Hillside Residence Hanover NH

by Smith & Vansant Architects PC

It was time to leave Wall Street and move home to NH. There was a house in the woods with a wonderful view, and room for two young boys to romp. The site was steep and the house was large, ungainly and poorly finished. It had neither the connection to nature nor the NYC loft feeling the family loved.

Smith & Vansant removed the long center portion of the house, and rebuilt it to make a striking Great Room with high ceilings and spare contemporary detailing. Views from arrays of large windows became constantly changing artworks, framed by the dark hardwood trim against serene white interiors.

The exteriors that work in NYC didn’t suit either rural NH or the relaxed lifestyle the family wanted. A Shingle Style approach was used by Smith & Vansant to unify new construction with the awkwardly proportioned remnants of the existing house, and to help settle the house into the landscape.

A long raised porch was added to the West side of the house, so that life can flow easily outwards from the Great Room. Even on buggy days and cool nights, the family wanted to grill and relax outdoors, so there is an expansive screen porch with a woodstove & grill, overlooking the panorama of the Connecticut River Valley.

This project was featured in a New Hampshire Home Magazine article, published in March of 2011, entitled, Making the Most of a Spectacular View.