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Single-level house with a stone base, dark wood siding and a heavy timber-frame entry, set in a clearing of trees

Custom homebuilder · Bozeman, Montana

Timber and stone homes, built to one price.

Six to eight custom homes a year in the Gallatin Valley and Big Sky. We design and build, or build from your architect's plans,, on a fixed-price contract.

Start a project See the homes
PicturedGallatin Canyon House, Big Sky4,600 sq ft · 6,180 ft
01Design-build 02Your architect's plans 03Remodels & additions 04General contracting

We build six to eight houses a year, so the owner walks every one of them every week, from the first stake to the last walkthrough.

Jesse Varga, owner and builder The ownerJesse VargaFramed houses in Bozeman for eight years before starting Larch & Lintel in 2012. Prices every job himself.Why we stay small
71
homes, additions and remodels since 2012
6to8
houses on the books in a year, never more
1
price, written into the contract before we dig
2
year warranty, with a visit at 11 months
Recent homes

Three recent homes,
inside and out

01 / 03 Drag, or let it run. Tap to pause.
Back of a stone and dark-wood house with a long deck above a walk-out lower levelDouglas fir timber-frame truss over the front entryStone patio with Adirondack chairs around a fire table below a tall window wall
01

Gallatin Canyon House

Design-buildSee all 8 photos
Sq ft
4,600
Beds
4
Elevation
6,180 ft
Build
15 mo
Done
2025
Black A-frame house with a standing-seam metal roof and a full-height glass gable among pinesGreat room under the A-frame with rattan pendants over the kitchen island and a wall of windowsOpen stair to the loft above a living room with a grey sectional
02

Hyalite A-Frame

Architect-ledSee all 8 photos
Sq ft
2,400
Beds
3 + loft
Elevation
5,420 ft
Build
11 mo
Done
2024
Flat-roofed two-story house in brick and dark panels standing in a grove of tall pinesTimber garden house with exposed trusses, a stone fireplace and a wall of glassSmall plunge pool in a timber room with a window onto the lawn
03

Gateway Pines House

Architect-ledSee all 8 photos
Sq ft
5,200
Beds
5
Elevation
4,980 ft
Build
17 mo
Done
2023
All work Every home, with its photos and numbers The homes
Ways to build with us

Bring land, a sketch or a full set of plans

Most of our work is new homes. We also take a few additions and whole-house remodels each year, and run jobs as general contractor for owners who manage their own design.

Our last 30 jobs
Design-build14
Architect-led9
Remodel / addition5
General contracting2
  1. 01

    Design-build

    Our designer draws the house with you and we price it as it's drawn, so the plans and the budget land together.

  2. 02

    Your architect's plans

    We join early, price the drawings at each stage and build exactly what your architect designed.

  3. 03

    Remodels & additions

    Great rooms, timber entries, a new wing on a house you already love. A few each year, same crew.

  4. 04

    General contracting

    You hold the design and the decisions. We run the schedule, the trades and the site.

How a build goes

First stake to keys, about 14 months

The whole process
Before you signDesign and price On siteAbout 14 months
  1. Week 1 to 2

    Site walk & budget

    We walk the land with you and send a cost range in writing within two weeks.

  2. 3 to 5 months

    Design & drawings

    Ours or your architect's, priced at schematic and again at final.

  3. Contract & permits

    One fixed price

    Every line priced, signed, and permits filed before we dig.

  4. Months 1 to 6

    Foundation & frame

    Ground breaks in spring, dried-in by late fall. Photos every Friday.

  5. Months 6 to 13

    Close-in & finish

    Stone, larch, cabinets, tile. A walkthrough with you each month.

  6. Month 14, then 2 yrs

    Keys & warranty

    Punch list done before keys. We come back at 11 months and again before year two ends.

The fixed price

One number, signed before we dig

We price every line of the drawings before you sign, with our own subs and real quotes. The number in the contract is the number you pay. It only moves when you change the house or we hit something nobody could see below grade, and every change is priced in writing before we do it.

Fixed

  • Labor, materials, subs and our fee
  • Permits, temporary power, cleanup
  • Weather delays and price rises after signing

Can move, only in writing

  • Changes you ask for
  • Allowances you choose to go over
  • Rock or water found below grade, priced before work

The price in the contract was the price we paid. We changed two windows and a fireplace surround, and each one came to us priced on one page before anybody touched it.

HomeownerGallatin Canyon House, finished 2025
Scheduling site starts for summer 2027

Have land, plans, or both?

Tell us where the land is and what you have so far. Jesse calls you back within two working days and walks the site with you, at no cost.

Start a project (406) 958-3172