Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in one of LandVest’s properties? We invite our owners to tell us a bit about their experience, what they love about their homes and a bit of their history. We spoke with the owner of Hammond Hill in West Windsor, Vermont, just outside of Woodstock, to tell us a bit about what he and his wife love about their property.
How did you first encounter the property?
In some ways, it was a post 9/11 story – though, like everything else, it always runs deeper than that. We wanted someplace remote but accessible, engaged with the landscape but with a sophisticated vibe. I knew the area from prep school and had always loved it here. We came over from Hong Kong on vacation, we loved it, and bought it.
What was it that grabbed you?
The devastatingly beautiful 360-degree views, the land, privacy and great breezes. It’s a genuinely serene spot. A lot of places with such big views feel exposed, but this site is very gentle and calming. It’s a great offset to life in Hong Kong and New York.
Did you make changes to the property?
Definitely. The bones were solid – the former owner was a bridge builder, so the house is steel construction and built to the nines.
But we wanted a sleek, elegant look that integrated with the landscape, bringing the outside in. The whole point is to be in Vermont, after all.
So we engaged Patrick Kane, a terrific architect known for his integration of architecture and place.
Patrick won an award for the redesign. He put a new skin on the house, added a really cool bedroom and bath wing with stone terrace, a killer Bulthaup kitchen, pantry, and of course new windows, systems, all of that.
Now the house works well for a quiet getaway or a good-sized family with guests. The upstairs can be a master with adjacent bedrooms for a younger family, with guest space in the downstairs wing.
Or, if you are fleeing adolescents, the upstairs can be a kid zone (in addition to the huge downstairs spaces and bedroom), and the parents can retreat to a serene wing away from the drama.
Why are you selling?
Time moves on; our life is now centered in Asia.
What are the key features a new owner would relish about the property?
At a meta level, it’s the contemporary sanctuary feel of the place. It’s a place to love nature in style.
More specifically, the fields, beaver ponds and trails.
The kitchen is exceptional. I love to cook, and the Bulthaup design is killer. Very elegant and super functional.
It’s really great to have people hanging around while I cook, it works well that way. But sometimes it’s also great to have the views and the quiet all to myself! It’s like being in a glass box open to the Vermont scenery when you’re cooking, which is quite an experience.
Overall, while it is a cool design, it is also very functional, comfortable and easy. It’s simple to run, not a lot of fussiness of maintenance. You can shut it down and go. It’s so simple that we actually covered a lot of costs renting it for vacation rentals – maybe not everyone’s thing, but since we were away a lot, it worked for us.
It works for small groups or big gatherings. There are places to gather and places to get away. There’s lots of storage. The systems are up to snuff, and everything’s in great shape.
– C. Chen
For more information about Hammond Hill click here.
If you have other questions for our seller, please let Ruth or Story know, and we’ll get right back to you!
Visit our Woodstock page for more information on the community and other great Woodstock, Vermont area real estate, from lovely country houses to farms and forestland for sale in Bridgewater, Hartland, West Windsor, Barnard, Pomfret, South Woodstock and Woodstock. For all Vermont luxury real estate listings, click here.
