Status: Completed May 2005

The barn at the Milk House in Thetford underwent its third great transformation with the start of this project. Originally, the Barn served as a classic dairy barn for the property for many years. Transfer of ownership and use of the property served to convert the barn to a small production facility for the Big Hed T-shirt company. The current owners hired Smith & Vansant to help renovate the building to serve as a guest house.

The program consisted of three bedrooms, one full bathroom, a small entry-way/mudroom, a dining area with a small kitchenette, and a large living room. The client wanted to preserve and accentuate the timber-frame construction and barn features as much as possible, and have a warm and cozy, energy efficient, and cost-conscious guest house.

The exterior retains the classic barn appearance it has always had, albeit with several more windows. The focus of the interior was to provide a warm, colorful and inviting guest space with an open plan for the more communal functions and comfortable guest rooms. For the young and adventurous, a sleeping loft was eroded from a small section of the upper barn. This not only helps to meet the programmatic needs of a third bedroom, but helps to enlarge the feeling of the tall living room.

G.C.: Chip Odell, Thetford, VT; Interiors: DPF Design White River Junction, VT.