My wife and I (and baby by the time we move) will be moving to the area in hopefully Jan or Feb. Moving during winter doesn't concern me at all (lived in CO for 12 years until a year and a half ago). We will likely rent for the first year assuming we can find a place that will let us have dogs, then build hopefully next summer. I am hoping certain materials will come down in pricing, but either way I am beginning to build my budget to see if it is possible. I am a PM for a GC and we do a lot of work for the NPS in the Intermountain Region. We've done work at Glacier in the last year and were just awarded another. I've got several good subs I already have relationships with, but several that are commercial construction only. My wife's cousin is a realtor in Bigfork, but he doesn't seem to know many subs. Does anyone have residential recommendations for dirt work & utilities, concrete, framing, drywall, and possibly plumbing?  

On another Note, I am used to being surrounded by BLM for shooting and recreation. There is obviously a ton of National Forest up there, but not BLM. What is the shooting community like? Do most people join a range or go into NF to shoot? Western Colorado had ranges and matches, but nothing like what I've gotten accustomed to here in the Phoenix area. I did a little searching online and saw at least one range hosts IDPA. I am hoping to get involved somewhere and possibly start an Action 2 Gun match if people are interested.

Thanks in advance!

ETA: We are going to put building or buying on the back burner for now. We listed our house for sale a week ago today and had a contract in 2 days. Managed to get a rental locked in yesterday and we will be up there in early January!

As you have probably gathered, it's a pretty rough time to build in the Flathead.  Everybody in the building industry is extremely busy.  We built 4 years ago, so my info is dated.

For dirt work / septic / drain field we went with B&F Excavating in Columbia Falls; super good guy, worked fast and was reasonable.

I live next to the owner of Bighorn Plumbing; he's a good dude, and I've heard good things about his work; I haven't had him do anything for me, but plan to if needed.

For heating, I would go to Performance Heating and Air; I know one of the owners, and he's a good guy.  He's done work for several people I know, and it's all been well done.

I don't have anybody to recommend for concrete; the sub that did ours was okay...

Our framer was David Wells; I would highly recommend him; but he might be generalling some projects now.


It would be sweet if you could get 2 gun going up here.  I know the guy that runs some of the shoots down in Bigfork, and it's probably something that's on his radar.  Bigfork just re did a bunch of bays; from watching the 2G matches on inRange, the facility would not accommodate that number of stages with those type ranges, but some permutation may be possible.

A lot of people join ranges, and a lot just go up into the USFS and shoot in the woods.  There are a couple power line cuts that allow shooting to 1000-1200 yards; of course, if you go east, you can shoot as far as you want.

Thanks for the reply and information on subs! I will look into them!

Building anywhere is tough right now. A 2x4 was $2.40 in February and it is $6 today. The skilled labor and even unskilled labor pools are pretty empty too so nobody can find help.

Thanks for the info on shooting too. I haven't made it to Tucson's 2 gun match, but the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club match uses the same rules. It only has 4 stages with the longest stage being 200 yards. It is a ton of fun though!

For "dirt work" my go to guy will always be Jim Cameron of On Track Excavation.  A great guy to work with, very reasonable, and incredibly precise.  From a small amount of work he's done for me, and the major jobs I've seen him do for others, I've dubbed him "The dirt surgeon".

As for ranges, I've been a member of the Bigfork Gun Club for years.  I really like the place.  I'm also joining the Northwest Montana Arms Collectors Association, so I can use their indoor range when the real cold sets in.

Awesome, thanks for the information!

Updated OP. We are officially moving in early January!

My family will be following within a few months. Targeting our house (8 miles from where St. George Floyd died) to be on the market in April.

Nice! I hope it works out well for you. The market in the greater Phoenix area is insane. We had 3 over asking offers in 48 hours. My in-laws are supposed to be following us out with a similar timeline to you. I am hoping the market holds for several more months!

Our realtor seems to think our current house will be on the market for approximately 5 minutes and will go for above asking

We're out of the "hot zone" in a "nice" suburb....that saw BLM protests all summer long.

Relative to Minneapolis proper however, we're in a very desirable neighborhood and school district.

We'll be bringing a family full of hardcore conservative values to the Flathead.   It's crystal clear that we're no longer welcome in or around the Twin Cities.

Sounds like it should work out! I visited a childhood friend there in 2015 and had a bunch of fun going to breweries and eateries. You could definitely feel the liberal vibe there though.

Welcome!

Holler if you have any questions about the area..IM me

I have an FFL...free of charge if it helps your logistics...just give me a good heads up...I work a lot, so have to coordinate shipments

Good to know! That's also awesome of you!

Getting ready!

Arrived late Friday after a few days of driving with an infant and dogs! Things will be a bit crazy for us as we get settled in over the next few weeks, but I will definitely be down to meet up and start getting to know some folks.

Let me know if you need a hand with anything and welcome to the valley.

Thanks for the offer!

Like Ed said, if you need some help or some networking around the valley.  Give me a shout.  Welcome "Home"!

Thanks!