Editor’s note: The author Geoff Wilcox has been building custom residences since 1990. He successfully completed numerous projects across residential and commercial sectors, in New York, Massachusetts, California and Italy. He now owns and operates The Country Shepherd, a hands-on client advocate and construction management company based in Chatham, N.Y., and serving the Berkshires and surrounding areas.
THE PROJECT
It was after September 11, when my clients (whom I’d previously worked with on the renovation of their NYC apartment) left the city to stay in a small town in Massachusetts. They fell in love with the quaint little town, so they decided to make it permanent. They found a several-acre rural property that wasn’t too far from town, which had an existing house set high on a hill nestled among mature maples, whose lines they loved —a post-WWII wall-supported Dutch-English hybrid gambrel-roofed structure with inset shed dormers and a sweeping lower roof line. Unfortunately, it was severely run down, and the previous owners had made slapdash boxy additions that ruined the aesthetics of the original home. It was also too small for family visits and entertaining. So, they decided on a renovation with multiple new additions that followed the original elegant lines. Given the scope and scale of the project, this was a huge undertaking—it would take three years from beginning to end.
They had an architect but didn’t want to do the job without someone onsite managing it and representing their interests. Since we’d worked well together already and liked each other, I took the job. Also, the property was only an hour away from my home in the Hudson Valley. My role was construction manager, but this job was unique in that I was basically dropped in the middle of nowhere and left to it.
My first task was to put together the team of master craftsmen. The design called for a great deal of specialized stonework, a huge amount of custom woodworking and a unique roof whose design, while based on the original traditional design, was still quite specific. I was the liaison between my clients and their architect and the team I was asked to put together. I wanted to make absolutely sure that I found the right people who could pull off such an ambitious project.
I was able to find fine carpenters and stonemasons, roofing and excavation contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters, and spray foam insulation installers, well diggers and drillers. After multiple interviews I chose those who I thought would be up to the task. I gave all bids to my clients. We worked well together. They trusted me and followed my suggestions.
Developing trust with your clients and with your team is critical. When issues arise – and they always do – you’ll need to depend heavily on your team. If they aren’t the right fit, issues can multiply. When clients and advocates trust each other, decisions are made much more quickly.
THE PROCESS
We started with the existing building: the bones were great, and the lines were elegant. Given the state of the home and the clients’ request to save it, we needed to do very specific demolition work. First, we gutted the entire existing structure down to the framing and completely removed the cheaply made additions. After that came brand new sewage and water lines, which were a quarter of a mile off the mains – a bit of a hike! After that we established an entirely new electrical service.
Then began excavations. We had to add on a huge section of foundation to create a full basement throughout the entire house, which also required cutting a section out of the existing foundation. As you can imagine, that meant digging out a lot of soil. We were able to use the excavated dirt for landscape and ground shaping, which minimized soil erosion and construction waste.  Construction waste accounts for 30 per cent of the world’s overall waste*, so repurposing as much as possible not only saves money but also helps the environment.
The new home would use a geothermal system to drive the HVAC and the radiant-heated floor for the new all-season porch. That meant we had to dig a well to tap into the existing ground water. We ended up going 1100 feet down—the equivalent of about 75 station wagons tip-to-end—accessing an underground river for sustained water flow and temperature. Like a cartoon, when we reached the river, the drill was thrown to the side of the hole by the water pressure, blocking the flow, and water came gushing out like Old Faithful. It almost sank the several-ton drill. Luckily all we had to do was withdraw the drill a bit for the water to recede and continue its natural flow.
After pouring about 100 cubic yards of concrete for the foundations and slab work, we began moving earth. We used the dirt from the foundation to create a massive slope to offset the great lawn, making a gentle hillside that would be used for children’s sledding in the winter months. We had to remove three large black cherry trees that were infested with ants (we we were able to use the wood later.) The clients loved the three remaining maples, so we blocked off the area surrounding them to ensure we didn’t intrude on the root system with our heavy machinery. We also moved and replanted several trees and bushes to accommodate the new home’s footprint. Then came the major landscaping which included a wetland, plantings, and lawns. We made sure the runoff was properly graded and I found a local specialist to ensure plantings were native, beautiful, and sustainable.
Because my clients were so fond of the maples, we gave the trees a little boost: using air compressors, we shot fertilizers deep into the ground around them. This served the dual purpose of encouraging tree health and loosening up the ground around the root system to allow the nutrients to reach the tree more easily.
SOME DETAILS
At the same time, we framed the new additions on either end of the main building, the four-season porch, and a long porch that ran the length of the building. Once the envelope (the roof and wall sheathing) was complete for the now 9000 square foot, 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath home, we could move on to finishes. We began sheetrocking the interior and roofing the exterior. Two of the new modern sections got full copper roofs while the original and the addition to the main home used local Vermont slate, mimicking the original slate roof.
The hand-hewn tilt-and-turn windows were designed and manufactured by a master woodworker in NYC with whom I’d worked before. Because it was the first time that this style window had been used in the town, we had to go through extra testing. I had the team mock up an actual window and frame, and we lugged it into the building inspector’s office. There, we demonstrated that the mechanisms and the window seals worked properly. The inspector tested to ensure the glazing was adequate for the climate. We passed with flying colors!
Meanwhile, we worked on the plumbing, the electrical, the geothermal system, and the stonework. We modified one fireplace and chimney to accommodate both the living room and the four-season porch and dismantled the other chimney to construct a masonry heater (essentially a heated stone wall which can heat a room more efficiently than forced air). We saved much of the stone from the original and used it in the new chimney, which was a centerpiece to the home. The client wanted locally sourced stone to finish it, and the architect wanted to match his design. I was able to find options that fit booth requirements, which we blended with the recovered stone, placing each individually, building upward to create a swooping line that mirrored the curve of the roof.
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The project required lots of woodworking for stairs, flooring, cabinets and finishing touches. The clients loved the beauty of the wood, so they chose natural finishes to highlight rather than mask the wood’s inherent beauty. The other finishes included a fun, brightly colored paint scheme for the kitchen and handmade tiles for each of the bathrooms.
Our final tasks were to complete the four-car garage and an 80-panel photovoltaic array that was integrated into its roof (which provided all the electricity for the house and even sent excess back to the utility grid), and to complete the quarter mile driveway with a specific blend of crushed stone that made the entry to the property both grand and subdued. We finished by helping our clients move into their new home.
It was truly wonderful working with these clients – they wanted to do beautiful things and work with beautiful materials. They knew what they wanted but were open to suggestions. I was able to provide what they wanted by gathering the right craftsmen to do the job. While there are always difficulties, the job went smoothly because we had the right team. With this kind of camaraderie and trust, we were able to provide a finished product that was what everyone – clients, architect, artisans, and I – envisioned.
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* National Institute of Health NCBI, “Circular Economy of Construction and Demolition Waste: A Literature Review on Lessons, Challenges, and Benefits”, Dec 23, 2021
