July 01, 2008 Progress Report


OPPORTUNITY.

That’s our new theme word for Bear Dance. Not that original? Maybe not, but it can’t be helped. The word seems to be more and more commonplace every day. We keep talking about the wonderful opportunity to work on a project like this, about the


With the combination of new stone types and
slate roofing, the Flathead Cabin has become
everyone’s favorite
opportunity to have clients who are so willing to let us be creative. And it’s in that creative sector where opportunity is the most prevalent. In recent updates, there’s been a lot of talk about making sure every wall, every room, every floor, every chimney, every rooftop is maximized to its full design potential. These are all opportunities. Whenever we’re faced with something unexpected (a given in this business) or challenging, or something that isn’t what we had in mind at first, we just grin and say, “Here’s another opportunity to do something really cool.” And based on some of the responses we’ve gotten during tours this month, we seem to be making the most of these opportunities.

In the month of June, we gave guided tours of Bear Dance to at least 50 different people on five different occasions. To say the responses have been encouraging would be a severe limitation of reality. People are simply amazed at what they see, and the common reaction we keep hearing is, “We can’t decide which one we like the most!” This is due in large part to the fact that we see every day as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to do something this area – or even the region – hasn’t seen in new home construction. Our key word two months ago was character, and at that stage, we were simply concerned with implementing character in the big picture areas – the stone on an entire building, the big timbers and exposed trusses, etc. Now that we’re geared towards focusing on this opportunity mindset, the character is being applied to the smaller details, the minutiae, the areas that often get overlooked. We don’t want a person to simply walk down a hallway to get to a beautiful great room or master bedroom. We see that hallway as an opportunity in itself.

Our meetings with the design committee have been a concentrated effort to pay attention to all those little areas that usually don’t get special attention. We enhanced the curves, domes and usable space in the entry area of the Big Horn master suite, giving wider walkways, better depth and contrast, and adding more space to the master closet. The downstairs hallway of the same residence had always been a tricky area because of its long, tunnel-like feel – we had originally planned for several doors in the hallway to break up its length – but then we decided to see this challenge as an opportunity. We grabbed onto the hallway’s length and turned it into an advantage for the Big Horn’s first impression, and now guests will walk in and have one more “Wow” to grab their attention. The Ruby foyer seemed perfect, not needing any improvement whatsoever, but we used the curving staircase and thick, high exterior wall as a stepping stone for enhancing the other walls in this large foyer. There are plenty of other examples, but an on-site tour is the only way to take it all in and have your very own difficulty picking a favorite!


The addition of wrought iron between the columns of Yellowstone has been a perfect complement to the heavy stone work of the building.

Part of what has made this decision so difficult for so many people is the work being done by the crew of Flathead Masonry. After the incredible finished product of Yellowstone, we didn’t think we would be able to match the quality or originality, much less surpass it. We were wrong. Stone work has been completed on the Flathead cabin, and we’ve taken all the things that were great about Yellowstone, added a few things we learned in order to fine-tune the Old World feel, changed to a different style of stone…and the finished product…wow. The finished stone is complemented by the application of our Bear Dance Brown treatment on all the exposed timber rafters (a custom finishing process formulated and applied by Smith Painting); and after the installation of the thick slate tiles by Rainmaster (a product which, on one of our tours, prompted someone to proclaim, “That roofing looks just like the stuff I saw on the rooftops in Europe last year!”), this little cottage is simply perfect. We’re glad it will be one of the first things seen as a person emerges from the tunnel under the Gallatin residence into the central courtyard.

Not that the month of June was without its challenges. We had lots of rain early in the month, three inches of snow on the 10th and 11th (yes, of June!), all while trying to button up tens of thousands of square feet of roofing surfaces. We had a continually growing population of subcontractors working on site (up to 14 different crews and more than 40 workers on site in a given day), many of whom don’t like to carpool, and without enough room for them all to park on site. Parking along the street was fine in the


The stone walls we’ve added – like this one along the east
upper driveway – have not only added extra parking on
top, they’re also helping to create a more natural and
flowing feel to the overall project.
winter months, but this is downtown Bigfork in the summer, and our street is the access point for the public boat launch into the bay. This challenge led to another opportunity to get ahead of the game, work on some of our stone hardscaping and create parking on site. We also spent a majority of the month playing host to Ganz Soda Blasting services, a fantastic way to add an aged look and texture to our exposed heavy timbers, but a very noisy and dusty process to deal with. The baking soda residue is lightweight and easily caught up on a breeze, and it cakes everything nearby in a fine layer of white dust. We were on the verge of having all our neighbors run us out of town, but we seized on the opportunity to reach out to our neighbors. We bought a bunch of car wash coupons, passed them out with a formal apology and thank-you-for-your- patience letter, then spruced up the place and led an open house of the project one evening for all the neighbors. By the time it was over, no one was thinking about the soda blasting noise and dust, and the excited chatter around town was simply given more fuel and a positive twist.

There were so many other things that happened here last month, and for all those details, refer to our weekly reports on our website (www.montanacontractor.com/currentprojects). We’re entering the dry stretch of summer at Bear Dance, and the season for public interest and tourist exposure still has a long way to go. We’ll be giving more tours, we’ll be adding more character, and the excitement will only continue to build. If you’re in the neighborhood, our phone number is on the website – we’d love the opportunity to show you the place!