Vermont mountain cabin | Young Ideas
Today architect Jeff Young of Boston-based Young Ideas is sharing with us his family’s small mountain cabin, which he created by completely transforming a dumpy old house. Be sure to check out the “before” photo — not many people would have seen the potential there!
Our cabin is located in the middle of Vermont’s Green Mountains and was a complete renovation of an existing, long-neglected home. All the work was done by myself to create a retreat for my family.
The cabin has 850 ft2 (79 m2) of living space with every inch carefully designed to maximize efficiency. The first floor is an open plan, with a large tiled mud room and heated floor attached. As avid skiers, this is perfect for drying out our ski gear in the winter.
Upstairs are two bedrooms, one with half bath and the other a loft. Stealing space from the tall, open interior, I carved out a queen bed loft, which is a favorite of children. The master bedroom has a half bath, making the most out of the tight quarters. The handcrafted balcony railings are the work of next door neighbor Louis Engelhart, and add to the ambiance expected of a mountain cabin retreat.
Downstairs has a large open two-story space, with a convertible sofa bed and a cozy window seat that doubles as a great bed. Over the window seat, a movie screen pulls down turning the downstairs into a home theater. (The projector is out of the way, encased in the ceiling.) Long winter nights often turn romantic watching movies in front of the warm Jotul stove.
The open, eat-in kitchen allows for easy meal preparation and family gatherings. The rustic feel is enhanced through the use of native Vermont soapstone for the counters and Vermont Verde Antique Marble for the gas fireplace surround.
Outdoors, an open porch leads to a hot tub and deck, then a dining patio. Mountain views while soaking in the day or under star lit skies at night await visitors.
Planning a Green Mountains holiday? Jeff’s cabin is available for vacation rentals through Homeaway.
Click a thumbnail to view a larger photo, then click on the photo to advance to the next one.
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- cabin floor plan
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- mudroom
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- mudroom
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- master bedroom
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- master bath
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- before
Photographs by/courtesy of Jeff Young.
Text copyright 2015 SmallHouseBliss. All Rights Reserved.
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Perfect except for the screen rigged on the stairs. There HAS to be a better answer for safety than that. It’s really unattractive in an otherwise perfect house.
Thanks Dorothy! And I agree about the screen, but our fearless Aussie-doodle loves to jump from the top steps, so I had to do something!
Yes, of course safety is first. I figured it was for kids, not a dog though. :o) How about adding black cables from the railing to each base to tighten up the spaces between so the dog can’t get through? Lots are modern staircases are using cables for an open but safe look.
I’ve been to Jeff’s place a few times. It is AMAZING. Its hard to believe that the “before” picture is in the same zip code let alone footprint…Its such a functional, efficient, and GLORIOUS place to r…e….l….a…..x…………..
I like this for a getaway vacation spot!
Very nice luv the fact you took the time to turn something old into something new
Seeing the ‘before’ shot, it’s amazing the job that was done. Just gorgeous!
This is my dream house. How can I get it?
Hi Rosemarie (or anyone else interested), Feel free to contact me via the links in the above story or via Facebook messenger. I’d be happy to talk to you if are serious about building something similar or if you need more information. Thanks for nice words, Jeff