Perched on a slight rise above the road, the house had been placed simply—set back behind mature trees, present without announcing itself. Mount Mansfield views possible but not fully taken advantage of. That was the catalyst for this project. The home also lacked a landscape that matched the setting. The renovation added both at once: the house above grade stretching forward to capture the views and the land below it, down to a custom hot tub, fire patio, and a new pond. The existing tree line modified, the shape of the pond was deliberate in order to create the views from the house, reflecting the mountain on the water.
The main level took little advantage of the mountain views so we stretched the kitchen and living room outward to open up the views up significantly. The entry didn’t orient you. There was no mudroom. A column sat in the middle of the kitchen, keeping the living, dining, and cooking spaces from feeling like one connected room. We removed them and that single decision opened the entire main level and changed how the family moves through the house. A new screened porch, connected to the kitchen on one side, stepped back as to not block the newly created views with the pond now visible beyond.
The stone fireplace in the porch means it works every season: a place to watch the snow fall in January as easily as it catches a summer breeze in July. The lower level walks out to a patio that receives people casually. From there, the grade moves through the landscape to the pond, the hot tub, the firepit. It’s the kind of property that pulls people outside regardless of the season.
The exterior shingles were original to the home. The design called for a shift away from shingle style toward something more grounded: a mountain retreat rather than a mountain cottage. Rather than replace them, we painted them, then integrated stone and timber to anchor the palette. The result reads differently in winter than in summer, which in Vermont is exactly the point.
Architecture, Interior Architecture & Landscape Volansky Studio
Interior Design Tania Kratt Interiors (in collaboration with Volansky Studio)
Builder Sisler Builders
Structural Engineer Artisan Engineering
Photography Lindsay Raymondjack
