Vermont Farmhouse

This house wraps around two levels of courtyards on one side and looks out over salt marshes to the sound on the other. Its deeply insulated 12” thick walls and roof conserve energy, and heat recovery ventilation ensures a constant cycle of fresh air.

This small house with a large presence draws from sources far and near: ancient Greek Doric temples, Palladio’s ‘Redentore’ and Villa Barbaro, Peter Harrison’s Redwood Library, Jefferson’s Monticello, Asher Benjamin’s carpenter pattern books, and local Greek Revival building traditions of Concord.

A tower serves as the entrance and links the main wing of the house to the guest quarters. The entry under the tower is like a breezeway with barn doors on each side and dark interior finishes of a tack room. The new house and barn face a courtyard incorporating the remains of old farm buildings.

The house responds to the Greek Revival traditions of the neighborhood on the exterior with a wholly unexpected interior.  The house is organized around two courts:  first, an arrival court on the public side, and second, a garden court on the quiet private side.