A Fusion-Style Hybrid Log Home in Wyoming

A unique fusion-style hybrid log home is Wyoming’s epitome of rustic elegance.

Photography courtesy of Summit Log & Timber Homes

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Log homes are as diverse and distinctive as the people who love them. Take the “Teton Retreat” by Summit Log & Timber Homes, for example. Located in the shadow of the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and just shy of 5,000 square feet, this fusion-style hybrid log home is as breathtaking as the mountains themselves.

“Fusion-style enables you to blend a variety of construction techniques and materials,” explains Robert Lockerby, Summit’s president and CEO. “It also opens up a log home to more contemporary designs and modern finishing materials.”

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Sited on 3.5 acres and designed to take full advantage of views and natural light, this custom retreat is the initial house you come to in its rustic-home subdivision, and what a first impression it makes! Much like a post-and-beam home, the massive western red cedar logs provide a framework for other materials to enclose the house. The exterior’s framed walls feature gray skirl siding (also known as wavy board), while the timbers are protected with TimberPro’s “Pinecone” hued stain — a striking contrast. The Pella windows are clad in its signature “Pella Red,” which provides a pop of color against the otherwise neutral scheme.

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Tying it all together is the Choctaw granite stone on the foundation and post piers. If you look closely, you’ll see the varying shades of the exterior infused in this exquisite rock. For all its beauty, the home’s defining feature is the front door. Hand-carved from Douglas fir by Summit’s master woodworkers, it depicts a moose nestled in a field of bulrushes, but that’s not its most unique attribute. The door is devoid of any visible hardware. It’s hydraulically controlled with a magnetic locking system that’s released by the owner’s thumbprint.

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This high level of detail continues inside, especially with the timbers and the uncommon way they’re prepared.

SLT_Home2_GreatRoom_A “We use water, rather than drawknives, to remove the bark and cambium from the trees,” Robert explains. “Where knives would shave the texture from the surface, this technique preserves the natural beauty of the ‘compression wood’ fibers and creates a rippled effect.” (Compression wood is where the tree buckles under its own weight.)

Other stunning features include the ceiling’s intricate hammerbeam trusses — a system more commonly found in timber framing than log homes — which generates a sense of volume in the great room. Alder kitchen cabinets, American walnut floors and custom iron railings forged by a local blacksmith all complement the interior and give this mountain retreat its grandeur.