Kevin and Helen Hulick had been living in the New Hampshire countryside, not far from Brattleboro, Vermont, for nearly a decade. They were reasonably comfortable in their modest gray clapboard home, situated at the bottom of a hill on a quiet residential road. “I bought the gray house back in 1986,” says Kevin. “Quite honestly, it was old and cold! Because of its location, at the bottom of the hill where the runoff collected, the foundation had given way over the years and the floors were tilted, definitely cause for concern!”
Honoring the urge to move to a different dwelling, the couple looked at property around the area, checking out raw land as well as existing homes for sale. “After a few years of looking online and searching by car,” describes Kevin, “we kept coming back to where we were because this lot is in close proximity to Keene, New Hampshire, Brattleboro, Vermont, and I-91. The country road is very peaceful and we already have friends here, too.”
The Hulick’s three acre property stretched out behind the gray roadside house with towering trees marching up a steep hillside to a ridge. The couple’s winter hikes, when hardwoods had dropped their leaves, led them to suspect that the ridgetop might offer some spectacular views of the Vermont mountains.
About four years ago,” says Kevin, “Helen and I decided to have the forested hillside logged and cleared. We weren’t 100 percent sure that we would have a view of the Vermont mountains until the tall pine trees came down. We were amazed at the spectacular view we were rewarded with, just a stone’s throw away from our little gray house.”
“The view actually changes from day to day,” clarifies Helen, “and season to season. Sometimes it changes hour to hour, with fascinating clouds, sunlight, shadows, and beautiful sunsets.”
The couple quickly began formulating a plan to build a home on the hillside, on a bench just below the ridgetop. “We’re very fortunate to have this property,” says Kevin. “There’s a natural spring for drinking water, and the knoll that the house rests on is ideal for water drainage. The foundation stays high and dry even though it has a walkout basement.”
“At first we were shocked,” reflects Helen, “at the steepness of the cleared slope, wondering how we would ever manage to create a road that would be drivable in the winter months.” Lyle Hoag, of Pat Rawson Excavation, assured Helen and Kevin that he could sculpt a winding driveway that would be navigable during all seasons. He prepared the way for a home site with stump removal, road grading, and foundation excavation. Hoag also installed a septic system and French drains around the perimeter of the house site.
“A neighboring friend has a log home,” says Helen, “and Kevin and I have always thought it would be great to have one. We learned about Coventry Log Homes from an ad in a magazine and drove up to see their factory in Woodsville, New Hampshire. We actually passed the house from the ad on our way there! Kevin spied it out of the corner of his eye and turned around to check it out.” The “Gone Fishing” sign on the home was hanging in the same place as the house featured in the ad.
The Hulicks’ visit with Coventry went well. “We liked their attitude and attentive customer service,” says Kevin. “Their product is top notch and comes with windows, doors, lock sets, shingles, railings … a very complete package. Richard Titorenko, a representative, guided and assisted us from beginning to end on our project.
Perhaps the greatest guidance the couple received was Coventry’s recommendations for builders in the area. “I was very nervous about finding a builder,” admits Kevin. “I’ve heard a lot of nightmare stories about other people’s building experiences and was scared to death about who I was going to get involved with. I wanted to work with someone that was highly experienced and honest.”
Coventry provided the Hulicks with a list of builders in their area who had built Coventry homes in the past. One of them, Vaughn Tower, was currently building a log home in the neighboring town of Hinsdale. “We drove by to check it out,” recalls Kevin. “It was in the beginning stages, but the owners told us to call back in a few months and make an appointment to tour their home. The house turned out great, and the owners were really proud of it, and glad that they had used Vaughn Tower. That’s what I was hoping to hear.”
Upon negotiating a contract with Tower, one of the first things Kevin and Helen did was host a breakfast for the builder, excavator, electrician, and plumber, giving them a chance to meet each other. “I gave them a list of one another’s contact information so they could be in touch with each other right from the start.
“Lyle Hoag and Vaughn Tower worked together when Coventry’s log package arrived. Kevin had arranged to have a forklift available to haul the logs and other building materials from the street to the building site. Vaughn’s prior experience building log homes proved invaluable as he directed Hoag’s placement of logs and lumber around the perimeter of the foundation. “Since it has a walkout basement,” explains Kevin, “the top floor and roofing materials were stored at the back of the house, which has the highest elevation. That way it would be easier to pass them up when needed. Until then, they would be out of the way.” Windows and doors were stored, out of the weather, in the property’s existing barn.
The Hulicks had chosen Coventry’s 1,612-square-foot Custom Oak Ridge Model, featuring three bedrooms, two baths, a loft, and walkout basement. “We modified the plan a little bit, as we were building,” says Kevin. “Our contractor added some skylights in the great room ceiling that were positioned to provide a view from the loft, as well as a bay window in the master bedroom. Lots of natural light was very important to us because the winters here can be long and gray.”
Helen is of Chinese descent and her home’s interiors reflect a well-organized, straightforward, but thoughtful personality. “I don’t like clutter,” she states. “I find that I function much better in a simple, clean environment. Lots of ‘stuff’ means lots of dusting, more house cleaning than I prefer to do. I would much rather spend my time outdoors in the gardens.” Her time in the gardens is clearly evident. For only two years of growth, the Hulick home’s landscaping is remarkably lush and colorful, a visual feast of flowing pathways and mounded flower beds.
“We were very discouraged to begin with,” says Helen. “After the land clearing and the road excavation, nearly the entire hillside was laid bare and very dusty. Kevin and I sowed grass seed, but the summer was unusually wet. Constant rain washed our seed down the hill, taking a lot of soil with it.” Helen’s brainstorm was to lay gravel over the earth, and then carve out sections for plantings, not easy work. “I used an iron rake, shovel, and wheel barrow to create my beds of soil within the more stable gravel,” Helen explains.
Teaching English as a second language to Chinese immigrants, as well as Chinese and Japanese to English students, Helen shares, “I love teaching as much as I love gardening. To me it is the same: planting the seeds, nurturing the soil, cultivating growth. Plants, students, and building a home are similar that way, each requiring effort, encouragement, and patience.”
Photography by Roger Wade Studio