This unusual 15 room country farm house with attached barn is set high on the Northfield Ridge at the top of a 21+ acre property with rare and magnificent views of the Green Mountains, Sugarbush, and Mad River Glen.

It is a house and location that will appeal to the person who wants to live in a gorgeous natural setting and who appreciates a unique home with an interesting history. Built in 1981 and enlarged in 1991, this house is a contemporary example of the indigenous New England architectural vernacular known as Connected Farm Buildings.

Connected farm houses are familiar to those who know the New England countryside.  Typically, they involve a house and barn connected by a series of structures that form a continuous building complex. In Vermont State’s climate, this arrangement allows the farmer to maintain livestock in winter without having to walk though the cold to a distant barn. This house began with the salt box and Cape Cod structures at the south end, and it grew toward the north, ending at the stable with its second story loft.  This arrangement allows for maximum exposure to the spectacular western views of the mountains. An advantage of connected farm houses is that they are very flexible in design and can be easily re-worked to accommodate the needs of future owners.

The Barn.  A particularly interesting detail of this house is that at its north end, it is an oak post and beam structure created from a 72 foot barn that came from an estate in  Connecticut  owned by George Steinbrenner.  He didn’t want a barn on his property and allowed his builders to dismantle it and send it to Cider Hill Road.  Two-thirds of the barn structure was converted to a residential space.  The remaining one third became a horse barn, which subsequently had three stalls and a horse porch added to it.

This property is currently home to 4 horses, who have over 15 acres of grazing space.  There are 6 stalls in the stable; 5 are 12’X12’ and 1 is 12X8’.  The aisle is 12’ wide.  It has a covered horse porch that is 12’X36’ on the east side by the driveway.  The horses shelter in the horse porch, and they also use the barn as a run-in.  A tack room/workshop next to the stable supplies hot and cold water throughout the year.  Because the stable is solidly built on a concrete foundation, it could be put to numerous purposes other than stabling.  Northwest of the barn is an outdoor riding ring.  This ring could be used as the base for a tennis court if the owner is so inclined.  

On both the south and west sides of the house, stone patios and gardens enhance summer living.  Apple trees and lilacs make springtime a joy. The landscaping plan makes this property appealing in every season.  Cider Hill Road is maintained by the Town of Warren, making for easy access during the winter months.