THE OPSREY HOUSE

This has been a rewarding project to work on because we’ve known the owners for decades. Dubbe Moulder Architects had previously designed a barndominium for the couple and they came back to DMA when they were ready to replace their existing house on the same property in the Polo Ranches south of Jackson, Wyoming. The owner had a unique vision in mind – he wanted a house that was an osprey!  Ospreys are popular, often seen raptors in the greater Teton area. They have wide wingspans, up to 5’, and feed almost exclusively on fish so their nests are built in tall trees or on top of poles near lakes, rivers and wetlands. A Jackson Hole local, our client has at least one fishing story of an osprey taking his trout and flying away with it as he was reeling in his catch. It’s not often that a human has an encounter with an osprey while both are fighting over a meal! An osprey house sounded like the fitting inspiration for our clients and principal, Chris Moulder, was motivated to begin the project.

Chris’s design created the heart of the home, appropriately in the center of the osprey-in-flight shaped home. Here would be the Florida style living room with a glass wall that opens to a covered deck, the dining room, family/TV room, kitchen, pantry, laundry and powder room. On one of the angled extruded “wings” will be an expansive master suite with his and hers closets and water closets and a bath with a wet room shower. An exercise room complete with a lap pool is adjacent to the master bedroom. The other “wing” of the structure will be an attached four-car garage. High design priorities for the couple are a home in which they can age in place and a home with abundant storage. The main floor of the home is designed to be handicap accessible and an elevator is included for easy access to the walk-out basement level. Downstairs is a flex room, theater, powder room, three guest suites, a cigar room and a vast storage room with three rows of built in shelving.

The exterior of the home will be a mix of vertical grey and horizontal brown siding to break up the mass of the house and highlight the structure’s unique shape. Covered decks and patios expand the living space and a gable over the center can be construed as the osprey’s head and beak. The home’s roof will be metal to match the already completed barndomium. Foundation work was completed in the fall of 2023 and we look forward to this project “taking flight” as construction begins in earnest in 2024.