Conner Cabin from the bridge
Major remodeling along with addition of the adjacent lot to our lease transformed this river-front home into a real find.
I published many posts including pictures taken in our yard under the heading “Post Card From Conner“. That is what living here is like.
looking upstream from the front lawn
Four seasons in a location many spend extravagantly to visit on their vacations. Fishermen float by our front lawn in $900 per-day guided trips.
The prior owner and I discovered the same “thinking rock” on the river bank. You might too.
We added propane service and a gas range. I use an additional gas outlet to roast my own coffee every week. You might use it for outdoor barbeque. The 250-gallon tank filled to 80% (normal maximum) a year ago is now at 70%.
looking at the cabin from the riverside yard
The 21-foot by 8-foot additional studio has a modern, high-efficiency, clean-burn wood stove that keeps the whole home toasty without kicking on the programmable electric central heating system.
With well-insulated 2×6 construction throughout, it only takes a cord-and-a-half to keep us warm. The woodshed is built for worst-case scenario holding over 3 cords when full.
Another part of that addition is an enclosed, lockable storage, shop space, entry-way that uses the same key as the house.
shop space – facing the river side
We removed a massive cottonwood tree from the entry way and laid down three truckloads of gravel, sculpting it for nice parking and easy winter maintenance. That, along with the addition of a carport make it particularly nice for one of our cars year-round. (My wife gets the carport while I use a car cover.)
Storage – oh-my-gosh! I am the shelf master. My engineering is famously STRONG, I am quite clever about efficiently using the spaces, and I love natural wood finishes. Nearly all of the resulting built-in shelving stays with the house.
Studio space facing the river
Let’s go inside, shall we?
As mentioned above, I roast my own coffee, I also play trombone, am a Ham radio operator, reload my own ammo, read and write a lot, and all that fits into my studio, along with our woodstove and fuel for it. Normal people will probably furnish the space a little looser, but this works well for me.
The studio attaches where the front door and two south windows used to be. They are fully open to the main living space to share the heat and cool between them.
living room facing the river
This is the view that sold the house to me. The windows when I saw it had plastic grid and cross pieces. We replaced them with clear, plain glass to accentuate The Bitterroot River right outside our window. Oh yeah, I play bass too.
We replaced the electric range with gas, and put in a new, modern, versatile kitchen faucet. I, naturally, squeezed a mug rack and phone shelf into space begging to be better utilized. Again, little shelves and pine-fir-oak natural-wood shelves are in every room.
hall on left, kitchen and dining area
The bathroom also houses a stacked washer/drier that surprised us with their good full-load capacity. The smaller bedroom houses a twin bed, desk and night stands.
The master bedroom accommodates our queen bed, dresser and corner units comfortably.
After the last neighbors moved out a year ago, we began renting the lot next door – the only other one with river frontage. I landscaped with chips, a sand bocci court, mulched and seeded the rest. It recovered into a nice park-like setting that makes a gorgeous yard.
adjacent lot looking downstream
Needless to say, we have truly enjoyed our time here and know someone else will too.
Listing information:
145 Conner Cutoff Rd, Conner, MT 59827
2 beds 1 bath 756 sqft
For Sale
$62,500
LOCATED IN CONNER TRAILER PARK, LEASED LOTS, LOT 9 RENTS FOR $200 PER MONTH. LOT 8 RENTS FOR $225 PER MONTH AND IS OPTIONAL TO RETAIN. RENT INCLUDES: WATER AND SEWER. ADDITION ATTACHED TO HOME INCLUDES 8 X 21 OFFICE PLUS 14 X 21 & 14 X 8 STORAGE AND MUD ROOM. INSULATED CRAWLSPACE PROVIDES ADDITIONAL STORAGE. STORAGE SHED ATTACHED.
