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We have about 82 acres along about 2100 feet of Quarry Road. The south section is about 25 acres and includes land on both sides of the road and the original farmhouse (the white square). Across the road from the farmhouse is a large fallen-down barn (red), a small grain barn (red), and an even smaller milking shed (not shown). The left section is about 57 acres and includes the small barn converted into a workshop and living quarters (the black box).
The land is about 40% meadows (the green) and rises from an elevation of 700 feet at the road to about 800 feet in the middle. At that point, there are good views to the south and west and, with judicious pruning, on to Vermont in the east. The plan is to improve an existing tractor trail (blue) to reach a section for the garage (also blue) and site the house in the northeastern corner of the high meadow. There is a magnificent old alder, lots of hornbeam, and several beautiful clumps of birch to the north and an old rock wall with shagbark hickory and oak forming the eastern boundary on the meadow. Here we are standing in our new kitchen. |
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| Note the nice views to the south. Thus, we will get the long views over the meadow to the distant mountains from the south and west (sunsets!), a pretty grove to the north, protecting us from the cruel north winds, and on the east, a lovely rock wall with trees to prevent the rising sun from waking us in the morning. | We envision a 24 by 40 feet two story structure with a 10 by 40 feet shed on the east side. |
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| The first floor will have a large kitchen next to the dining room. The entry will be into the large living room. A see-through fireplace will sit in the center separating the living from the dining room. Offices, which can double as bedrooms, will share a bath in the shed-wing to the east. | The second story covers the core of the first story allowing adequate space for a master bedroom and and a guest bedroom, both with attached baths. |
In mid-November our excavator was digging test pits and found he could only dig three feet down at the choosen spot. Thus, we move back into the woods, clear a few more trees and try again. On 21 Nov we checked that site. It was a local low point (not good) and our south and west views would be hindered by the shagbark hickory and oak along the wall. The deck on the west would obscure the rock wall and the views to the north and east would be scrub. Time to rethink.
Last updated 22 Nov 98