A Labor of Love.
(HOW THE HOUSE WAS BUILT)
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Dave and Annie Mulcahy in front of the home they built in Bigfork, Montana
Read more in the Fall 2020 Flathead Living article, “Labor of Love”
Editor’s Notes of the May-June 2020 issue of This Old House
Our journey began 33 years ago when Dave and I drove through Montana on a holiday and fell in love with Bigfork and the Flathead Valley. When we happened upon the property on Ranch Road, we knew we had found what we were looking for.
What we didn’t know, was just how deeply Montana would impact our lives for the next 3 decades as we began to clear the lot and design and build our house.
It was just the 2 of us, and Dave’s experience with renovations and his keen eye for design. The rest was just a whole lot of energy and enthusiasm in our younger years…. a true labor of love.
We spent every summer in Bigfork. Coming and going from the West Coast, always with a fresh load of salvaged materials we had found at a historic demo, an auction, or somewhere else along the way, and slowly finishing one part of the house after the other, with century-old wainscoting, crown molding, old timber beams, thick slabs of reclaimed fir, rusted barn tin panels…. all carefully repurposed to add history-rich detail and a unique character to the house.
Dave will tell you he built the house around all the old materials he has such a knack for finding…. his passion for repurposing materials pre-dates the current trend and has been an influence in all Dave’s work - our house on Ranch Road is his best example.
Looking back, the super natural lifestyle of Montana is worth all the work we put in building the house. The Flathead Valley is a very special place with an abundance of natural beauty and clean living and we were fortunate to have been part of it. Just breathing in the mountain air makes you feel healthy, relaxed, and happy to be alive.
Our “Labor of Love” is complete and we are hoping to be able to pass the property along to someone who will love and appreciate it as much as we have.
Annie Mulcahy