FINE HOMEBUILDING Farmhouse and Three Energetic Kids
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21st-Century Traditional shapes house a modern family of telecommuting parents BY MICHAEL HOPWOOD high-speed Internet access so that I could con- the trees. A flat area about 150 ft. above the tinue to telecommute from my home office. road seemed like the natural spot for a house, but could we build a driveway up the rocky hree years ago, our family moved A perfect site, after a little work hill and install a septic system and a well? from California to Vermont. We were worried that the search for a build- After many hours spent walking poten- We were lucky to find a nice able lot within the school district would be a tial paths with an excavator and calculating T home, but like a borrowed pair real challenge. But one day, while driving acceptable grades and turning radii, we con- of shoes, it never felt like ours. My wife, Beth, my favorite road in town, I saw a “Land for cluded that a driveway could be built. A civil and I decided to build a house if we could Sale” sign nailed to a maple tree. The land engineer determined that despite the rocky satisfy a number of conditions: It had to be in looked like it would be challenging to develop: soil, we could install a septic system if we the same school district so that our three sons Old logging roads and mountain-biking used an aerobic treatment system. wouldn’t have to change schools again; it trails crisscrossed the 22 acres of steep, rocky, With this information in hand, Beth and I had to have privacy and space for the boys to wooded hillside. Although the trails were bought the land and began taming our wild enjoy the outdoors; it had to have views of the interesting, what really grabbed me was the lot. Although it wasn’t the Panama Canal, Green Mountains; and it had to be wired for filtered view of Mount Mansfield through the site did pose some challenges. To put 90 FINE HOMEBUILDING Farmhouse and three energetic kids in a 1500-ft.-long driveway and the house Cooperative design. site, the crew had to cut through countless The breezeway is one of several areas trees and bushes and endless ledge, and also where the details of endure swarms of mosquitoes, blackflies, and a the design were left very wet summer. Clearing and construction up to the carpenters, of the driveway alone took four months. Red House Builders. This small co-op’s One crisp October day, the last trees finally craftsmen suggested were removed from the site, and suddenly the rough post-and- we could see a stunning view of the valley beam structure as and the mountains. In that instant, we knew a fitting transition between the plain this was going to be a special place. barn and the refined house. Photo above A house for work and play taken at A on floor While the excavators were carving a road up plan; inset taken the hill, we were working with Brian Mac of at B. SPRING/SUMMER 2006 91 Galley kitchen for efficiency. The narrow, rectangular layout creates compact work triangles that keep appliances and storage within easy reach. The open plan makes the space feel anything but small. Photo right taken at C on floor plan; inset taken at D. Floor-saving barstools Although we designed the break- Birdseye Architectural Studio in Richmond, with the traditional Vermont farmhouse style fast bar to accommodate our three Vt., to design the house. Brian has a diverse we liked. At first we questioned his uncon- sons for breakfast or an after- portfolio, a ton of energy, and a home and ventional solution of placing the kitchen school snack, we were concerned office close by. His proximity allowed him to right in the center of the house (floor plan, that traditional barstools would see how our family (and our two Labs) works. facing page). But the more we considered it, not be a good fit for them. We Brian observed that the kitchen, the family the more excited we became. The kitchen envisioned the stools tipping over, room, and the mudroom were where we inter- is the hub of activity for our family, and scratching the floor, or breaking. acted as a family. Beth and I liked an open floor Brian’s design put the hub in the middle of Then we found Seating Innovations plan for its easy access to each of these areas. the wheel, adjacent to the dining area, the barstools, which hang from a steel However, we had lived in houses with open family room, and the mudroom hallway. support under the countertop. Not plans before and knew that we also needed pri- Our daily life literally revolves around the only do they rotate left and right vate areas to escape the volume of family life. kitchen. The room’s design is intentionally like standard barstools, but the Some of these private spaces would be for compact so that everything is close at hand. whole assembly also pivots away work, and others for play. My wife and I both When the kids pop up on the barstools from the bar to make getting into work from home, so we needed comfortable (sidebar left) at the counter before school, the seats easy, for adults as well and efficient home offices. We also wanted breakfast is a simple matter of preparing as for kids. to create a space where we could read with cereal and toast and handing it across to the kids and work together on homework. them. After breakfast, they dash down the Seating Innovations Because our sons love to build forts, we also hall to the mudroom to dress for the hike to 445 W. 1260 North asked Brian to design a private loft in the the bus stop at the bottom of the driveway. Orem, UT 84057 attic space above each boy’s bedroom. As my wife and I clean up the kitchen, we 888-864-3463 can keep an eye out the front door for the www.seating-innovations.com The kitchen at the heart of it all Prices start at $235 per chair, Federal Express van. complete with hardware. Brian had the challenge of merging our The wall of windows in the adjoining din- modern family’s functional requirements ing area brings light and views into the whole 92 FINE HOMEBUILDING FAMILY LIFE REVOLVES AROUND THE KITCHEN The kitchen is the heart of any household, but few floor plans place it there. Despite this home’s Master traditional farmhouse appearance, bedroom the kitchen is literally its hub. The Bath front door opens directly into the kitchen, which is connected to all the rooms on the first floor. The Laundry hub concept is carried over to the second-floor space above the kitchen, where the long hallway connecting the two bedroom wings Study Photos taken serves as a gathering spot for hall at lettered positions. reading and homework. E SPECS Bedrooms: 4 Bedroom 1 Bathrooms: 2 ⁄2 Size: 3000 sq. ft. (excluding Bedroom barn) Cost: $200 per sq. ft. Bedroom Completed: October 2005 Bath Location: Jericho, Vt. Architect: Brian Mac, Second floor North Birdseye Architectural Studio Builder: Red House Builders 0 5 10 15 ft. Screened porch Family room A Office D Dining area Entry Kitchen C Up Sitting Dn room F Bath Office Pantry Mudroom A family study hall under the cupola. The long desk in the second- floor hallway is for homework free of the distractions of toys and games and under a parent’s watchful eye. At bedtime the family climbs onto B the built-in seat for the latest adventures in the Magic Treehouse series. First floor Photo taken at E on floor plan. Floor-plan drawings: Paul Perreault SPRING/SUMMER 2006 93 dining and kitchen space. If the weather is nice, I can grab some reading material for work and walk through the dining area to the chairs on the back porch. When the boys come home from school, they grab a snack at the breakfast bar and watch a few minutes of TV on the wall- mounted LCD television. Dinner sees the sun set on the mountains, and the family once again gathered in the kitchen. Brian also incorporated private spaces for quieter activities. Downstairs, a small sitting room off the kitchen allows for read- ing or watching TV behind a closed door. Upstairs, each bedroom has a wall-mounted ladder leading to a private loft. The second floor also houses a “study hall.” This broad Our home offices must be comfortable and efficient so that we can be productive while “spending long hours behind a desk. hallway connecting the two bedroom wings With this view, who serves as both a family reading room and the needs a corner office? kids’ study. On one side of the hall is a long, The built-in” desk holds the author’s computer tall window seat where our family gathers and videoconferencing most nights to read a story. The height monitor. A flip-down of the window seat allows for book stor- door provides access age underneath and, during the day, views to the high-tech nerve center. Photo taken at of the mountains. Directly across from F on floor plan. the window seat is a 12-ft.-long desktop that the kids use for their computer, projects, and fast performance when we’re plugged when the kids are home, and I need a quiet and homework. in, along with the ability to move around the space.