CISCO RESIDENCE

Updating a design to current aesthetics

Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Estates, Wyoming  •  4,180 sq. ft.

Design Team: Chris Moulder, AIA

Greg and Moira Cisco purchased one of the original houses, built in the 1970’s, on a choice lot of the Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club subdivision. The property has beautiful, mature cottonwood and spruce trees and is at the end of a cul-de-sac. 

While the existing floor plan seemed to have adequately sized and proportioned spaces and amenities, all of the fittings, fixtures, and finishes, were overdue for an update to current aesthetics. The insulation in the house also needed to be addressed as the home was built when awareness to conservation was not as important as it is today. It was essential to strip the existing 2x4 walls of the minimal blown in spun-glass insulation, and foam the exterior walls and roof to increase the R-value to a 21.

From an design standpoint, it was necessary to change the focus of the front elevation: the existing garage was oriented toward the street and had been designed specifically to accommodate a large motor home. The garage’s mass totally overwhelmed the dark, puny, recessed home front entry. In collaborating with the Ciscos, a new design program was determined that would include creating a properly inviting entry to the home and expanding the windows to let in more natural light. The remodeling project would also include creating a more elegant master bedroom suite, redesigning the library and mudroom/service areas of the house, modernizing the kitchen and reconfiguring a 3-car garage, invisible from the street. DMA also addressed the exterior of the home and crafted a peaceful composition of open wooden decks, stone patios, a stove barbecue bar, and, off the master bedroom, a private fenced deck with beautiful existing cottonwood trees growing through it. 

The resulting composition created an inviting home in form that functions for today’s family’s needs. Especially in tight real estate markets such as that in Jackson Hole, this project is an example of capturing the possibilities envisioned by the owners and architect to create a “dream” home from an outdated, unappealing property.