Western Montana Log Home/Hunting Cabin, 20 Wooded Acres Newly Remodeled Fully-Functional Log Cabin Off the Grid Start Price USD 237,000.00 Current Price USD 237,000.00 Time Left 10 days 22 hours 2 minutes Bid Count 7 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, June 10, 2008 End Time Monday, September 08, 2008 Location Potomac, MT See more about 'Western Montana Log Home/Hunting Cabin, 20 Wooded Acres' Description Beautiful, secluded 20 acre parcel with lots of mature trees and fully-functional, newly remodeled log cabin off the grid.  Only 30 miles from Missoula.  Very clean.  Included are two Onan generators, propane appliances, LG dishwasher, new flooring, and matching log bunkhouse.  Nice Christian neighbors.  Close to forest service land, great hunting, and state maintained snowmobile trail.  INTRO        The following information was written for anyone interested in purchasing our cozy little log cabin on 20 acres in the mountains of western Montana.  We (my wife and I) included lots of detailed descriptions about the house, the outbuildings, the water and septic systems, the electrical system, the surrounding area, and even the neighbors.  We thought this would be helpful when making a decision about buying a place.  Since we are sort of meticulous people, we wanted to share all the facts (good and not so good) in an honest way like we would want others to do for us.  For twenty years, we have truly enjoyed this little home in the woods, but have decided to sell it because of our need for a bigger house.  We have four children now, and also long to live closer to our extended families in Minnesota.  We hope our cute little log home in the woods might be just right for you!  HOUSE        With the help of some contractors and lots of expert advice, my wife and I built this log home about 17 years ago.  We cut down the lodgepole pine trees, peeled them by hand, and then notched them with a chainsaw.  The main structure is 25 ft. square with a loft over half (just under 1,000 square feet).  The house has one bathroom and the loft is generally considered one bedroom, but we easily fit three beds upstairs to accommodate our family (one queen and two twins.)  The doorway and the loft ceiling are a little short, so if you are over 6' tall, you may not appreciate the low clearance. The house has a metal roof and sits on a concrete foundation with a basement \ garage below.  The basement is framed in and insulated - complete with windows, lights, and outlets.  However, it has a dirt floor and no access from inside the house.  It's big enough to park a car in and works great for a storage or workshop area.   BATHROOM \ FLOORING        In 2006, we constructed a bathroom downstairs with log posts and tongue and groove walls.  We also installed a brand new pedestal sink, tile floor, toilet, and corner shower (sorry, no room for a bathtub).  We also had a new septic system installed (tank, drain field, and all plumbing).  Then in the spring of '07, we had new carpet installed upstairs and down, and put new glue-less laminate maple flooring in the kitchen and entry way.  The floors look awesome!  If someone looked hard, however, they might notice that the floor is not perfectly flat due to the imperfect log floor joists.  The thermo pane windows are hand-made and fit in with the rustic look, but aren't quite air tight.  APPLIANCES              Included with the house is a real nice LG dishwasher (model 7811), a very efficient Blaze King woodstove with a glass door, a propane Kenmore pilotless range, a Servel propane refrigerator/freezer, and a new Rheem 50 gallon hot water heater.  The appliances are all high end quality and work great.  The propane tanks are the 22 gallon portable cylinders because we can fill them for 99 cents a gallon if we haul them ourselves.  However, it would be easy to change over to a permanent style tank and have a gas company deliver if someone prefers.  WATER        The water source is a 95 ft. well which has clear, cold, mountain water.  It tastes great and doesn't leave any deposits like iron or minerals behind.  It's pumped out with a 1/2 horse submersible pump (powered by the generator) at ten gallons per minute to three thirty gallon water storage tanks in the basement.  From there the water is pumped throughout the house by a 12 volt on-demand pump.  This system works great and is superior to the conventional pressure tank system because we can use all 90 gallons of water at a time before having to start the generator again with the water pressure remaining consistent.  The drain pipes are conventional pvc, but the water supply lines are all rubber hose.  This has been wonderful because we can leave in the winter without heating the house and the water lines never break! (My own unique idea).  And just in case gas goes up to $20 a gallon, we installed an antique hand pump located directly above the well near the bunkhouse.  Looks country - works great.  The newest addition to our water system is a forest fire protection system consisting of two high quality brass sprinklers mounted on the roof of the house.  According to many professionals, this system has been proven to work (hopefully, it will never have to be used on this house!)  We have turned them on, and they do a great job of soaking the trees around the house.  It's another version of "fire insurance!"  ELECTRICAL        We are also including with the house two Onan brand generators.  One gasoline powered 5000 watt with electric start, and one 2500 watt diesel.  Both are mounted in a generator shed out back and run great.  The diesel is an older single cylinder which is a little noisy but runs about 24 hours on only five gallons of fuel.  The electricity runs to the house, the bunkhouse, and the well independently so that we can use generator or inverter power to supply each building as needed.  The inverter is powered by a battery bank in the basement. The house is actually wired with 12 volt lights and 110 volt lights, similar to an RV.  This way we can have lights even if the generator and inverter are turned off.  BUNKHOUSE        Just twenty feet from the door sits a matching log bunkhouse.  It's only 150 square ft. but is cute as a button.  Lots of people comment on the interior.  It has pine flooring, a tongue and groove ceiling, 12 volt and 110 volt lighting, and an insulated, matching brown metal roof.  It's heated with propane and has storage space underneath.  We can find only two drawbacks: 1) the thermo pane windows don't open, and 2) the building sits on cinder blocks instead of a permanent style foundation.  It works great as a guest bedroom or a separate room for older kids (like ours).  LAND       The 20 acres of timbered forest is mostly Douglas fir and Lodgepole pine.  Not so thick that you can't walk through it, but lots of trees naturally spaced with branches touching.  The lot is rectangular in shape and gently slopes, facing west.  It gets a lot of sunlight especially in the afternoon and evening, which is one of the reasons we preferred this piece over many other "valley" plots we had looked at.  Our land has an "on-top-of-the-mountain" feeling--yet gets very little wind because of the tall trees.       The elevation is 5,700 feet and overlooks the Potomac Valley about 1,200 feet below.  The potential for a fantastic, 180 degree view is there; it would just require many trees to be cut down - something I hesitated to do especially since they're somewhat difficult to put back if someone would rather keep them!       Another unique advantage of this piece of land is the abundant patches of huckleberry bushes.  All over our 20 acres grow wild huckleberries ready to pick and eat each July through August.  Our family can often get a gallon from a small area in about an hour!  If you haven't had huckleberries before, they're like a small, tangy blueberry--a real delicacy around Montana!  TREES         We had a professional from Pyramid Lumber (a local lumber mill) come out two years ago and give us ideas about thinning our 20 acres of trees.  "Thinning" was taking most of the mature trees which have peaked their growth cycle.  The process would help the other trees grow faster and healthier and would tend to give a more "park-like" appearance instead of forest.  The mill would pay about $30,000 for the timber.  I hesitated to thin it, because I wasn't sure if someone buying it would want it thinned or "thicked."  Anyway, the price of the property is partially reflecting this value as marketable timber.  Also, this "thinning" process could be repeated about every 30 years at the rate the forest is growing now-a potential "tree farm" if someone preferred.       The trees are of various sizes ranging from seedlings to about 20 inches in diameter.  Just in the past few years, we’ve seen a type of pine beetle enter the area which has killed some of the lodgepole trees.  We took out some of them, but others have signs of beetle hits and will probably die soon.  This is not a serious issue, however, since it has only gotten about 20% of the lodgepole, and the lodgepole is only about 15% of the forest.  If my math is right, only a total of 3% of our trees have been hit, and it will not affect the Douglas fir trees since the pine beetle will not attack any type of fir.  At a glance, the forest looks healthy and full.  WILDLIFE \ RECREATION        Wildlife of many kinds roams freely through the area.  Whitetail and mule deer are seen regularly, and even elk herds are found on occasion.  Other animals such as bobcat, coyotes, cougars, and bear are around, but are seldom seen.  Incredible hunting opportunities are right outside the door.           Our property is located only 1\4 mile from state and national forest land.  You can go hiking, mountain biking, or four wheeling for hours without ever seeing any sign of civilization.  In the winter, the main road is groomed for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.  Miles of endless old logging roads paved with fluffy mountain snow (sometimes a few feet deep) makes winter our favorite season.  We simply step out our door into "opportunity land!"    WINTER ACCESS        Probably the biggest hurdle for anyone wanting a year-round residence is the winter access.  The Garnet Range road is groomed for recreation from January 1st through March, and so an alternative road must be used.  It's best suited for four wheel drive vehicles or trucks with chains.  All the neighbors usually pitch in to keep it plowed, but there are times during heavy snows when even a four wheel drive has had difficulties.  Therefore, snowmobiles are a good idea to have around.  We've found snowmobiling five miles up and down the mountain to be quite enjoyable even when going to work everyday.  We park our vehicles at the parking lot near the highway, and then snowmobile the rest of the way home.  We have two reliable Polaris Indy 500 snowmobiles and a cargo sled which we will consider selling with the property.  MISSOULA        The property is located just 32 miles from Missoula--a fast growing university town of about 80,000.  It has great shopping places like Wal-mart, Target, Costco, and the Southgate Mall as well as many other amenities and entertainment opportunities.        The drive to Missoula is only two miles of gravel and then beautiful mountain roads and highways that snake along the Blackfoot River--a great place to float or fly fish.  We never get tired of the drive.  NEIGHBORS        The neighbors we have up here are all wonderful people--very honest and helpful.  Our house is situated so that we can not see anyone else's house from our place, but they're close enough if you need a hand with something.  All in all, our land is a very quiet, peaceful place to be.   ANNUAL EXPENSES   2007 Taxes: $472.82   Propane: $250.00   Generator Gas: $540.00 (at $3.50 a gallon)   Snow Plowing (optional): $150.00 CONCLUSION        Well, we hope this has been helpful. This house and property are also listed on the MLS with By Owner Real Estate (MLS# 804217). If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 406-360-9977.  We'd be glad to talk or set up a time to show it to you.                                                                          Joe and Jana (owners)    Place a Bid!