Long-Distance Relationships

Creating these comfortable, laid-back homes can be a deceptively stressful experience, their designers note. First, from a planning standpoint, the lots often are challenging. As DeReuss points out, the high demand for access to water and views means building sites can be both expensive and narrow, so architects have to be creative to make the most of the scenery while also protecting privacy.

Also, in many cases designers and builders are working with either clients or design professionals from other states. This forces the team to create — and stick to — communication plans. It also can require educating both clients and remote building team members about local codes and practices that may differ from what they’re used to.

For Scott, this can mean bringing Midwestern architects up to speed on Montana’s seismic codes and roof-load requirements in a location where annual snowfall averages 400 ft. For Pickartz, working successfully with out-of-state clients means creating a foundation of trust with prospective home buyers. The Internet can help with communications — her company uses an FTP site to move plans and images back and forth — but an e-mailed site photo still isn’t the same as a personal visit.

“It is difficult — they rely on us more heavily,” she says. “I think a homeowner needs to have a more trusting relationship because decisions will be made based on conversations instead of look/touch/feel.”

Patience becomes a key factor in success when long distances are involved, say both Pickartz and Scott. Pickartz — whose clients often see their new vacation homes as future full-time residences once they hit retirement — sometimes finds it necessary to slow down enthusiastic clients who are in a rush to make decisions. And Scott finds patience equally critical to the success of his own operations, in which keeping current clients happy often leads to more business down the road.

“That’s why we only take on two to three projects a year,” he says. “With these houses, you can’t be in a rush to get things done. When we walk away from [a finished project], we want it to be 100 percent successful. In the small community we’re in, the biggest marketing factor is word-of-mouth.”