A Big Sky Country House Embraces Wide-Open Views

For a decade the owners of this Montana ranch enjoyed it from a doublewide trailer parked on the property. When they decided to build a house there, they asked Hughes Umbanhowar Architects to create a modern home as their vacation retreat. The large spans of glass windows and doors provide what seems like a only slight separation from the rugged scenery that surrounds the home.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of 5
Location: Outside of Bozeman, Montana
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3½ baths

At first the spot considered for the home was the top of this rocky bluff. “There are great views from up there, but the problem is that it’s very windy,” says architect John Umbanhowar. When some exploratory digging unearthed a nest of rattlesnakes, the project was moved downhill to a new creekside site. Since the new site is in a flood plain (the lowest point of the house marks the highest point of recorded flood waters), break-away vents were installed in the foundation. If water reaches the house, the vents are designed to collapse and allow water to flow under the foundation. The metal roof on the top of the house echoes the line of the mountain where it might have lived.

The architects designed a dramatic entry to fit the landscape. “Although the owners can drive around the house and enter on the side, visitors park across the creek and go over a small bridge to reach the large pivot front door,” says Umbanhowar. The bridge is made from limestone castoffs from a nearby quarry.

The second story sits perpendicular to the entry and holds a master suite. The solid face of the structure houses the stair landing and screens the master bedroom from the front of the house.

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