Vermont
Board + Batten
A guest house complete with painted wood siding, mirror-polished stainless steel panels, and strategic glazing placements on the exterior and custom-milled cabinetry, hand-finished western red cedar details, and durable, mid-century furnishings on the interior.
Set against the backdrop of Vermont’s Green Mountains, Board + Batten was constructed to balance privacy and openness.
The guest house was built to be low in the landscape, with its T-shaped plan maximizing natural light and views across a private clearing. The project name refers to the board-and-batten cladding typical of the region, but the build team updated the system with a modern execution—alternating painted boards, mirror-finished steel panels, and glass inserts to create a layered, dynamic exterior. The standing seam metal roof, shaped with precise hipped geometry, integrates with tight cedar soffit detailing for a crisp, clean roofline.
Inside, the construction focused on delivering a simple but refined material palette: finished concrete slab floors, smooth painted walls, and western red cedar accents throughout. Built-in custom beds and cabinetry were fabricated to match the mid-century style furnishings. The result is a guest retreat built for longevity and seasonal transformation, rooted firmly in both its landscape and local building tradition.
Architect | Birdseye |
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Builder | Birdseye |
Woodwork | Birdseye |
Sitework | Birdseye |
Interior | Brooke Michelsen Design |
Photography | Jim Westphalen PhotographyErica Allen Studio |
Completed | 2017 |