Greg Bain and Company remodel breathes new life into home

Location inspires renovation

When a couple from Houston found an older home on a hill overlooking Foys Lake in the Flathead Valley, they knew the location was spectacular and imagined the home just needed some remodeling.

After meeting with Greg Bain & Company, their vision was enlightened. Greg Bain, owner of Greg Bain & Company, walked through the home and listened to the clients explain that this would be their final and ultimate home into their retirement. “I saw fantastic potential," Bain says.

Indeed, the layout and remodel that Bain brought to life with the owners became a custom home beyond all potential the clients ever imagined.  Bain’s model for working with clients starts with personal time and attention that often includes walking through other homes he has built that gives clients new ideas and a feel for details they might want to incorporate into their project. He believes it makes all the difference to be able to physically see and feel materials, color schemes, and spaces to make decisions about what are the best directions for each unique client’s taste.

This is why the office at Greg Bain & Company has many examples of materials, photos of previous projects on the walls, and even samples of unique building methods he has created like faux distressed beams to give clients all the tools possible to make these important decisions. Bain has been building in the Flathead Valley for  40 years. Greg and his son Matt are a perfectly balanced combination of artistic designers, craftsman, general contractors, and keen businessmen with a passion for delivering the perfect home to their clients. They accomplish this by using exceptional organization and creativity while paying scrupulous attention to their client’s budget concerns.

The home at Foys Lake was carefully planned to meet a multitude of lifestyle needs for the couple, which called for a complete demolition and remodeling of the inside of the home. New spaces were created including a library nook in the bedroom for reading before retiring, an ample kitchen and large dining area for entertaining, and a custom designed “adults” bunkroom downstairs with bunk beds large enough for groups of fishing buddies, or a lady’s ski weekend group. A wine grotto downstairs near the entertainment room allows for these groups to gather.

The view from the great room sweeps down from the large descending lawn to the serenity of the lake, and then rolls beyond to a vision of the entire city of Kalispell and mountain ranges in the distance.
Bain knew this view was a central gem of the home, and so created a dramatic double arch to frame that space, starting with an arch at the entrance, carried through the great room with complimenting exposed beams, and matched with the same arch around the great room window. While this effect underscores a sense of grandeur, every part of the home exudes a feel of warmth and comfort. The color scheme plays soft, creamy suede-look faux finished walls off of strong, substantial dark wood beams throughout.

The beams are a solid-look distressed created structure, made from three sides and then carved and treated to look exactly like solid beams. This technique is one of Bain’s signature craftsmen inventions that allows for a more cost efficient way of having this detail more extensively throughout the home.
In the kitchen, Bain collaborated with the owner and interior designer to create a luxurious space with a grey and bronze veined extra thick granite island from Brazil, which can be warmed with the touch of a switch. The owners and their guests can enjoy the warmth of the counter as they sit with their coffee, or meal. Other extraordinary details include the custom-made circle sawn dresser in the bunkroom that is built into the wall, inlays of dark wood above the ceiling fans, and a built-in bookshelf for the library nook. The master bedroom shower is a work of art on its own, with three glass walls framed in knotty Alder that have a view of the lake, and travertine tile walls with a granite inlay.

One of the truly extraordinary aspects about the homes Greg and Matt Bain design and build, in addition to their beauty, is their organization and timing. This particular project was done start to finish in five months. The owner, who has been through the process of building many homes, says, “I would build a hundred homes with Greg Bain & Company.”

They accomplish this by always keeping the owners apprised of everything, hiring the best subcontractors in the area, and doubling up on man power when needed. “The way we challenge the accepted protocol is by creatively designing one of a kind, beautiful heirloom homes, in a customer friendly way, and delivering a flawless product within an accelerated schedule,” explains Bain.   
“It is like conducting a symphony,” he says, “everyone comes in at exactly the right time, and everyone plays their part seamlessly.”  •