Craig Denman builds among the clear blue lakes and fresh mountain air of Whitefish, Mont., just west of Glacier National Park. “Our clients want to feel like they're sitting in the mountains,” he says. “There are some very refined spaces [in our houses], but it all looks like it could have been there for a hundred years.” About three-quarters of the homes he builds loosely follow a style he calls “rustic elegance,” using lots of stone and recycled timber. Usually the stone is quarried locally, while Denman and his staff salvage the timber from sources as varied as a defunct gold mine in Montana, an old pier in Oregon, and a former cannery in Alaska. His company has its own mill, so it can turn timbers into flooring, siding, or anything else it fancies. And it makes all its own interior doors, trim, and specialty cabinetry at an in-house woodworking shop. “We don't compete well on the kitchen cabinetry, so we subcontract that out,” he says. “But we do all the cabinetry for special spaces like home theaters and wine rooms.”
Denman studied architecture and engineering in college and worked as a draftsman for a year. He designs some of his projects himself, while on others he works with an architect. He's forged an unusual relationship with a handful of local architects, enjoying much more design input than a typical contractor. “It's more of a partnership,” he says. “They know I'm really creative. They've brought me customers, and I bring customers to them.” No matter what house style he's designing or building, he tries to keep the detailing true to the overall architectural vision. “I want things to be consistent,” he says. Maybe it's part of his DNA: His father was a builder and cabinetmaker, and son Travis just completed a master's degree in architecture.
Denman Construction, Whitefish, Mont.
www.denmanconstruction.com
Type of business: general contractor
Years in business: 28
Employees: 32
2004 volume: $7 million
2004 starts: 5
