The house that Ron built

By JODI HAUSEN Chronicle Staff Writer

GALLATIN GATEWAY - There’s not a single doorknob in Ron and Margaret Jarrett’s sod roof house in Gallatin Gateway.

That’s because when Ron Jarrett designed and built the house 27 years ago he opted to also design and install sliding wooden bars rather than knobs.

But that’s not all that Ron Jarrett built n the small log cabin is filled with fine-crafted furniture, leather crafts and woodcarvings made in his shop, which is actually larger than the 825-square-foot home.

Standing pretty much dead center in the cozy, open-concept cabin, Margaret Jarrett pointed in three directions, while turning to each saying, that’s the kitchen, that’s the living room, this is the dining room.

Off the main area is a bedroom, with a log-frame bed made by Ron and a bathroom.

And that’s pretty much it.

But it’s perfectly sufficient for them, they say.

Nearly 30 years ago on a trip through Montana, Ron saw two crumbling sod-roof log cabins in Sappington and it gave him an idea.

“When I built my house, I figured I’d replace them,” he said.

And he did. He built a low-profile sod-roof house that would take little away from the views on the Jarrett’s 10-acre parcel near the Gallatin River.

The sod roof turned out to be a great choice too, Ron said. The house stays naturally warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Two summers ago when there were 18 days of temperatures well above 100 degrees, the temperature inside the house never rose above 70, Ron said.

“I knew (the sod roof) was a great insulator but I didn’t realize how good it’d be,” he said.

Ron, a retired firefighter, and Margaret, who works for the physics department at Montana State University, met through a mutual friend in Gallatin Gateway 25 years ago and have been married for 18 years.

Ron, 71, a “surfer dude” from Southern California, learned to build furniture and upholster it while working with his father, who did it for a living. He came to Montana because “it was just getting a little bit crowded down there,” he said.

Margaret, 50, hails from Chicago and came here to work in Yellowstone National Park as a ranger in the 1980s, around the same time Ron moved to Gallatin Gateway. Since her work was seasonal, Margaret lived in Gallatin Gateway in the off-season.

When the two leave home to explore Montana several times a year, they take along their full-size, arched-roof, working replica of a sheepherder’s wagon.

Made by Ron, it is rustic, without a bathroom or running water. A tiny cast-iron woodstove in one corner complete with a copper hot-water reservoir offers a little comfort when needed. A double bed graces the front of the trailer.

Margaret said she really loves traveling with the wagon, despite its lack of modern-day amenities.

“I’ve spent years backpacking,” the former park ranger said. “That’s five-star. I don’t have to sleep on the ground. It’s cozy.”

The two-wheeled wagon-trailer is actually reminiscent of a boat cabin and that’s probably no mistake. The license plate is “S Africa,” but that has nothing to do with the country. It was named for Ron’s old California buddy, Spike Africa, a sea captain and “self-proclaimed president of the Pacific Ocean,” Ron said.

The wagon gets stares everywhere it goes, but the most unusual experience occurred when they stopped for gas in Whitehall and the owner of a motor home wanted to trade them on the spot.

The Jarretts declined.

“If I had the money, I could buy one of those,” Ron said. “But I can’t buy one of these.”

When asked why he’s inclined to do all this work by hand, Ron said, “I don’t know if I’m a cheapskate. I just know that if just take my time and build something right, I can get a better deal.”

But the real reason: “I get a lot of joy out of it.”

Jodi Hausen can be reached at jhausen@dailychronicle.com or 582-2630.

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