Fortunately for the buyers at The Bungalows at Blackwood Groves, Bill Ramsey, principal at KTGY in Denver, loves the challenge of designing smaller homes, regardless of the price point.
“Price points in Bozeman have been going up so fast that we wanted these to work for first-time and move-up buyers,” Ramsey says, including those moving up in price but not size, as well as empty nesters downsizing.
To attract these various buyer profiles and match the house to its starting price of $875,000, Ramsey prioritized features such as an oversized kitchen island and a compartmentalized primary bathroom.
“Not everything can be big in a house this size, so we designed it with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with that second bathroom functioning as the guest powder room, as well,” he says.
The plan also features a laundry closet instead of a room, “But doing so allowed for a nicer primary suite and a larger kitchen,” he adds.
The Bungalows are single-level homes, which Ramsey says are easier to design because there’s no staircase to eat up square footage.
What matters most, however, is creating separation between private and public areas of the tightly sited homes; for instance, the primary suite is in its own quadrant to enable windows on two sides without sacrificing privacy. And each home has a covered patio and an elevation with enough interest to avoid being “a stucco box,” Ramsey says.
Project/Plan: The Bungalows, Plan 1 at Blackwood Groves
Award: Silver, Best Detached Production/Spec Home up to 2,000 sf
City, State: Bozeman, Mont.
Unit Size: 1,673 sf
Bedrooms/Bathrooms: 3/2
Price: From $875,000
Entrant/Architect/Land Planner: KTGY, Denver
Builder: Bridger Builders, Bozeman
Developer: Bridger Land Group, Bozeman
Landscape Architect: Design5, Bozeman
Photographers: Whitney Kamman; Derik Olsen
