About Mark

I'm Mark, and I've spent the last 32 years building — across North Idaho, Eastern Washington, Southern California, and now here in Polson, where I live on the Flathead Reservation. I came up doing it all: framing, drywall, finish carpentry, custom woodwork. These days, Montana Timbercraft is where that experience goes to work for you.

A Project That Tested Everything I Know

One of the most demanding projects I've led was a boathouse addition on Flathead Lake — built to house two boats worth more than most houses, plus a custom bar the owner called "High Performance Headquarters."

I started that job as the new guy. By the first job walk, the general contractor's lead carpenter had walked off the project entirely, and I ended up the de facto lead. There were no plans. I designed the whole thing on-site, working directly with the homeowner as his vision evolved — reframing more than once as the details changed.

The hardest problem was the roof. The addition had to tie seamlessly into the existing boathouse, then extend further to absorb the roof of an old cabin on the property — all as one continuous ridgeline, as if the whole thing had been designed together from day one. It hadn't been. It came together a piece at a time, including a 40-foot timber truss, several staircases, and a timber-framed deck I designed and built myself.

When it was finished, it looked like one building. That's the job.

Background

I spent time at Washington State University studying architecture, where I learned to draft — a skill that's paid off more in the field than any classroom ever could. In 2006, I designed and drew the plans for a home addition in Spokane Valley, WA, and submitted them myself to the city's building department. I still have the original drawings.

Before the Tools Came Back Out for Construction

For the past year, I've been building custom furniture — Shaker and farmhouse-style pieces sold across the country, with a 4.9-star rating and 60 pieces sold. Same hands, same standards, just a different scale of project.

See the Shop on Etsy

What I Do Now

Montana Timbercraft handles finish carpentry, custom cabinetry, kitchen and bath remodels, decks, additions, and window & door replacement throughout the Polson area — bringing the same care to a stair rail or a built-in that I brought to that boathouse roofline.