Blue Ridge Farmhouse

Location: Montvale, VA

Completed: 2006

Square footage: 3,270 (heated), 1,500 (exterior)

This farmhouse is located in the Virginia countryside next to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The owners wanted the design of their retirement home to use uncomplicated vernacular forms and to incorporate their collections of antique wooden doors and stained-glass windows. The views—both of the house and from the house—are spectacular. Stone walls keep deer away from the gardens.

We spent four years working on and off with our clients on this project. They moved slowly and enjoyed every phase of the design and construction process. The finished residence is a great house that suits their lifestyle perfectly.

Significant green features:

• House form elongated on the east-west axis
• Main living spaces located on the south side for light and warmth
• Large windows on the south side, shaded in the summer
• Built to Energy Star standards
• Geothermal heating and cooling