TIMBERFRAME, POST and BEAM HOMES

Heart and Soul

Logic was firmly in place when the Bergers designed the home with the major public spaces—kitchen, dining and great room, laundry, sewing and guest room – on the main level. “We also have the master suite on the main level,” Becky says. “The second floor holds a game room, full bath, library, office and our guest bedroom and music room, while three full bedrooms are housed on the third floor.”

There are a number of features Joe likes to point out. He appreciates the 30-foot-high vault of the ceiling and the stone fireplace, the cherry cabinets with stainless appliances in the kitchen, the Brazilian cherry flooring in the great room and “the stone wall Becky constructed on the back patio. Did I mention how handy she is?”

“The crew was so impressive during the entire construction process,” Becky says. “They autographed the rafters before finishing so we can reflect that the house is not machine-built but hand-built. We can’t imagine ever having lived in a conventional home.”

The two have dubbed their home “Sweetwater.” Becky has given a lot of thought as to how the house would describe itself. “I imagine it would say,” she writes, “I am a house of the movement of light and shadow, a reflection of the leaves in the woods I was born into. I am oriented to the sun and stars, not constructed by tools but rather built with the soul and the heart.”

Resources

North Woods Joinery, (802) 644-2400, www.nwjoinery.com

RIGHT: The Bergers designed a first-floor master suite for themselves and chose a rich color for the walls. The home’s other bedrooms are located upstairs.

BELOW: A posts accented with curved knee braces stands proud in the master bedroom. Wood facing on the tub’s side makes a warm contrast to the tile floor.

WEB EXTRA: See more at timberhomesnetwork.com