By Marci Narum Photography by Jerry Anderson
On a ridge amidst North Dakota’s rolling prairie and farmland stands a beautiful, custom designed house. A dream home – although, masterpiece might be the better description for Gregg and Vickie Batroot’s retirement house on the prairie.
“I’ve been involved with building a lot of homes,” Gregg says, “but we've never built one for ourselves.
So, this was the first try.” “And last,” Vickie laughs.
Gregg calls it his “Happy Place.” He and Vickie planned and built their home to be a sanctuary for all seasons and every day. “We built and planned for being snowed in,” says Gregg, a former self-employed contractor. “My shop is downstairs; I don't have to go out to a shop or heat an outdoor shop. Vickie has her sewing room. They’re strategically placed at opposite ends of the house,” he grins.
“Other than occasional travel, home is the place that we enjoy, the place we want to be, even in the
winter,” Vickie shares.
DESIGN & DETAIL
The home’s architecture exudes a welcoming pose. A winding scoria driveway leads to the Batroots’ garage and front porch, accentuated by field rocks in mortar. Native prairie grasses and wildflowers wrap the exterior, complementing the home’s cedarwood beams and front door. Across the threshold: an even warmer welcome. A vaulted ceiling commands awe, and large picture windows frame magnificent views of the prairie, while allowing an abundance of natural light to emerge. A curved, quarter moon-shaped deck anchors a north side sunroom opposite the den, which is filled with Gregg’s collectibles and memorabilia; it’s a bona fide man cave. The deck itself is designed to function as a haven from the wind and inspired by a photo Vickie had torn
from a newspaper 30 years ago.
“Our contractor friend loved that,” Vickie laughs. “A rounded deck. He’d never done that before!” The upper level includes a home office filled with books and adorned with a resplendent Frank Lloyd Wright-stained glass window – an afterthought, Vickie shares, to invite more light to the space. Every other design of the house was thoughtfully and meticulously planned with a layout that allows the couple to enjoy their favorite things in life, whether together or apart, indoors or out, now or later. The home includes a dedicated “snoring room” adjacent the master suite. “This is going to be the extra bedroom for some time down the road, one can kick the other one out, if necessary,” Vickie grins. “Or, if we need in-home healthcare down the road, the caretaker will stay
here.”
FARM GIRL, CITY BOY
The couple’s journey together began in the Twin Cities. Vickie met Gregg there during her internship at 3M, where she then worked for 36 years. “And I joined that all-too-big group that said, ‘Goodbye North Dakota, hello big city,” she says. City life and the landscape of Minnesota had been just fine for Vickie. It was a compelling change of scenery for her, to be surrounded by trees and lakes. Conversely, Gregg, having grown up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, appreciated the beauty and serenity he had discovered on Vickie’s home turf. The view includes Lake Sakakawea, and, on a clear day, they see the wind turbines north of Max – more than 50 miles, as the crow flies. Sundown cues the serenading choir of coyotes, and dark nights afford the couple a rare but almost perfect view of the Northern Lights.
“I can breathe here,” Gregg explains. The view, there's never a dull moment. If I want, I can put the boat
in the lake, I can go out walking. And the people. Everyone is so friendly and open. After living in the
Twin Cities and not knowing your neighbors or anything, it's just a wonderful place.”
COMING HOME, FINDING HOME
“Everyone thinks I dragged him back here,” Vickie says, glancing a quick smile at Gregg. “It was quite the other way around! When we'd come out here, Gregg kept suggesting that this was a wonderful place to live someday. So, we decided that when we retired, we would. We just love the ruggedness, the rugged beauty.”
This rugged land, with its monumental horizon, was home to Vickie long before she and Gregg chose to retire here. She grew up on a farm a mere half-mile away. “When this was just a pasture, Gregg would come out here to go hunting. He stood on this place over and over. He brought me out to this spot and said, ‘Just look at this view.’”
The view – enchanting from every direction – was right in front of them, but it had gone unnoticed in
the busy blur of farm and ranch life. “We were looking for cattle … fixing a fence, picking some rocks, wondering where the weeds were. We were working on a task. We never stopped to smell the roses,” Vickie says, “but Gregg did, and he got us to do it, too.”
The Batroots retired in 2014 and started building their retirement house on the prairie in 2016. They finished and moved into it in 2017.
FAMILY & HISTORY
“When we moved here, my dad was on the farm. My brother lived right there,” Vickie gestures toward a window. “My brother has since passed, and my father has since passed. But we came here to be part of their lives and to help care for them.”
Gregg and Vickie have especially embraced caring for the land. Vickie, an environmentalist at heart, earned her degree in chemical engineering at UND and had planned to return to her Mercer County home. She had a strong desire to do what she could to protect the land and wildlife.
“I was going to come back here and make sure no one ruined this land, you know? l love antelope and saw a lot of them growing up. They’re elusive, but I want to do what I can to make sure we keep seeing them and other wildlife here – and we do.
“There is so much Native American history here. Their love of the land has always important to me, and coming back here, I see it from a fresh perspective.”
That new perspective has fueled Vickie’s love for helping the land heal and maintain its natural life. “The prairie is my garden. This is our yard. People don't drive in it. People who live (in the area) think prairie is open space, so you just drive on it. Look at the top of the grasses, it's just brown heads, just like a sea. Every one of those was a pink cone flower. I love that. It's a big garden, but it takes care of itself if we let it.”
FINE ART
Nature, Native American culture, and history significantly influence the décor Batroots choose for their home.
Fine art is tastefully displayed throughout the wide, open spaces: glass bowls, copper, and vases; and bronze sculptures and paintings of bison, antelope, and notable historical figures, including Sakakawea and Sitting Bull.
Gregg’s handywork leaves an impression; tables made from a cherry tree that came down at their previous home in Stillwater, Minnesota, inlaid blue pigment reminiscent of a river. Gregg used the same wood to build the lower-level bar. It is accented with bull hides and copper. Vickie lovingly preserves the fine art of quilting, woven through generations before her. Her quilts embellish rooms, staircases, and tabletops.
“My grandmother was an excellent seamstress and
sewed all my clothes … she sewed doll clothes for me. I picked up sewing from her and my mom, and I sewed most of my own clothes … and then I switched to quilting … I've embraced it and it's a great way to decorate. To me, quilts feel different than an oil painting or any other kind of art. It just feels more comfortable. Homey.”
COMFORTS OF HOME
Gregg and Vickie’s masterpiece home is delightfully comfy and peaceful, built to suit them exactly as planned.
“On a typical day, we start out in the sunroom with coffee and wake up at our own rate,” Vickie explains, “and then it’s, ‘What do you want to do for the day?’” Vickie often tucks herself into her sewing room, while Gregg retreats to his shop. “And then, literally, we check in with each other around lunchtime. And it just works,” Vickie says. “We both realize how very truly blessed we are.”
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