2009 by Hearst Communications Inc
Through thoughtful renovation and restoration, a Vermont couple crafts a home rich in comfort and old-fashioned charm
The story of Bob and Suzanne Griffiths' Craftsbury, VT, farmhouse is all about new beginnings -- for both the home (which was in desperate need of renovation) and its owners. Looking to trade their suburban life for a quieter, more rural pace, the couple began house-hunting, and initially rejected the sprawling white structure. Bob, who saw it first, was so disappointed by the disjointed homestead that he tore up the listing. But Suzanne, still curious, stopped by and was immediately smitten. "I saw a gorgeous farmhouse with a lot of character," she says. "But we knew we'd have to update it -- a lot."
[Photograph]: Once run-down and awkwardly configured, this circa-1880s house now suits an active couple's needs
Photographs by Eric Roth
Although the place had been well cared for over the years, the layout was awkward and meandering. "The house is really two structures," explains architect Sandra Vitzthum of nearby Montpelier, who collaborated with the Griffithses to rework the home. "There's the original 1880s farmhouse, with the small, cozy rooms you'd expect, and there's the attached horse barn that had been turned into an apartment at some point."
[Photograph]: A cutaway window on the clapboard-sheathed stair landing lets more light flow into the house
While the farmhouse section was rich in period details -- wide-plank floors, butternut woodwork -- the barn was cramped and dark, thanks to seven-foot ceilings. It had few windows, and 1970s-style trappings throughout. Neither section had the kind of updated spaces the Griffithses needed for work or play. (They both telecommute and love to entertain.) So Vitzthum designed a plan that would preserve the character of the farmhouse while opening it to the revamped barn. "We barely touched the farmhouse," says Vitzthum, "but we totally gutted the barn."
[Photograph]: The new kitchen has custom cabinets painted in soft shades and punched up by soapstone counters
The barn's overhaul began with the exterior: Vitzthum redrafted the roofline, eliminating the awkward hipped roof in favor of a true gabled shape, allowing the house and barn to harmonize. New clapboard siding completed the unification process. A small addition to the end of the barn created a welcoming front porch at the home's new entrance, plus an all-important mudroom -- "A real necessity in snowy, muddy Vermont," says Vitzthum. She also reinforced the creaky floors, beefing up the original pole supports. "They were basically tree trunks," says the architect.
[Photograph]: The double-sided hearth was crafted of pine to complement the barn's wide-plank pine flooring
Moving inside, the team decided to transform the barn into one open sweep of space where the owners would live, cook, and entertain. The smaller rooms in the farmhouse were then assigned new roles as guest quarters and home-office space. Although working around the post-and-beam construction was tricky, the crew was able to raise the barn's low ceilings to over eight feet, creating more of the open, airy feel the Griffithses wanted.
[Photograph]: A soapstone sink adds charm to the new kitchen; a vintage bathroom's star is a zinc-lined tub
An existing flue in the center of the reborn barn might have stymied some architects. But here it inspired the idea for a floating room divider in the form of a double-sided hearth, with the kitchen on one side, the living area on the other. "The hearth gives the space just enough definition," says Vitzthum. Instead of trying to compete with the butternut trim in the farmhouse section -- which Bob restored himself -- the architect specified pine paneling for the hearth and used painted finishes on the kitchen cabinets. She selected soft green for the lower units; the upper cabinets, painted a creamy white and fitted with glass doors, practically disappear. "I've actually learned to cook since we built this kitchen," says Suzanne. "It's that inspiring." When they entertain -- which, she notes, is often -- friends invariably gather on both sides of the hearth.
Bob and Suzanne's retreat is on the second floor of the barn: a sunny master suite, complete with a dressing area and a luxurious bath. When friends stay over in one of the farmhouse guest rooms, they get to sink into the bath's original zinc-lined copper tub encased by wood paneling. "We really wanted to preserve that bath," says Vitzthum. "So we just cut a narrow doorway into an adjacent closet and tiled it to create a shower."
LIVING WITH THE LAND
Throughout the barn, new double-hung windows allow light and views, creating the connection between the house and land that the Griffithses sought. That probably wasn't a goal when the home was built over 100 years ago, admits Bob, "but we wanted to link the house back to the landscape." To that end, one of Vitzthum's goals was to ensure that the views from the new windows were as pleasing as possible. Two key steps along the way: razing an unsightly garage and creating a landscaping plan that incorporated new beds, borders, and paths. (See facing page for details.)
[Photograph]: Homeowner Bob Griffiths restored the rich glow of the farmhouse's butternut woodwork
Suzanne was so happy with the new plantings that she took courses and earned her certification as a master gardener. "I figured I ought to be able to take care of all these beautiful gardens we planted," she says. The house has inspired the pair to try other pastoral pursuits as well. One of Bob's favorite places is his workshop, and the couple has welcomed a menagerie of animals -- including chickens, llamas, and sheep -- to their barns. They've even set up a spinning room for their own wool. "I wouldn't exactly call it a farming lifestyle," says Suzanne, "but this house has certainly -- and happily -- brought us closer to nature."
VIEW FINDER
Reclaiming the Land
How the team made the most of a spectacular setting
A hundred years ago, linking a home to its natural surroundings was about as crazy an idea as a homeowner might have. "In those days," says Bob Griffiths, "people were more concerned with escaping from the outdoors when they came in; houses were built strictly to keep out the elements." So although the Griffithses' 1880s farmhouse and its outbuildings had a beautiful setting amid lush green farmland and rolling hills, there was little sense of a relationship between the landscape and the house.
To help the home live in better harmony with its site and enjoy views of the spectacular setting, architect Sandra Vitzthum made several key changes during the remodeling process. First, she relocated the house's main entry, turning the former entrance (a dingy glassed-in porch in the farmhouse section) into a sunny sitting room and adding a small front porch to the barn to mark the new doorway. Graceful paths and borders, crafted with stone gathered on the property, guide visitors to the porch steps. Next, the team razed an old garage, opening up the space between the house and the big red barn. Now the Griffithses can look through the kitchen windows and see the animals grazing in the fields. The final addition, a stone terrace outside the new kitchen, gave the couple a warm-weather entertaining center -- and the perfect vantage point from which to enjoy the land they fell in love with.
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