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Written by: H.A. Branham | Photos by: Aaron Krafty
The year was 2009. Andrew Miller and Adam Scott were facing mutual career crossroads. The present was palatable but the future beckoned, with all of its possibilities and all of the potential to build those careers—and fulfill their dreams. At the time, Miller worked for a developer/builder as a project manager and Scott was chief financial officer. To say they were eager to pursue their own passions for building would be an understatement. Their pursuit would be based on differentiating themselves from the competition in the Jackson, Wyoming, area. Tall order. Competition was formidable; today it’s even more so.
“One of our company’s ‘pillars’ is to have a real hands-on approach to every project we undertake. We never stand back or ‘wait and watch,’ so to speak. Just the opposite. We get involved, helping however we can, exercising stewardship throughout the process and completion of the design. When you seek uniqueness at the highest level, nothing can be left to chance.”
Miller and Scott, joined early on by Mike Wilson, initially sought projects as a general contracting firm. JH Builders, though, eventually found its niche and then proceeded to carve it into the fabric of the Jackson construction market. The firm evolved and continues to do so, now approaching nearly two decades of progressive construction management, bolstered by Patrick Branham, a ten-year partner, and two-year partner Jamie Groman.
At its core, the JH operation strives to humanize the building process. With that comes the personal accountability essential for constructing unique custom homes—and satisfying unique custom home customers, delivering value far exceeding merely the construction aspect.
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“One of our company’s ‘pillars’ is to have a real hands-on approach to every project we undertake,” Miller says. “We never stand back or ‘wait and watch,’ so to speak. Just the opposite. We get involved, helping however we can, exercising stewardship throughout the process and completion of the design. When you seek uniqueness at the highest level, nothing can be left to chance.
“Another pillar is that our builds are architecturally and structurally complex projects,” he continues. “It makes sense that we would support each project with best-in-class construction managers and skilled craftspeople who are problem-solvers with depth of knowledge, talent, and experience. And then there’s this simple fact: we are eager to help. We have skin in this game—our reputation.”
“Another pillar is that our builds are architecturally and structurally complex projects. It makes sense that we would support each project with best-inclass construction managers and skilled craftspeople who are problem-solvers with depth of knowledge, talent, and experience.”
Bringing the World to the Tetons
Casting the proverbial wide net in the constant search for materials—and concepts—to create the most unique builds in their market, JH Builders works with many suppliers outside of Teton County and oftentimes suppliers outside of the United States.
“We find there are some really great resources outside of our area,” Miller says. “And early on, we recognized that a key to the uniqueness we wanted to have as our trademark was to have a global view for our projects. The experience of our suppliers matches up nicely, in terms of craftsmanship, for the architectural and structural complexities of our projects.”
Real-world example: earlier this year, Miller traveled to Europe for meetings with a window partner who has headquarters in Germany and a factory in Poland. “We use their products regularly and we wanted to put our eyes on the actual, different types of woods they’re purchasing and to see the detailed improvements they’re making,” he explains.
Hands-on, indeed.
“When we purchase a high-level product, we ensure it’s installed at the same level as it was manufactured. We secure the best install team we can align. In the case of the cabinets, it means bringing the company’s install teams in, people who have installed miles of this cabinetry.”
A current JH Builders project calls for cabinetry—from Italy. It also calls for a number of Italians.
“When we purchase a high-level product, we ensure it’s installed at the same level as it was manufactured,” Miller says. “We secure the best install team we can align. In the case of the cabinets, it means bringing the company’s install teams in, people who have installed miles of this cabinetry.”
Miller emphasizes that JH’s sources are not based on location, but actual, well-known craftsmanship.
“When we’re buying cabinetry from Italy, it’s not because it’s ‘Made in Italy,’ but rather because of the specific craftsmanship, construction methods, and assemblies,” he says.
“Our relationships, in everything we do, are really important.”
Whether it is a rustic cabin-style home with dovetail corners or an ultra-contemporary project with clean datum lines and a Scandinavian feel for a couple who has ties to Sweden, JH Builders’ superintendents’ experience is what makes this aesthetic versatility possible. The team enjoys the process and working with some of the best craftspeople in the custom home industry.
Craftsmanship is key … but transparency, integrity, and honoring relationships are also at the heart of JH Builders’ work.
“Our relationships, in everything we do, are really important,” Miller says. “It helps, especially when dealing with sensitive topics like budgets. That hinges on transparency during the preconstruction and budgeting phases.”
To that end, preconstruction is one of JH Builders’ most robust departments. First and foremost, clients see how every dollar is assigned. Schematic design provides a tool to help guide design direction. By the time shovels hit the soil, clients are familiar with the budget and comfortable with where it sits.
Avalanche Canyon
“I like the house because the owners love music and they built areas to pursue what they enjoy. The property is designed around things they get fulfillment from; for JH Builders, there is a sort of truth and alignment with our company’s values when we build a home for people around things they like.”
Just north of Jackson, in the Solitude neighborhood, sits a constellation of structures designed by Chris Lee of Design Associates Architects in Jackson. A 2,000-square-foot party barn complete with stage and lighting is an entertainer’s paradise. An 8,000-square-foot main home with a private cinema from Paradise Theater and a recording studio where the homeowners produce their music and an almost 1,000-square-foot guest house complete the property. When the owners (who are professional musicians) party, everyone in the neighborhood is invited.
The owners had their guest house built first; they lived there for 18 months during construction of the main house. As a music-focused couple, they needed professional-grade acoustics for their studio as well as their private cinema. Jackson Hole AV outfitted the house and added fiber optic lighting in the cinema ceiling to enhance the ambiance. The project took two years.
The primary house has a pronounced timber frame component and European windows from Bildau & Bussmann, the German (Berlin) manufacturer that Miller recently visited. On the backside of the house, the great room features a massive glass window that was shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in an open container. The glass was produced by Saint-Gobain, a French company known for its exceptionally clear glass, and was installed by Bildau.
The owners love to cook for guests, and the house has an outdoor kitchen that connects through a sliding glass pass-through window/door. “They can incorporate both kitchens together, so the fun of the space is derived from being able to use the kitchen the way they like to entertain,” Miller says.
“Nobody works on an island.”
JH Builders was involved early in the home’s design stages—a time-tested best practice for custom home building. Best-in-class practices were incorporated throughout the house. Reclaimed hand-hewn dovetail siding creates stunning definition of the main house. Wall assemblies are conventionally framed for high performance but clad in full timbers. The time to work with something as precious as reclaimed hand-hewn beams and scribing corners was rewarding for the client and JHB.
The clients, Miller says, had little concern with architectural or design trends, affording JHB a path to the uniqueness it seeks. Instead, they favored elements that “spoke” to them, such as client-sourced water features, mica panels, and antique furniture modified into bath vanities. Handmade rustic metal work, for example, is hardly a staple in Valley custom homes, but it was important to the clients. Which made it important to JH Builders.
Also important: the homeowners are wine aficionados and so there is a wine room, a massive box and barrel storage, and an upstairs bar.
Says Miller: “I like the house because the owners love music and they built areas to pursue what they enjoy. The property is designed around things they get fulfillment from; for JH Builders, there is a sort of truth and alignment with our company’s values when we build a home for people around things they like.”
Craftsmanship Meets Innovation
JH Builders strives for efficient resource management, working to make custom homes sustainable and innovative. To that end, materials on-site are maximized. Take the wine room: original plans for masonry behind the wine racks were scrapped in favor of reclaimed wood. The clients liked it better. That’s one instance where JHB’s flexibility enabled a quick—and successful—U-turn.
With an in-house team of 25 carpenters, JH Builders is extremely efficient. Translation: schedule-friendly and budget-friendly. If a project has a “big steel moment,” they can guarantee that they’ll have a dozen or so people on-site the next day.
With respect to the craftsmanship on Avalanche Canyon, the massive swinging doors on both ends of the barn took eight months to develop. JHB’s project manager Gregg Camic and superintendent Billy Sands partnered with a fabricator in Utah to create a solution that would maintain structural integrity and meet the project’s design needs. The custom hardware on the barn doors is also the product of a creative collaboration between Camic, Sand, and a local fabricator.
In addition to the barn doors, the mechanical systems in the barn required the expertise of Rich Ashburn at Jackson Hole AV to ensure that the spacing for the lighting and stage would function. They changed rectangular ductwork to cylindrical ductwork that they could tuck tight to the walls and they also changed the plenum. Those technical changes preserved the aesthetics of the space and also provided for the top–shelf acoustics.
Authentic Collaboration
Many builders speak about collaboration. JH Builders embodies it.
“Nobody works on an island,” Miller says about both his employees and a project’s greater team. Internally as well as the greater team.
This speaks to Miller’s genuine passion for craftsmanship that his team at JH Builders shares. “We want to source people who are great at what they do. That doesn’t just mean expensive, that means they’re involved. They go home to think about a question, call some friends, and everyone comes to work the next day with new ideas about resolving the issue so we can put out the best product.”
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