GULLY HOUSE

South Pomfret, VT

The original ski lodge for Suicide 6 Ski Area (America’s oldest lift-served resort), long in private residential ownership, had fallen into neglect. The new owners purchased the property with the intention of creating a unique country retreat for friends and family. With the help of Birdseye Architects, the lodge was fastidiously renovated, preserving and highlighting key details like the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, wide plank wood floors, and exposed post and beam construction.

The building sits on a plateau below the active ski hill and above a long linear expanse of meadow, woodland and pond. The design concept: the controlled play of foreground and background, ordered vs. natural; starts with the rectilinear site structure and restrained palette of materials immediately surrounding the building – breaking loose beyond the rear retaining wall and opening into a descending meadow, groups of specimen trees and the lower pond.

Parking for several cars is subtly integrated into the design along with low stone walls, outdoor field stone dining area, pea stone terrace, a fire pit, a honeylocust allee, and low-profile site lighting.