Teton Heritage Builders

Handcrafted Homes - Lifelong Relationships

Montana Custom Patio with a View

Teton Heritage Builders is nearing completion of a stellar project near Helena, MT.  The interior finishes are impeccable with only one room left which is scheduled for completion in just a few months.  As for the exterior, we’ve been working hard on the landscaping over the last month including this custom patio.

The photos above were taken directly off the rear entrance.  The stacked stone fireplace features a large cubby for split firewood on the left side.  To the right of the fireplace is a wood-fired oven and around the back of the oven is a large smoker.  One cool feature not readily apparent in the photos is the custom stone ice cooler.  Built directly into the masonry is a self-draining space for chilling beverages.  No more dumping out ice water the  morning after a grilling session.

Added into the patio system are a few large stone benches that alleviate seating issues when entertaining large parties.  This way all of the guests are comfortable when relaxing and looking out over the lake on those perfect Montana evenings.

Top 5 LEED Design Tips for Montana

Teton Heritage Builders built the first NAHBGreen certified home in the state of Montana.  It took some extra measures to ensure we achieved the criteria for the certification, but in the end we completed the home at no additional cost to our clients!  How’s that for service?  The end result is a highly energy efficient dream home in Bozeman, MT.  I caught up with our staff LEED AP, Ben Jones, on his top five tips for achieving LEED certification in Montana.  Here’s what he had to say:

1.  Insulation:  Super insulate your building envelope!  Insulation is perhaps the best investment you can make for your home in this cold climate.  Spray foam will decrease air infiltration to keep heating and cooling costs low.

2.   Sourcing Materials:  Don’t automatically think you can’t afford “green” materials.  The price gap between conventional and green products is getting slimmer and often with a bit of searching around you can find sustainably sourced materials for the same cost.

3.  Limit the Size:  Large homes incur bigger penalties when calculating points for LEED certification.  You will need to strike a balance between a grand house and an energy efficient home.

4.  Lighting:  Sit down with your architect and be sure to orient your home to maximize solar resources.  Take advantage of solar for natural lighting and passive solar for heating and cooling.  The Sun is critical for gaining LEED points as well as cutting down on utility costs.

5.  Performance Testing:  Be sure to perform a blower door test before you put up any drywall.  It is a great indicator of where you need to improve the insulation around windows, at roof/rafter connections, etc.  A house with low values of air changes per hour equates to more LEED points.

These are just a few key areas to target when designing and building a home in Montana.  With a keen eye towards the details you, too, can have a NAHBGreen home without breaking the bank.

Ask For Builder References

Checking builder references for your custom home builder in Big Sky, MT and Jackson Hole, WY is a very important part of the building process.  We all look at customer reviews for products we are buying online to ensure they fit our needs -after all, nobody wants to buy a lemon.  So whether you are choosing between Bozeman builders, Montana architects, Jackson hole homes, or Big Sky builders be sure to leave no stone unturned in your quest to find the best match to provide you with the highest quality end product.  When you make your short list of builders go ahead and call references.  If Teton Heritage Builders is on your list, we are confident that we will rise to the top.

General contractors should be treated to the same due diligence as any investment.  Every company projects themselves as the best, but be sure to take time to ask their past clients exactly what their experience was.  Did the contractor deliver a finished home as they promised?  Was communication easy?  Were the change orders easy to navigate and execute?  How happy were clients a month or six months after the keys were handed over?

Whether you are looking at Teton Heritage Builder to be your Montana builders or Jackson Hole builders we strongly encourage you to call up our past clientele.  We posted quotes from testimonial letters on our website for you to peruse.  You can even download four different letters written by our clients.  We gladly give all of our prospective clients a list of references to call on the phone or trade emails with.  We want you to hear from real people about the ease of communication, legacy quality construction, and unique processes that we use that sets us apart from our competition.

Our Bozeman homes, Jackson Hole homes and Big Sky homes are of the highest caliber.  We stand behind our work.  In fact, we are so confident in our ability to deliver legacy quality homes within your budget that we will guarantee the maximum price of your contract.  You won’t get any surprises when you choose Teton Heritage Builders.  After doing this for 16 years we know how to keep the process easy and fun for you and deliver an exceptional home.

Go ahead and get in touch with our references.  We know our sterling reputation will shine.

Big Sky Homes in The Yellowstone Club Go Modern

Teton Heritage Builders is busy building a new home in the Yellowstone Club.  Designed by Reid Smith Architects, a creative Big Sky architect, this modern project adds to our already diverse portfolio of Big Sky homes and Jackson Hole homes.

This 10,000 square foot home will be one of only a handful of modern buildings in the log and timber frame dominated Yellowstone Club.  It is perched on the side of Lone Peak with ski-in/ski-out access and stunning views of the surrounding mountains.  Aside from the cutting-edge design, what makes this house particularly incredible is the Unilux window package chosen by the homeowner.

I caught up with Dave Behan, our local Unilux Windows representative, on the specifics of these windows.  First off, Unilux manufactures only triple pane windows in their factory in Germany.  Part of what sets them apart from your standard window package is their narrow frame dimensions which provides more glass area for unobstructed views.  They are “the most energy efficient windows available on the planet for a curtain wall system,” says Dave.  In fact, they are more than 75 percent more efficient than a standard double pane window.

When complete, this home is going to have the feeling of being outdoors while being comfortable at home.  Large panels of glass will slide open to bring in fresh air and invigorate the home.  Teton Heritage Builders hired Unilux certified window installers to ensure the windows are properly installed.  The slightest miscalculation of structural steel framing which supports these windows can mean disaster for a project of this scale.  Fortunately for us, our Superintendent/Project Manager Ben Jones nailed the structural framing.  Way to go Ben!

Check out more modern Big Sky homes and Jackson Hole construction by Teton Heritage Builders.  And come back to our blog for more progress updates on this exciting home!

Bozeman Builders Know Geothermal Heat

Bozeman builders Teton Heritage Builders is starting the installation of a geothermal heat pump system in Big Sky, Montana.  The first of 24 geothermal wells was just drilled just off the building’s garage entrance.  As bozeman builders, we understand the varying geology of the mountain folds around here and know importance of the scientific approach to designing a ground source heat pump system.  So we are using this first vertical geothermal well to run a thermal conductivity test on the local geological formation to precisely size this geothermal system.  With accurate test results in hand, the updated geothermal design will be the absolute best it can be.

Once finished, this well will be part of the ground heat exchanger for a 24 ton geothermal heating and cooling system.  The homeowner will be able to simultaneously heat and cool their mountain home in the Yellowstone Club using the renewable energy naturally stored underground on their site.  By harnessing the Earth’s heat their radiant and forced air system will reach levels of efficiency above 350% in the middle of the winter.  Talk about huge savings!

Montana

76225 Gallatin Road
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
phone: 406-522-0808

Handcrafted Homes
Lifelong Relationships

email: info@tetonheritagebuilders.com

Wyoming

655 Deer Dr., Suite #3
Jackson Hole, WY 83001
phone: 307-733-8771