Local contractor Two Ocean Builders focuses exclusively on Jackson Hole-based commercial and residential projects. Co-founded by Jed Mixter, Todd Crabtree, and Steve Tatigian over 15 years ago, Two Ocean Builders’ forte is custom homes. The three partners have built a strong reputation in the valley for their hands-on, personalized approach and involvement throughout the entire building process. Each project receives a partner’s oversight during early development, pre-construction, and on-site, working hand-in-hand with talented project managers and employees. A small, intimate company, Two Ocean Builders offers the utmost precision and care to every custom-home client.
Tell us more about the process of building a custom home.
As you know, no two projects are the same in Teton County. Every project is unique. That, combined with some of the most stringent buildings codes in the country—given our location, altitude, seismic activity, snow loads, heat, and extreme cold—certainly requires some expertise. We often get involved early in the architect’s process, whether they’re out-of-state or local, so we can act as a local resource and ensure an efficient design process. We also have a great relationship with the local building and planning office.
Our process is really comprehensive, and we feel fortunate to build in an area that, simply by its nature, sets the bar extremely high and allows us to take part in some truly extraordinary projects. We are proud that our business has grown essentially on a word-of-mouth basis, and we’re committed to maintaining our reputation as premier builders in the valley.
What is your process like from start to finish with a new building project?
We stay heavily involved in pre-construction—reviewing in two dimensions before a build becomes three-dimensional is crucial to effective engineering for the valley. We have a lot of experience with that. Assembly is one part of a custom home, but the process starts well prior to that, especially for homeowners who do not currently live in the valley. For example, the HVAC needs are completely different here than the Southeast or East Coast. These are unique homes with unique requirements, which is why we take a comprehensive approach long before we put hammer to nail.
Share your views on collaboration in custom home building.
It’s never our job to be insubordinate to design, which we know is important to the architects we work with. Our role and responsibility is for local assembly and to break down the standard challenges of building in a remote, mountainous environment. Our approach, therefore, is collaborative. It’s really in how we endeavor to take a boots-on-the-ground approach and react to the needs of the architect, interior designer, and owner. Maintaining a respect and professionalism for everyone involved helps to foster those relationships and coordinate a process that’s efficient.
What sets you and your crew apart as a team?
We’re pushing on 65 to 70 years of combined experience building custom homes in Jackson Hole. We don’t subcontract any of our finish work and we employ a crew of high-quality bench carpenters on our permanent staff. Most of our employees have been with us for a decade, and we really value our great retention rate. Our team of project managers is fantastic and we collaborate with them regularly. We’re strong believers in facilitating our project managers—it’s often our role to support the people that we train. We have a great deal of faith in our entire team’s ability to deliver the highest-quality work.
