08 Nov 2002
Pauline checks out the view from the proposed Main House site.
This topographic map shows the approximate locations of the new drive, the Carriage House and the Main House.
20 Feb 2003
Architect Van Bryan and contractor Kevin Click place the marker to designate a precise target location for the Main House.
04 Jun 2003
Looking south from near the Carriage House, this is the tracks of vehicles going to the Main House site for surveys.
19 Sep 2003
Roughing in the final stretch of road to the Main House. Compare to 03 Jan 2004.
25 Sep 2003
The Main House parking lot.
05 Nov 2003
Pauline and Kevin discuss the precise orientation of the Main House.
03 Jan 2004
Pauline snowshoes up to the Main House site from the Carriage House.
15 Feb 2004
Pauline's son Dan and his girlfriend Kristina snowshoe down from the Main House site.
22 May 2004
Main House site from about 1 mile away on Kelly Canyon Road.
22 May 2004
Kevin clowns around in the excavation for the Main House garage.
13 Jun 2004
Gary and Arthur arrive. Arthur looks into what will be his bedroom.
14 Jun 2004
Concrete is pumped into the forms for the footings. Work on the house has been delayed over a month by the rain and mud.
14 Jun 2004
Concrete is pumped into the forms for the footings.
17 Jun 2004
The first of many layers of gravel is "shot" into the foundation area.
21 Jun 2004
Forms for the foundation are delivered. The operator controls unloading with a wireless joystick.
21 Jun 2004
Arthur does some painting near our new F250 [which will soon have a big snow plow in front].
21 Jun 2004
Workmen start to erect the forms for the foundation.
25 Jun 2004
Panorama of the Main House site. Many of the forms from the first load have been set up and rebar is being wired into place. More forms need to be set up to complete the inner wall before cement can be poured for the foundation.
30 Jun 2004
Pauline's son Paul and Arthur do fire mitigation work on trees along the drive from the Carriage House to the Main House. Kendal watches. Not pictured: Kendal's boyfriend Kris.
01 Jul 2004
More forms are delivered as a storm approaches. The workmen finished unloading just as the rain started.
02 Jul 2004
Forms are placed into the site by a crane. This photo was taken from a point near Attila's Throne. Compare with 15 Feb 2004.
12 Jul 2004
Concrete is pumped into the forms. It took 12 trucks to haul the 97 cubic yards of concrete for the foundation. The trucks are 6x6 drive with extra idler axles to help carry the load. They leave ruts in the drive, which will have to be re-graded once construction is done.
12 Jul 2004
The last bit of concrete goes into the pad for the TV and Internet satellite dishes. The pad has power, so it also serves as a connecting point for a network between the Carriage House and Main House (they are too far apart to simply run wire).
13 Jul 2004
The forms are coming off. The garage (at left) will have a concrete roof and be underground once the dirt and rock are re-graded.
15 Jul 2004
Arthur (highlighted at right) helps guide forms into place so a forklift can load them onto a truck.
15 Jul 2004
Arthur (highlighted at right) directs the crane operator to the forms to be removed. With these out of the way, we can get on to the next phase: preparing to pour the slabs.
20 Jul 2004
150 cubic yards of gravel are spread into the areas where there will be a slab floor. We asked the drivers to drive on the ridges rather than in the ruts, so they helped even out and compact the driveway.
27 Jul 2004
Starting a trench for water from the well at the Carriage House to the Main House.
28 Jul 2004
6am — the sun is not up yet, but the pour for the lower floor slab is about to begin. Neko is checking out the dogs that accompany the workmen.
28 Jul 2004
Not yet 10am and finish work has begun. The concrete is beige colored (matches the local dirt) and will be trowelled to give some darker textures. Then the slab will be cut into 3' "tiles". The lighter area is the wine cellar, which we hope will look like natural stone.
30 Jul 2004
Two days later, the colors are still too dark, but they are supposed to lighten as the concrete "cures".
06 Aug 2004
The concrete is cured enough to see the colors now.
10 Aug 2004
Arthur helps move rocks.
12 Aug 2004
Main House phone (inside the bucket)
(406) 585-8840
13 Aug 2004
The framers finally showed up. This is how much they did in one day.
17 Aug 2004
The first wall (finally) goes up.
17 Aug 2004
A beam is placed.
19 Aug 2004
West wing framing.
24 Aug 2004
Panorama of some foundation fill and framing. The inevitable storm is approaching.
26 Aug 2004
The first floor joist is placed. This will be the Master Suite. Note the thunderstorm.
26 Aug 2004
Panorama at end of day.
31 Aug 2004
Start of flooring for the Master Suite. A rare sunny day!
31 Aug 2004
Steel beams go up at the south end of the Great Room.
08 Sep 2004
The metal "roof" is on the Garage. To come: rebar, concrete, waterproofing and 3' of dirt.
16 Sep 2004
First wall on upper level: Master Suite Bath/Closet
24 Sep 2004
Beams in preparation, Victor, MT. Apparently it is raining there as well!
25 Sep 2004
The Grand Entrance
(5.8MB QuickTime movie)
04 Oct 2004
Many of the exterior walls are up and much of the fill is in place.
11 Oct 2004
This view of the re-graded drive gives an idea of how the house should appear relatively modest on approach.
12 Oct 2004
Panorama of site. Outlines of some interior rooms are visible. Cantilevered beam for the entry is poured. The drive has been lowered a couple of feet.
19 Oct 2004
Panorama; note cantilevered footing for the entry pillars
21 Oct 2004
Newly finished parking area. Excavation at garage is underway. More steel being erected at the SW corner of the Dining Room.
22 Oct 2004
The concrete garage roof is poured. It will be covered with sand, gravel and dirt to bring it up to the level of the parking area at right.
26 Oct 2004
View of the west end of the Main House. Compare with 13 June 2004.
15 Nov 2004
View of Main House from near Attila's Throne .
16 Nov 2004
The first timber goes up (West Wing)
19 Dec 2004
Buttoned up. And the weather has been especially good lately :^[
24 Feb 2005
Getting ready to start again: another load of timbers arrives
07 Apr 2005
The furnaces arrive at the West Wing
12 April 2005
Timber detail on North Wing
05 May 2005
Placing one of the 12"x18" timbers
11 May 2005
Another major timber goes up; the weather is cold, wet and windy.
13 May 2005
Mechanical Room; much remains to be added
14 May 2005
Gary checks out timbers in the Great Room
(note corbels at left end of arches)
17 May 2005
Timbers do not intersect as planned
17 May 2005
Proposed fix mimics corbel detail at ends of arches (cf. 14 May, left side of picture)
13 Jun 2005
Pauline holds a "truss" representing ¼ of an ellipse; these trusses will be used to form the central ceiling "dome" of the Master Bedroom.
15 Jun 2005
"... looking out my front door ..."
(Apologies to CCR.)
21 Jun 2005
Bringing more timbers from "remote storage" up the old road
24 Jun 2005
Quite a bit of the roofing is on;
compare with 15 Nov 2004
09 Aug 2005
The blue wire is for phone, data and video
09 Aug 2005
A partial view of the oblate spheroid ceiling
09 Aug 2005
Working on the lower patio
Note the stone work in progress
15 Aug 2005
The frame for the Master Bath spa tub
15 Aug 2005
Windows in the North Wing
15 Aug 2005
Back side of the multimedia patch panel
16 Aug 2005
View of Main House from near Attila's Throne. Note the windows in the Great Room. The stone work below the windows helps the house blend in.
23 Aug 2005
Steve and Betty install the septic holding tank
02 Sep 2005
More stonework in place and the Septic System is being installed
04 Sep 2005
The West Balcony is started
04 Sep 2005
Some landscaping rocks we collected