On the market: ‘special oasis’
Centuries old yet engineered for today, this 1800s farmhouse is a geothermal wonderland of artistic touches and stunning views.
“The perfect little farmhouse; I want it so badly!”
“Lovingly detailed; exquisite.”
“Spectacular!”
“My favorite listing of my entire career.”
Allison Bradley of Four Seasons Sotheby’s Realty — that last quote belongs to her — has fallen in love with this “special oasis” of an 1800’s Victorian home that’s on the market about 30 minutes from Downtown. I casually mentioned this artsy blue gem at a party Friday night, and it seems everyone knew this house but me — see the other raving notes above — and have been keeping their eye on it.
The house’s current owner, Bronwen Eastman, first fell in love with the now-renovated farmhouse (5 bedrooms, 3 “spectacular spa-like baths”) during fateful drive-bys.
“We would pass it on our summer drives to the Battenkill Dairy for ice cream,” she says. “Maybe it was the mythically gigantic catalpa tree out front or the lovingly detailed gingerbread of the house itself, but I think it is the overall impression of it. The first time I walked down the wide slate stairs to the basement and toured the rooms with their fantastic molding and high ceilings it was clear that this is a house that has been loved well — and consistently.”
She calls the house a “rarity,” and this is no sales talk. The fine jewelry designer took the reputation of old houses as being inefficient with energy resources, and added insulation, an impressive array of solar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling.
“The geothermal requires no fossil fuels — only the electric that runs the heat pump and fans, and that comes from the solar,” Eastman says. “I like thinking of the house as an element of the fantastic natural landscape that surrounds it. It’s been there long enough that it truly is, and now the impact can be more positive and sustainable, even supporting the extraordinary variety of wildlife there.”
Adds Bradley, “The geothermal energy and solar panels make energy costs nearly zero for the next 20 years.”
“We carefully renovated to maintain its character while adding many handmade and natural details, such as terracotta and Zellige tiles, lime wash paint, and natural floor finishes,” Eastman says. “The house has been a special oasis for me, a magical and nurturing container of connection and transformation. I have loved it dearly and I’m excited for it to find its new people.”
For more information visit sothebysrealty.com/fourseasons and contact Allison Bradly via text at 518-339-7313 or email at Allison.bradley@sothebysrealty.com.