The improvements on the Elk Basin Ranch are accommodating, convenient and in excellent condition for a ranch of this type, without being either “over the top” or insufficient in any way. The homes on the ranch number two, each with three bedrooms and two baths - one newer and modern, the other partially remodeled. The improvements on the ranch are all located in the northern shared corner of Sections 25 and 26.
The Main House: This is a two-level home of 2,040± square feet of living area, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was originally built in 1997 and then remodeled extensively in 2011 for energy efficiency, simplicity, and beauty. The first floor contains a mudroom, a great room which incorporates the kitchen/dining area, bedroom, bath, and a large office. The lower level has two bedrooms, one bath, a family room, work area, and storage closets.
Details and Finishes: House exterior is rusted metal and Douglas fir, for minimal to no maintenance. The deck is 16’ x 16’, constructed with pressure-treated framing, and composite decking and rails. The roofing is the long-lasting variety of asphalt shingles. Solar panel brackets are present on the garage roof for future installation of solar. The rain gutters are no-seam aluminum.
The attached two-car garage is insulated, has a welding outlet, and is wired for a backup generator (propane powered) with the propane tank line already run to the outside location for the generator.
Kitchen Area: Cabinets are solid hickory with upgraded hardware and granite countertops. Custom tilework is in the stove area and borders above the granite counters. There is a custom large island with reclaimed bowling alley hard maple working top and cabinets below. There is a large walk-in dry goods storage room on the lower level, along with a large walk-in cedar closet next to it.
Flooring is half-inch red oak, and the bathrooms have Marmoleum, an environmentally healthy product. The first-floor bathroom has a raised toilet, claw-foot tub, extra-large marble tile shower, and marble vanity counter.
Wood trim throughout the house is Heart Pine, which was reclaimed from a warehouse in Chicago, the same source as the large structural beams in the great room/kitchen area.
A central-air handler system allows for management of fresh air throughout the house. The most utilized heat source is a Vermont Soapstone wood stove with a soapstone base, which very efficiently heats the entire house. There is also a backup propane cast iron Jotul stove on the lower level, which can be used when the house is vacant. There is also electric baseboard heat in the lower level bedrooms, and in the upper and lower bathrooms.
Note: The lower level has a separate entrance as well as entrance from the mudroom. It also has a raised insulated wood floor above the concrete for comfort. The ground level entrance, wide hall, and higher ceiling provide an open feeling not normally found on a lower level. There is an underground lawn sprinkler system.
The Second House: This log home has 2,145± sq. ft. of living area plus a 1,632± sq. ft. basement. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a central forced-air oil powered heating system. However, the current owners have preferred to use a wood burning stove and installed a new propane insert in the fireplace as back up. The home was originally built in 1957. Remodeling has taken place since, with most of the windows being updated in 2014 and 2016. The roof is metal.
The Outbuildings: Two calving barns that are in good condition. They are four-sided pole buildings with metal roofs, wood siding, dirt floors and electricity. Each was built in the 1960s. A detached garage (15’ x 39’) serves as a shop. It is an old log building with a dirt floor and uninsulated. It serves mostly to store tools. The machine shed (29’ x 66’) is made of wood pole frame and a metal roof with wood siding. It was also built in the 1960s.
There are just under six miles of year-round streams between Benton Gulch and Thomas Creek. A one-half acre pond lies on Thomas Creek.
The ranch owns 16 recorded water rights. The irrigation rights are all out of Benton Gulch. They total 4.25 cubic feet per second of flow, and have priority dating back to 1910. These are for use as surface flow for flood-type irrigation and cover 75-100 acres. The rights for watering livestock number 7 and are from springs, wells, and creeks.
For domestic, yard and garden, and stock watering near the headquarters there are three wells.