PIKES PEAK - A small but gut-curling explosion atop Pikes Peak Monday morning marked the beginning of construction for the mountain's much-anticipated Summit House. Construction on the $50 million, 38,000-square-foot Summit House is expected to finish in fall 2020. Officials representing Colorado Springs, El Paso County, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Forest Service and the Southern Ute Nation gathered on the southeast portion of the summit where they gave thanks for the collaborative effort toward the Summit House.