A phased deep energy retrofit transforming a 1980s Montpelier contemporary into a high-performance, net-zero residence.

A 1940s Montpelier cottage reimagined: doubling living space with a modern, eco-friendly addition while preserving historical charm.

Planning a custom garage, art studio, or ADU? Explore best practices for flex buildings, climate resilience, and universal design.

Under construction: a net-zero, rustic modern custom home in Northern Vermont designed for sustainable, eco-friendly family living 

Building a custom home in Vermont? Discover how early collaboration with an architect maximizes your investment and design potential.

Case study complete: transforming a Central Vermont property with a modern bedroom wing and expanded kitchen for multigenerational living.

It started with an email

Recently, a client sought us out to adapt our ZigZag House2 home design for her property in Northern Vermont. For her, the 1,000 square foot 2-bedroom single-level home was a great starting point but she wanted to adapt it in a variety of ways to better suit her needs. A home-based writer, she wrote in a small specially design cabin bucolically located on the edge of a large pond with scenic views of the hills and mountains to the west. The primary two-story single-family home nearby anchored the hillside property, a former dairy farm.

Our client sought to lease the main house to another family while designing and building a new compact home for herself nearby around the same pond as the writer’s cabin. She set some inspiring goals which included:

• To create a sustainable climate-positive home while also allowing her to travel for months at a time, leaving the home in easy to maintain hibernation mode while away for extended periods.

• Design and refine the existing ZigZag2 House design to be even simpler, unifying some of the separate living volumes…..

Central Vermont home landscape design: updating an Acorn Deck House outdoor experience with new decks, pool enclosure, and improved circulation.

We designed this pop-up mini-park in a leftover off-street parking area on Langdon Street in downtown Montpelier, Vermont. Built by Rogen Design-Build it was installed for three summer seasons. It provided a shaded flexible seating area and bike parking. My son called it The Kickstand due to it being right next to a bike shop. The name stuck. Ward Joyce collaborated with us on this project.