03 Apr PARADISE AT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA’S

ARCHITECTURE | Locati Architects
CONSTRUCTION | Schlauch Bottcher Construction
INTERIOR DESIGN | DeLeo & Fletcher Design

When asked about the inspiration for this elegant alpine retreat, architect Steve Locati doesn’t hesitate, summing it up in a single word: “Family.”

The Montana property was designed by Locati Architects and built by Schlauch Bottcher Construction (SBC) as a sanctuary where four generations could come together, connect with nature, and escape the demands of everyday life. 

The eight-bedroom home provides ample space for large gatherings while maintaining private retreats for individual family members. The house is located on the highest point amid 300 acres, ensuring exceptional views of the surrounding mountain landscape.

“Our lives are built around our family,” says the homeowner. “We have six kids. We have 20 grandkids. And so when we started thinking about what we wanted to design, I sat down with all of our older grandkids and said, ‘Tell me everything that you think would be awesome in a place like this.’ And I came away with a list.”

That list included a climbing wall, tennis courts, and trails — all of which became part of the blueprint.

The inspiration for this Rocky Mountain retreat was rooted in nature. The interior design balances scale with intimacy, ensuring the home feels welcoming rather than overwhelming.

The material palette represents a more traditional mountain home, explains architect Steve Locati. Some 35 tons of structural steel are concealed within wooden beams to achieve this aesthetic.

Placed at the highest point amid nearly 300 acres of mountain wilderness, the primary residence — completed in 2023 — features eight bedrooms and two bunkrooms. Over the last two years, the design-build team further developed the alpine retreat, adding nearly a dozen other structures, including an equestrian center and barn, an estate manager’s residence, and, the latest addition, a boathouse complete with three-story waterslides into the lake.

DeLeo & Fletcher sourced the chandelier adjacent to the stairway, which was designed to resemble floating feathers, from Fine Art Handcrafted Lighting.

“In the summertime, [the grandkids] just go off those waterslides for hours and hours and hours. In the wintertime, we have a sledding hill where I put in one of those magic carpet ski lifts, so even the youngest grandkids will get into the tube and sit down,” says the homeowner. “They play out there for hours. For hours! We also have a couple of dogs, and this is their happiest place on Earth. They run around and like to pretend they’re wolves. We honestly couldn’t be happier with the home.”

A rare fossilized triceratops skull in the front entry retained much of its original material during excavation. “Everyone likes to get the picture taken in front of the triceratops skull,” says the homeowner. In the background, a fossilized allosaurus marks the entrance to the homeowners’ wing.

DeLeo & Fletcher created this vanity from a single piece of natural stone, keeping with the theme of elevated natural forms.

When the homeowner began researching architects for his family escape, Locati Architects stood out for their reputation. He determined that Locati was “the best firm in the world at creating these truly great mountain estates. That is my honest opinion before hiring them, and it remains my opinion,” the homeowner says.

Founded in 1989 by senior partner Jerry Locati, the Bozeman-based firm is renowned for designing personalized mountain residences. Steve Locati, who joined his brother as a senior partner in 1991, says project architect Brian Tolstedt deserves credit for bringing this home to life. “Brian and I have worked almost hand in hand for 30-plus years, and he is a true talent. His fingerprints are everywhere on this design, and we couldn’t have done it without him,” says Steve.

Tucked away behind the kitchen is a butler’s pantry, ensuring that both beauty and functionality play a role in the main living areas.

The firm designed the home to stand up to the grandeur of the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The architectural scale matches the magnificence of the landscape, with towering ceilings, voluminous rooms, massive timber trusses, and floor-to-ceiling windows that dissolve the boundary between indoors and outdoors, ensuring nature is ever-present. “Everything from stone elements to the scale of windows to the timber truss sizes, and the timbers in each one of those trusses, is proportional,” Steve explains. “And that’s where the artistic elements of architecture come into play.”

Despite its impressive scale, the home remains warm and inviting. Dallas, Texas-based interior design firm DeLeo & Fletcher Design planned the interiors, selecting fabrics and finishes that balanced durability and functionality with beauty. Appropriately sized custom furnishings, natural textures, rich wood finishes, and layered textiles soften and balance each room.

In the primary bedroom, a floating chandelier that recalls precious minerals adds drama and ties in with the other natural history objects found throughout the home.

A standing tub bathed in natural light and outdoor views encourages relaxation.

“We played off of nature, making sure that the outdoors came into the interior space with organic textures and palettes that really complemented nature,” says Fran DeLeo, partner of DeLeo & Fletcher, adding that some of the light fixtures include aspen motifs or resemble floating feathers.

Natural history objects placed throughout the home demonstrate Mother Nature’s creativity. A rare, museum-quality fossilized triceratops skull, which was carefully excavated in eastern Montana for more than two years, greets visitors at the front entry; a fossilized allosaurus skull marks the entrance to the homeowners’ private wing. A woolly mammoth tusk and other objects reflect the homeowner’s fascination with Earth’s ancient eras. “The grandkids love dinosaurs, and I love dinosaurs,” the homeowner says, noting that some stone countertops are also embedded with fossils.

DeLeo & Fletcher, who have designed more than 10 residences for the homeowners over the years, incorporated a variety of organic textures in this powder room to play off the theme of nature.

While the home was designed for interaction, it also provides everyone with privacy when needed. The homeowners’ wing functions as a self-contained residence, complete with a bedroom suite, his-and-hers offices, a living room, a kitchen, a dining area, and a dedicated garage.

“When we open the doors, everyone knows we’re open for business,” says the homeowner. “When we close the doors, we’re away, and it’s quiet. We can sleep — it’s really great.”

This wing also includes a glass-enclosed lookout tower that Locati designed in homage to a U.S. Forest Service fire tower that was once on the property. The tower is the house’s highest point and serves as a peaceful retreat with a fireplace, comfortable seating, and a telescope for stargazing.

A standing tub bathed in natural light and outdoor views encourages relaxation.

A warm and inviting guest bedroom features earthy tones and outdoor views.

In the main living areas, clerestory windows bring light into the kitchen and dining room while an adjacent butler’s pantry adds functionality. A massive stone fireplace and a piano anchor the great room, with comfortable furnishings that offer plenty of space for relaxing or conversation. Additional recreational spaces include a theater and lower-level entertainment hub featuring a golf simulator, exercise room, billiards table, and climbing wall.

Locati and SBC have partnered on projects for more than 20 years, and Steve attributes the home’s craftsmanship to Chad Bottcher and his team of builders and subcontractors. Locally sourced stone, massive timber beams concealing 35 tons of steel, and expansive glass walls “give it a monastery-like permanence,” he says.

In the homeowner’s office, floor-to-ceiling glass walls bring the outdoors into the interior. “I do my best thinking and my best creative work here because it’s just so peaceful, so beautiful, so conducive to opening up your mind to the fullest extent that you can,” says the homeowner.

Beyond its beauty, the home serves its intended purpose of being lived in and shared. Instead of rare paintings, family photos fill the walls, and the great room’s massive fireplace mantel has enough space to hold everyone’s stocking at Christmastime. “There’s 28 of us, 29 including my elderly mother,” says the homeowner, “and everyone’s stocking hangs across the top of that fireplace. When we get everyone in there on Christmas morning, people feel like they belong.” 

The homeowner has built a few custom projects over the years, but there’s nothing he would change about this one, and he credits that success to Locati, SBC, and DeLeo & Fletcher. The property stands as a culmination of the design-build team’s careers — a home that is deeply meaningful to those who created it and those who live there. And, as far as the grandchildren are concerned, the homeowner says, “We’ve got a bunch arriving later today.”

Above the homeowner’s office, a lookout tower is a popular place of reprieve to watch the sun rise or set. It references a U.S. Forest Service fire tower that was once on the property.

When designing the home, the homeowner asked his grandchildren what activities they would enjoy most: At the top of their list was a climbing wall. Plenty of space for other activities — including a basketball court, golf simulator, and gym — helps keep this active family on the move.

Writer Christine Rogel is the editor-in-chief of Western Art & Architecture and the copy editor for Big Sky Journal. Her first book, a collection of New Mexico ghost and folklore stories, is available from Rowman & Littlefield; christinerogel.com.

Peter and Kelley Gibeon began their path of collaboration in 2003. Based in the Mountain West, this husband-and-wife duo specializes in luxury architectural and interior design photography. Featured in numerous publications, their passion for their clients and craft shines through in every frame.