Cozy Vermont Cabin Blanketed in Charm

12 Nov

Cozy Vermont Cabin Blanketed in Charm

Homeowners Eric and Phiona Milano set out to build a peaceful, comfortable cabin in the woods with three “friendly” requirements: budget friendly, ecofriendly, and take favorable (all the construction materials would have to be hand-carried above a river on a metal pedestrian bridge). Teaming up with builder Joan Heaton and builders Sean Flynn and Mike Steele of Silver Maple Construction, they met all of these needs, designing and constructing a cozy 600-square-foot cabin which makes you want to start quoting Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

“Why is this place so special are its limitations. Every machine, from heating plumbing, construction materials and the layout itself were affected not just by a tiny budget, but how to find the material to the website,” says Heaton. With high ceilings, large windows, reclaimed wood flooring, white pickled walls, a claw-foot tub and a mirrored spiral staircase, physical forfeit is a term which easily comes to mind.

“Our main issue was that the website,” Eric says, “but Joan and Sean really understood what it would take to make our cabin a reality.”

at a Glance
Who lives here: Eric and Phiona Milano along with their son
Location: South Lincoln, Vermont
Size: 600 square feet; 2 bedrooms
That’s intriguing: All the materials were completed by hand over a bridge.

Professional Photographer, Susan Teare

Phiona, whoever owns fabric shop Nido, desired the cabin to have a patinated appearance. She attained the aesthetic by pickling and marbling the walls and incorporating classic furnishings. Exposed wood paneling on the walls, ceiling and floors create heat.

“Among my favourite features in the cabin is the paneling information,” says Flynn. “There is not a single piece of drywall at the cabin. In the pickled pine paneling into the normal pine ceiling, everything from the cabin feels just like a built-in.”

Professional Photographer, Susan Teare

The front porch features a round-timber framework and is a good example of how the team designed with the website, sustainability and budget constraints in mind. Without the access to a saw mill, the logs used in the timber frame were out of the land that was cleared to your cabin. Hand put them with pulleys and blocks.

Professional Photographer, Susan Teare

The brand new wood stove is conveniently located, allowing heat to flow until the attic bedrooms and heat up the spacious living room.

The reclaimed wood floor is a variety of species, along with the spiral staircase and blue kitchen cupboard were picked up in Vermont Salvage. The old doors and tub have been purchased in Mason Brothers Architectural Salvage, and the bathroom sink is put on a classic metallic grain feeder which Eric and Phiona picked up in an antiques shop.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

The attic space holds the master bedroom and there’s a little bedroom below for their son.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

The floor-to-ceiling windows would be the Marvin Integrity line with a fiberglass exterior for easy maintenance and energy efficiency. The Milanos enjoy the serenity and quiet of the cabin and exceptional views of the environment. A ceiling fan helps circulate heat from your wood stove through the cabin.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

Exposed copper piping in the bathroom allows the homeowners to drain the pipes and shut the cabin when needed. The warm water is out of a propane heater; the Milanos must take from the propane tanks.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

A spiral staircase is one of the key architectural finds in the home shop in Vermont.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

This metal pedestrian bridge had to be constructed first, then the cabin material was hand-carried it over, actually making this cabin “within the lake and through the woods.” Eric enjoys the outdoors and fishing on the lake with their young son.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

The bridge introduced an intriguing challenge. “Not only did we have to construct a bridge which spanned across the lake, but we didn’t wish to have the ability to see it from the road. We made a winding route to it,” says Flynn. “The first 3 months were just constructing the bridge, bringing from the septic and the energy, together with as little effect on the land as you can.”

Professional Photographer, Susan Teare

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

All the construction materials were carried within the pedestrian bridge by hand, and the home has been constructed on piers because there was no access to a cement truck. The only access to the cabin is by foot.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

The barn doors, painted a calming green, were created by the builder. They add to the exterior layout and are also practical, allowing the homeowners to slip them across the windows and shut down the cabin.

Susan Teare, Professional Photographer

At dusk this cabin is aglow with light which welcomes the Milanos home following a day in the woods. The entire exterior was constructed with rough-sawn pine. “Using one material helped with the cost limitations in addition to only needing to bring in one load of material for the whole task,” says architect Heaton.

“We love it. We could fish daily or walk on the endless trails and return to our cabin that’s remarkably soothing and relaxing. It’s exactly what we desired,” Eric says. “We’re at home in those woods.”

More Tours
Complex Home, Heated and Cooled by Layout
Easy, Sophisticated Family Retreat
Cabin Studios from the Landscape
Mobile, Modern Farmhouse

See related