NORTH ELK RIDGE RESIDENCE
A linear plan with pods and connecting links
Jackson Hole, Wyoming • 6,450 sq. ft
Design Team: Kurt Dubbe, AIA; John Fabian, Nereida Ortiz
Contractor: Wind River Builders, Inc.
Originally from the Chicago area, the clients spent much time traveling and came frequently to the Jackson Hole area. Falling in love with it, they decided to purchase a property and came upon this site.
A beautiful 3.7 acres north of town, it is situated with a view towards the close Teton Range. An obvious important aspect of the design was then to take full advantage of the view and other features mentioned later. All were integrated within the overall design of the site planning orientation.
The clients’ vision for a large home design was not that of a massive building but rather, a series of pods with connecting links and views directly to the Grand Teton. The design thus is a very linear plan covering 6,450 sq. ft. and includes a variety of rooms that meet their requests. They preferred an exterior treatment to be a nod to traditional timber frames with a mix of Montana moss rock for native stone, reclaimed timber and stained new timber, and the roof made of cedar shingles as the final touch to create the right touch of rusticity, along with copper flashing and gutters.
The living area comprises of a large living and dining room, kitchen with a breakfast nook, a master bedroom and bath, and a separate but equally private junior master dedicated to their daughter who is a singer. A covered outdoor patio with a stone-built fireplace allows for dining outside.
The basement is large and features a fireplace, games table, an exercise room, a craft room and a wine room. A fully dedicated theater is also included, with fixed seating and very unique sound and lighting system we designed; we then worked with a consultant for proper installation. Finally, downstairs is an elevated stage for their daughter to perform, and an isolated sound recording studio for the daughter to cut some of her CDs.
In the interior, our objective was to portray texture, color and light throughout for a vivid contrast with the dark stained Douglas fir posts and beams. The floor are made of whitewashed and scrubbed oak floors.
Regarding the landscaping, the general composition of site building and property is noteworthy in that there is an active irrigation ditch that passes through, flowing from north to south on the property.
The second important feature are the several mature cottonwood trees along the irrigation ditch, and we used them in the layout and siting of the building to frame some of the Teton Range views. A few of them were carefully thinned out to introduce new landscaping to complement and enhance the property but keep some level of privacy.
The third noteworthy feature is an existing historic cabin built in the early 1940s on the property, situated in the northeast corner of the property, outside of the building envelope. Part of the design program for this project is that the clients wanted to incorporate this log structure as a guesthouse, which meant it had to be moved within the building envelope, improved and its logs restored. From its humble 700 sq. ft, it is now a charming cabin just under 1,000 sq. ft, comprising of one bedroom, one bath and an open kitchen and is a strong element of the property.
To address the request for some meandering water feature around the house, we designed a circular stream system, beginning in front of the dining room windows, with a tumble of rocks for the source of the water; the streams meanders under a covered bridge and runs to form a small pool. It then goes back under a sort of bridge, which is actually the interior corridor leading to the master wing, and ends in a large water feature. During the warmer season in the valley, the corridor windows can be opened, allowing for the beautiful experience of the sound of water coming in. The large-span windows complete the experience with a visual of the stream.
Finally, privacy being paramount to this family, we designed a raised berm built from the material on site; it serpentines around the southern portion of the property to provide a harmonious landscape feature.
This residence is just what the clients wished for and is the result of a very exciting, positive—challenging at time as all projects are—collaboration between our clients, our firm and Wind River Builders, the contractor.