Fine dust from a small hand sander filled the air, catching in the light streaming into Chris Pelletier’s garage. He’s building a mantel to go over the fireplace in his newly purchased home. It’s going to be special, but one of many fine, time-consuming details on his to-do list. One look at the garage and you know something big is happening inside.

Rebuilding a mid-century modern home and staying true to the period, takes a lot of stripping, sanding, finishing and money. And time — lots and lots of time. But that’s one thing Pelletier has.

His small business is all but shut during the COVID-19 lockdown. He owns Heart Mountain Hearing Center in Ralston and usually has a steady stream of customers. Now the business provides some curbside services, but nobody comes in unless it’s an emergency, and then extra precautions are taken.

Ample time at home is one of the few benefits of current pandemic precautions. For that, Pelletier is thankful. It will give him the time to make his home project special. The floating mantel is getting extra special treatment. He’s inlaying gold in the margins of imperfections in the large chunk of cottonwood prior to finishing.

Few would choose cottonwood, but Pelletier is sentimental and likes to recycle. The 3-inch-thick slab came from a tree that was growing in a bad spot on a previous remodeling project. He was forced to cut the tree down, as it jeopardized the integrity of the house, but “I didn’t want it to go to waste,” he said.

The addition is one of the few actual changes he’s making in the brick ranch. Everything else will be as original as Pelletier can make it.

He considers the house his dream home. It was more than he wanted to spend, but it had everything his family needed, including majestic, 360-degree mountain views. He closed on the house Friday, March 13. Soon after, his business was barely hanging on with clients — many of whom are high risk — canceling their appointments until the all-safe is announced.

“I went from no mortgage to having a mortgage and then three days later everything went to sh—.”

But Pelletier is a scrapper and isn’t about to give up. On the contrary, he’s determined not to waste the extra time and, knowing his own situation, he’s looking for every chance to buy his supplies and tools locally.

“Even if it’s just a few dollars, it makes a difference for a little guy like me whether or not we stay in business or close,” Pelletier said. “And we can’t afford to lose any more businesses in town.”

For period pieces, he has searched through items on Powell Valley Exchange, a local portal on Facebook, and attended auctions and local sales. Some he trades for, some he buys in disrepair and the rest are original to the house.

Everything the Pelletiers have bought for the project, except for some specialty tiles, has been purchased locally.

He’s refurbishing all the cabinets, hardwood floors and built-ins throughout the home. He’s taking care to save all the original trim, “flying saucer-like” light fixtures and even went to Red Lodge to pick up a period-correct, functioning stove.

“A lady had this for sale,” he said of the late-’40s model. “She was cooking on it until about a month ago.”

Another of the few additions is a second, period-perfect fridge in the family room for drinks. He refurbished the exterior, including having Rovenna Cooley, of Rovenna’s Signs and Design, do graphics and lettering. Then Pelletier cut a hole to put the door hinges flush to the wall for a snug, cool, custom look. The television will be mounted on the wall next to the fridge, with a cutout to hide the components and all the connecting wires. “I hate wires,” he growled.

The floors are now a mix of tile and hardwood. He refinished all the wood in the living room, formal dining room and bedrooms by hand with a bright but elegant stain. In rooms originally covered in a bold, burnt-orange carpet and the kitchen, he installed tile flooring.

The bathroom was the one place Pelletier took some liberties. He removed the tub, did some bartering with a tile guy in Greybull and turned the space into a large, luxurious shower. “I wasn’t going to fit in that tub anyway,” he said.

The cabinets and mirrors are the same, but refinished in black to match the subway tile in the shower and floor. Pelletier also changed the light fixture to install a combination light and bluetooth speaker so the family can jam to tunes while getting ready in the morning.

The current state of the interior is a jumbled mess of projects. Yet the promise of a comfortable, functional home shines through. The property surrounding the home is going to take some time. The home sits on 8 acres just south of Powell and there are three outbuildings that require attention. One building will be a she-shed for Pelletier’s wife, Anita. Another will be a chicken coop. The Pelletiers love animals and it might be yet another multi-step chore to integrate the egg-layers with five family dogs.

Pelletier wants to add yet another four-legged pet to the family. “My dream is to have a goat,” he said, “but Anita said, ‘No goat.’”

The largest of the outdoor buildings will be Pelletier’s workshop. It may be one of the last projects with other pressing issues. There’s a huge garden spot behind the home and an acre to the east where the Pelletiers will donate space to the Rotary Club to grow pumpkins for fundraisers. They both have to be tilled and planted soon.

Pelletier bought a fresh John Deere tractor to speed up the gardening and landscaping. He loves the shiny green machine, nicknaming it John Boy.

“He’ll stay out here with me,” Pelletier said as his voice echoed in the empty building with high ceilings.

While he and Anita are used to traveling around the globe, for now they’ll stay put, stay safe and try to support their community the best they know how.

“You know, in the back of my head I worry things aren’t going to get better and we’ll lose the house,” Pelletier said. “But I’m a scrapper. I will always find a way to earn some money and make this work.”