An Artisan Builder Creates Old World Opulence
Text by Heather Bode | Photography by James Ridle
Home owner Terry Johnson’s life reads like a Western narrative: log cabins and agriculture. Growing up on two small ranches homesteaded by his grandfathers outside of Deer Lodge, Johnson says, “It’s rough terrain over there. But I had agriculture in my fingers early on.” As a child, he grew vegetables, participated in 4-H, and raised hogs and chickens. Eventually, his family donated one of the family’s original log cabins to the Deer Lodge Historical Museum.
Upon moving to Helena to work for the state in the 70’s, Johnson bought an old brick house in the valley and continued growing vegetables to sell at the Helena Farmers Market each weekend. Fast forward 40 years and you’ll still find Johnson gardening in the valley, but a few things have changed. The garden has morphed into Johnson’s Nursery and the old brick house has been replaced by one of the most well-known homes in the valley. Johnson’s wife, Lisa, admits the new house was her idea. “It was my dream house. I always wanted something rustic, something that’s looked like it’s been here 100 years.”
Lisa Johnson says she found their builder, Bob Andersen, online. After contacting him and arranging to see some houses he’d completed, the Johnsons drove up to view one built on Jack Mountain where Lisa said, “That’s it! That’s the one I want!” They were sold before they even set foot inside.
Decadent Design
Andersen comes with his own unique background. His career in construction dates back to his high school days, but art stimulated him in a way construction didn’t. For a time, he was a full-time wildlife artist specializing in sculpting birds of prey and songbirds. “The bird sculpting got me some pretty decent clients because they saw some artistic ability in me. I built some nicer houses in Washington for several years before moving here 21 years ago,” says Andersen. Today, Andersen melds his artistry within his construction process adding flair to custom homes.
Creativity is crucial for Andersen. “I get excited about doing something difficult- like a stairway nobody can quite figure out and I have fun with it,” he says. What was difficult about the Johnson house? “The majority of our houses are in remote locations…some even built off the grid. My strongest point is house placement. But this house was in a flat field. That was probably my biggest challenge because we were trying to make it look like the house belonged.”
To achieve the 100-year-old look Lisa desired, Andersen used a combination of board and batten, chinked logs, and rock on the exterior. “The old farmhouses look a little cobbled together. They had a child and built an addition. The use of different exterior surfaces is meant to mimic that effect,” says Andersen. Adding to the aged look of the house is the rusted roof. Don’t let the rust fool you. “It’s heavy gauge steel,” says Andersen, “It rusts to a point where it gets a patina and then it stops. It builds its own protection over it. So it’s a 40 or 50-year roof.”
Decadent Design
The interior of this 5,000 square foot house boasts 4 bedrooms, 4 and ½ baths, a wine cellar with an adjoining tasting room, mudroom, and theater. Andersen uses local materials as much as possible. He gets his lumber (knotty alder in the Johnson house) from Marks Lumber in Clancy. “All the floors were from Marks Lumber. The beams were cut and dried at Marks Lumber and that had to be planned way ahead of time to give them time to dry,” adds Terry Johnson, “I’ll never forget the day they put those two beams in. They built them on the floor and had a great big crane brought in to hoist the beams up. Living on-site in the brick house allowed me to see much of the process.”
“There were usually only two or three workers here. I was surprised they built this whole house in 8-9 months,” adds Lisa.
Aside from the beams, Andersen mills the lumber on-site. This allows him and his small crew to create a custom look that is timeless and traditional. He says, “We’ll go to old places like the Copper King Mansion and it’s fun because we take ideas from these old buildings. We try to bring a little of the old opulence into today’s homes. Even old farmhouses in the Midwest have fancy head-trims and crown molding. We try to build traditional so it never goes out of style.”
To get a glimpse of Andersen’s artistic skills, the Johnsons point out the fireplace mantle which is a gigantic glossy log jutting out from the face of the stone. “The mantle is made from wood Bob found up around where he was living. It wraps around the fireplace,” says Terry. The interior tasting room doors are Bob Andersen’s original work as are the exterior garage doors. “We said we preferred a curved walk to the front door instead of a straight one, and voila, Bob did it,” adds Lisa.
The same year construction was completed, The Johnson home was featured on Helena’s annual Parade of Homes. “First, the builders came through. Then busloads of people came through. Since we couldn’t be in the house, we set up a vegetable stand outside. We figured, ‘Why not?!’” says Terry Johnson. In addition to winning the People’s Choice Award, the home received top honors in every category. Lisa Johnson says, “I think it’s the whole package: the hayfield, the landscaping, and the nursery as a setting. Plus, Bob is an amazing artist and he really pays attention to detail.”
Visit Bob Andersen’s website: andersenartisan.com
