A former client reached out to us after purchasing a 40-acre property in Vermont. They were in love with the site’s rolling landscape of meadow, pond & forest, but not with the existing home. Built in the 1980s to look like it was built in the 1920s, it suffered from (literally) shortsighted decisions to locate two additions such that they successively blocked the home’s sweeping view of the surrounding topography.

After developing an understanding of the client’s requirements for the home, early design featured numerous iterations in which we explored if and how we should make use of the existing house. We undertook a number of conceptual designs and corresponding pricing studies for options that ranged from simply updating the structure’s interior finishes to complete demolition and new construction.

Together, we determined that we could best leverage the client’s budget by employing brand new construction atop the salvaged foundation of the existing house. The key to this approach was devising a floor plan that allowed us to increase the number of bedrooms while simultaneously reducing the structure’s footprint.

The new house reestablishes stunning views to the outside and brings the surrounding meadow right up to the door, providing the client full and direct access to the landscape they fell in love with. Its compact footprint, resilient exterior materials, special attention to insulation & envelope details, and ground-mounted solar array give the home the outstanding energy and thermal performance that the client demanded. And its clean, modern interior and exterior finishes align with the client’s desire for a contemporary aesthetic.