Construction took about two and a half years, after which Heily was able to begin hosting guests. Much of the outdoors was left wild, Heily says, but “we’ve got an 18-hole putting green; we’ve got skeet shooting; five tee areas so you can go hit golf balls; or you could go down the river and, in an hour, catch at least six or seven fish.”

The stretch of Ruby River on which the house sits has large brown trout and rainbows; there’s also a 1.25 mile stretch of Clear Creek, accessed via the property and off-limits to the public. Additionally, two man-made ponds next to the house are stocked with fish.

The House
The house itself has 7,000 square feet of indoor space and an additional 3,000 square feet of deck and porch space.

There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms (including a large master suite), though most of the house is given over to entertaining spaces.

An open-plan kitchen and breakfast room stands next to a sunken bar at which the bartender works at eye-level with seated guests. “If I’m pouring someone a cocktail or a glass of wine, I want to be able to look them in the eye,” Heily explains. “You can have an easier dialogue than if you’re towering over them.”

Everything in the house, he says, was designed with comfort in mind. “You can see it’s all well-balanced,” he says. “The whole idea is that you’re in Montana. Things have utility, they’re not fragile. This is not a fragile house.”

It is, however, a glassy one.

Much of the building’s exterior walls are composed of floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests in the living room enjoy an expansive view of the Ruby Mountains “reflecting in the sun,” Heily says. “It’s just magic.”

Happy To Sell
Heily says that he and his wife are happy to sell.

“Having someone else have an opportunity to be in that home would be a great reward for all the time and energy that went into it,” he says. “When you’re asking the kind of price we are, we are obviously dealing with a select group of folks, but if it weren’t to sell, it wouldn’t be a burden. Nor would it be something we’re disappointed in.”