The quality team of artisans who are capable of working together with focus and keen attention to detail help define the foundation of Brad Reedstrom and Andy Fischer’s custom home building business, Bigfork Builders, Inc. The Bigfork Builders team is celebrating their twenty-first year of doing business in the Flathead Valley area of Montana this year and their passionate commitment to excellence continues to show in the work that they do.
By Alethea Schaus / PHOTOS Heidi Long
Brad and Andy’s vision, and their unwavering commitment to building remarkable custom homes, has helped to ensure a quality experience for their discerning clientele throughout the Flathead Valley. The satisfaction and perspective of three such homeowners illustrates the degree of their team’s dedication.
Greg and Doreen Thigpen hired Bigfork Builders to construct their custom home near Flathead Lake in western Montana and the project is an excellent example of the company’s team-centered building approach. Being a custom furniture maker himself, Greg chose to interview several local firms before hiring Reedstrom and Fischer to build his home. Quality was very important to the Thigpen’s and the Bigfork Builders team worked hand in hand with Whitefish, Montana based architect, Richard Smith, to ensure that their expectations were met and exceeded.
“We were going to build a timber frame hybrid, so I asked Centennial Timber Frames of Kalispell to recommend three builders and three local architects. They recommended Bigfork Builders and architect, Richard Smith, who were coincidently building a home together near our property at the time. Before the interview process was even complete, I was convinced that they could walk on water and that certainly proved to be the case,” says Greg Thigpen. “The Bigfork Builders team was able to do just about anything we asked them to. Brad and Andy both have construction related degrees and extensive experience managing their own company, as well as building experience with a custom homebuilder from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They were extraordinarily easy to work with and it impressed us that they used their own crew for most of the work. There was just nothing they could not do. Our home was in the Flathead Builders Association Parade of Homes several years ago and it has also been featured in a regional magazine as the publication’s Pick of the Year for Best Construction Quality.”
Energy efficiency was very important to Pat and Mac Binger, who also chose Bigfork Builders for their custom home project. Their 7,000-square-foot home is another great example of a team-based effort with local architect, Richard Smith. The Binger’s home, which is also located near Flathead Lake, included new window technology from Germany and a ground source heating and cooling system. Bigfork Builders was involved in detailing the wall assemblies, specifying the materials to be used, and also coordinated the construction and insulation details in order to achieve the system performance the Binger’s desired. The home was tested by Energetechs, Inc. of Missoula, Montana following completion and was rated among the best homes ever tested. Wood from an existing barn on the property; which was used by the first horse trader in the Flathead Valley in the 1800’s, was utilized for the timber framing on the home.
“We enjoyed working with Brad and Andy every step of the way”, says Mac Binger. “From start to finish, and from cost projections to the building process itself, we had their full cooperation. Our questions were always answered in a timely manner, the craftsmanship was superb, they never cut corners, and they worked hard to please us at all times. We are going into our third year of living here and we are still very pleased.”
Communication and trust were paramount for Rick and Sue Williams, who lived out-of-state during the construction of their custom home. Their high-elevation, ski-in/out home, which is located near Whitefish, Montana, required an energy efficient, low-maintenance design. The Bigfork Builders team worked with Whitefish, Montana based architect, Rich Graves, to achieve the William’s construction goals for the home, which was built at an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet above sea level. The systems for selection schedules, timelines, job reports, progress photos, walk-through meetings, and the constructed samples that were mailed for our approval needed to be efficient, accurate, and consistent’, says Sue Williams. “We really appreciated the team’s organizational skills, their attention to detail, and the quality that was obvious in everything they did. “It was nice working with a builder of that size, as opposed to a larger one with too many competing projects. Brad and Andy were great to work with and we would highly recommend them to anyone.”
“We also appreciated the small crew that was on-site consistently to work on all of the details,” says Rick Williams. “As a homeowner, you can be as involved as you want in the process and when we were town we would go on-site regularly. The Bigfork Builders team was always very receptive to any changes we suggested, which made the process a livable one for us. They always made it happen.”
Bigfork Builders, Inc. has created award-winning and enduring custom homes within the Flathead Valley of Montana since 1992. Brad Reedstrom and Andy Fischer continue to lead their team with their initial vision, as they integrate fresh knowledge, experience, materials and technology into every custom home they build. Discerning homeowners who seek an inspired and integrated home-building experience will continue to look to Bigfork Builders as their team of choice.
