This Vermont Home is the Perfect Family Destination

This adventure-loving family’s woodsy retreat is a year-round playground with its own signature style.

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The skirting around the foundation carries to the rear of the home, where mason Richard Hawes used a mix of faux and local stone. “They pulled rocks out of the river and stones from our property, and that made it an even more special experience,” says homeowner Kristie Smith.

Written by Suzanna Logan

Photography by Mark Sorenson

Kristie Smith is a woman who knows what she wants and how to make it happen. As a mother of five, her can-do attitude is not surprising, so, when she set her sights on creating a ski haven to share with her husband, Kevin, and the kids — along with a revolving door of family and friends — the outcome was a given. It was just a matter of lining up the details.

From the start, Kristie knew that assembling the right team was key to a successful project, and she quickly paired up with Ryan Holton, a Moosehead Cedar Log Homes representative and owner of R.H. Log Works, a construction outfit. After one phone call, the two were on the road scoping out local properties. Within hours, Kristie had discovered “the one.”

“We wanted something nestled in the woods that felt really comfortable and safe,” she shares of their lot located near Mount Snow in southern Vermont.

After years of renting cabins and living out of suitcases for their weekend getaways, Kristie’s vision was to have a place they could truly settle in and call their own. “We wanted to make memories with our family in a familiar environment, and what better way to do that than to build something?” she asks.

Creating that sense of ease began with choosing a home that could fit seamlessly into its surroundings. “Our goal was to have something that would tuck away and be one with the landscape,” she clarifies. They explored a variety of styles, but in the end, a post-and-beam home with log walls won out. The two-story design with a walk-out basement is built with 6-by-8-inch, D-shaped northern white cedar logs with a dovetail corner system. Spruce timbers form the roof system, while cedar railings and decking round out the exterior wood elements. “I can’t imagine having gone any other direction now that we are in it,” Kristie says.

While the outside of the house is just what you’d expect from a log home, the interiors take a surprising turn. “We didn’t want a typical interior with the clear poly finish,” explains Kristie. “We wanted something that felt a little more modern.” Wood walls treated in a variety of tones — from dark chestnut brown to bright and airy whitewashing — play up the open interiors of the post-and-beam structure, as do the neutral finishes and furnishings.

The easy-flowing interiors have been the ideal backdrop for the bustling Smith family, who take advantage of every inch of the home. On the main floor, the front door opens directly into the great room, creating a casual feel. The adjacent kitchen and dining area allow for ease of movement and large gatherings. An abundance of seating in various zones, including in front of the wood-burning fireplace and around the sprawling kitchen island, ensure there is room for everyone.

Areas intended to create connections are also found on the other two levels. Upstairs, a cozy lounge space is popular with Kristie’s college-age girls, while the lower level is a favorite of her middle-school-age children. A gaming zone and built-in bar make the walk-out basement a favorite with visitors, too — as does the quick access to the hot tub on the rear patio.

Balancing out the common gathering areas, there are plenty of intimate spaces included in the design: a window seat here, an out-of-the-way nook there. “The house is the Zen space for all of us,” shares Kristie.

And, with so many family members and guests filling the home, there are plenty of sleeping spaces, too. Four private bedrooms on the main and upstairs floors, plus a pair of bunk rooms in the lower level create a sleeping capacity of 20.

“The house was built with the intention of family coming and everyone bringing guests,” says Lisa Hilderbrand, the interior designer on the project and owner of Hilderbrand Interiors. “They never wanted anyone to feel like it was too crowded.”

Originally expected to serve as a base camp for the family’s ski adventures, the home has turned out to be a destination in its own right. “It’s funny because when we were renting, we would do full days of skiing, and now we ski half days and can’t wait to get back to the house,” Kristie says with a laugh.

When the snow melts away, the house remains a year-round destination. Spring and summer call for hiking, boating and splashing around in the creek that runs through the property, while fall is all about taking in the legendary New England foliage. Year-round pursuits include family game tournaments, movie nights and hot tubbing under the stars. For Kristie, these moments together are what matter most.

“The consistency of making memories with our family in the same space every year makes it such a special place for us,” she shares. “There isn’t a value I could ever assign to that.”