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Houzz Tour: Cozy Vermont Cabin Blanketed in Charm
This carefully crafted, ecofriendly cabin in the woods makes coming in from the cold a truly memorable occasion
Joanne Palmisano, author of Salvage Secrets, Transforming Reclaimed Material Into Design Concepts, September 2011, with W.W. Norton (New York * London). Her book is listed in Architectural Digest Magazine, Holiday Gift Giving Guide as well as great reviews from HGTV, Fine Homebuilding Magazine, Apartment Therapy and many more.
She is a project contributor for DIY NETWORK and a guest blogger for Houzz, Goodwill, Daily Basics, Rejuvenation, and of course, has her own popular blog, http://www.salvagesecretsblog.com. Joanne's design work has won regional and national awards. She also is a stylist for magazines and catalogs, including This Old House Magazine.
Joanne Palmisano, author of Salvage Secrets, Transforming Reclaimed Material... More »
Homeowners Eric and Phiona Milano set out to build a peaceful, comfortable cabin in the woods with three "friendly" requirements: budget friendly, ecofriendly, and carry friendly (all the building materials would have to be hand-carried over a river on a metal pedestrian bridge). Teaming up with architect Joan Heaton and builders Sean Flynn and Mike Steele of Silver Maple Construction, they fulfilled all of these requirements, designing and building a cozy 600-square-foot cabin that makes you want to start quoting Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
"What makes this place so special are its limitations. Every system, from heating to plumbing, building materials and the design itself were influenced not only by a small budget, but how to get the material to the site," says Heaton. With high ceilings, large windows, reclaimed wood floors, white pickled walls, a claw-foot tub and a reclaimed spiral staircase, physical sacrifice is a word that easily comes to mind.
"Our biggest issue was the site," Eric says, "but Joan and Sean really understood what it would take to make our cabin a reality."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Eric and Phiona Milano and their son
Location: South Lincoln, Vermont
Size: 600 square feet; 2 bedrooms
That's interesting: All the materials were carried by hand over a bridge.
"What makes this place so special are its limitations. Every system, from heating to plumbing, building materials and the design itself were influenced not only by a small budget, but how to get the material to the site," says Heaton. With high ceilings, large windows, reclaimed wood floors, white pickled walls, a claw-foot tub and a reclaimed spiral staircase, physical sacrifice is a word that easily comes to mind.
"Our biggest issue was the site," Eric says, "but Joan and Sean really understood what it would take to make our cabin a reality."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Eric and Phiona Milano and their son
Location: South Lincoln, Vermont
Size: 600 square feet; 2 bedrooms
That's interesting: All the materials were carried by hand over a bridge.
Phiona, the owner of fabric store Nido, wanted the cabin to have a patinated look. She achieved the aesthetic by pickling and marbling the walls and adding antique furnishings. Exposed wood paneling on the walls, ceiling and floors create warmth.
"One of my favorite features in the cabin is the paneling details," says Flynn. "There is not a single piece of drywall in the cabin. From the pickled pine paneling to the natural pine ceiling, everything in the cabin feels like a built-in."
"One of my favorite features in the cabin is the paneling details," says Flynn. "There is not a single piece of drywall in the cabin. From the pickled pine paneling to the natural pine ceiling, everything in the cabin feels like a built-in."
| The front porch features a round-timber frame and is an example of how the team designed with the site, sustainability and budget constraints in mind. With no access to a saw mill, the logs used in the timber frame were from the land that was cleared for the cabin. They were placed by hand with blocks and pulleys. |
| The new wood stove is centrally located, allowing heat to flow up to the loft bedrooms and warm up the open living space. The reclaimed wood flooring is a variety of species, and the spiral staircase and blue kitchen cupboard were picked up at Vermont Salvage. The old doors and tub were purchased at Mason Brothers Architectural Salvage, and the bathroom sink is placed on an old metal grain feeder that Eric and Phiona picked up at an antiques shop. |
The loft space holds the master bedroom, and there is a small bedroom below for their son.
The floor-to-ceiling windows are the Marvin Integrity line with a fiberglass exterior for easy maintenance and energy efficiency. The Milanos enjoy the peace and quiet of their cabin and exceptional views of their surroundings. A ceiling fan helps circulate the heat from the wood stove throughout the cabin.
| Exposed copper piping in the bathroom allows the homeowners to easily drain the pipes and shut the cabin down when necessary. The hot water is from a propane heater; the Milanos have to carry in the propane tanks. |
A spiral staircase is one of the main architectural finds from a salvage shop in Vermont.
This metal pedestrian bridge had to be built first, then the cabin material was hand-carried over it, truly making this cabin "over the river and through the woods." Eric loves the outdoors and fishing on the river with their young son.
| The bridge posed an interesting challenge. "Not only did we have to build a bridge that spanned over the river, but we didn't want to be able to see it from the road. So we created a winding path to it," says Flynn. "The first three months were just building the bridge, bringing in the septic and the power, with as little impact on the land as possible." |
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| All the building materials were carried over the pedestrian bridge by hand, and the home was built on piers because there was no access to a cement truck. The only access to the cabin is by foot. |
| The barn doors, painted a calming green, were made by the builder. They add to the exterior design and are also functional, allowing the homeowners to slide them over the windows and shut down the cabin. |
| At twilight this cabin is aglow with light that welcomes the Milanos home after a day in the woods. The entire exterior was built with rough-sawn pine. "Using one material helped with the cost constraints as well as only having to bring in one load of material for the whole job," says architect Heaton. "We love it here. We can fish all day or walk on the endless trails and come back to our cabin that is incredibly soothing and welcoming. It is exactly what we wanted," Eric says. "We are at home in these woods." More Houzz Tours Innovative Home, Heated and Cooled by Design Simple, Sophisticated Family Retreat Cabin Studios in the Landscape Mobile, Modern Farmhouse |
Ideabook updated on March 22, 2012.
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I'm not the homeowner but I am the builder. Im very new to Houzz so I'm not sure if I'm responding to you in the appropriate venue but I'd be happy to filed any questions you might have concerning your project. I'd say its a bit our of our working radius sadly but I can nerd out about building anytime.
Sean Flynn
Silver Maple Construction LLC.
The water pipes were a challenge in this project but not one we haven't dealt with before. In this case the incoming well line was incased in a 12" diameter pipe which to which we applied spray foam to the outside four inches. The top was left open to the heated space and we the pipe extends to about 2 feet below frost. Haven't had any call backs on that to date and the first winter it was in service was a doozy.
As for the drainage from the bathroom we dropped insulated boxes around them with heat trace wrapping the pipes for any possibility of a slow drip. Beyond that all other water lines were kept within the rated space and we have enough electric heat in the building to keep things from freezing.
Great question, thanks for your interest!
Sean Flynn
Silver Maple Construction