ANACONDA RESIDENCE

Anaconda is a different problem entirely. The site is a steep hillside above the valley, with views worth fighting for and a snow load that won't forgive a roof that isn't built for it. The Anaconda Residence is a two-story home that faces the grade head-on rather than carving out a flat pad to sit on - the building steps with the hill, anchored into it on the uphill side and cantilevering out toward the valley on the other, so the steepest part of the site becomes the best part of the house instead of the part you build around.

Structure and shelter are the same conversation here. Deep overhangs and exposed timber beams are sized for heavy mountain snow loads, which also meant sequencing construction around a real winter rather than an idealized one. The south-facing glazing is doing double duty - framing the valley and pulling in passive solar gain through the cold months. Shou Sugi Ban siding and exposed timber were chosen less for how they look on day one than for how they'll look after a few Montana winters: weathering alongside the pines instead of standing apart from them.

The plan follows the slope. Primary living spaces and the primary suite sit on the upper level, where the views and the light are best; a home office and gym tuck above the garage, looking out over the main roof toward the peaks. The lower level is set into the hillside - guest rooms, an entertainment space, and a wine cellar, daylit toward the yard rather than buried. A cantilevered balcony off the main level pushes the living space out over the slope, which is about as close as you can get to standing in the landscape without leaving the house.