000

waterfalls, ponds, streams, sculpture, hot tub, driveways  $110,000

wells, sprinklers, landscaping, trees, etc.                       $375,000

                        Total                                                       $4,561,900

To build this house today, it would require approximately 2 years of time from the first meeting with the architect to move-in. Construction costs would be carried during this time. It would involve multiple meetings with the architect as well as construction site visits.

This type of a 20 acre parcel is no longer available in this area of Bozeman, nor is it easy to find this degree of privacy and seclusion this close to town.