Experience, knowledge, and creative solutions make dream homes more affordable.
Due to Sisler Builders’ extensive experience and knowledge, we have the ability to devise creative solutions for challenging scenarios and guide clients to quality, value-conscious choices, which result in cost savings during construction. We are also able to save money in the long run for our clients. When we build a house, we do it right the first time, so that 50 years later the building still performs well, without having major costly problems. We have been called in to fix other builders’ mistakes—rot, ventilation, insulation, air sealing, poor indoor air quality—that are avoidable. Whether it’s engineering challenges, design guidance, energy efficiency, or product sourcing, we have the expertise to steer a project so that it is most cost effective. Here is one example of a house where, with our expertise, we were able to save the owners money while building their dream home.
Family Getaway
A skiing family took a vacation at Smugglers’ Notch Ski Resort and decided to visit Stowe. They fell in love with the town, the ski area, the people, and the fact that it was only a three-hour drive from where they lived on the coast of Massachusetts. A decision was made: Stowe was where they would vacation and where they would eventually retire. It was 2013 and real estate inventory was slim. They couldn’t find a suitable house, so they decided to build. They found a lot they liked, and they found Sisler Builders. The couple spent two years planning, and in 2015 they started the building process. The lot was located in Robinson Springs, a neighborhood near the ski slopes that consists of generally high-end luxury homes. This one was going to be on the lower end of that spectrum.
The site was difficult, with a steep grade on one side that required a massive retaining wall to create a level area to build on. The owners and Sisler Builders collaborated with Cushman Design Group. With our guidance we turned the steep grade to our advantage and placed the bedrooms in the window-rich basement level, rather than the usual second story above the main floor, reducing the overall cost. Sisler Builders and the owners detailed the rest of the house as they proceeded through the building process.
Thanks to our expertise, professionalism, and good communication the owners were comfortable working exclusively with us, avoiding design fees and saving additional cost by streamlining the process. The main level has timber frame accents, native maple flooring, a spalted maple dining bar and staircase handrails, and antique barn wood for the kitchen and bath cabinets and accent paneling. These tastefully implemented accents make the house special without breaking the budget. “For me, the process was all pleasure,” said the wife. “I had my own ideas and Sisler Builders had input and was easy to work with. I love the wood trim, the way the house smells, how cozy and warm it is. And I love the relationships we’ve developed with Steve and Sharon Sisler and project manager Brian Irwin. It was all so much fun to build my forever home.”
For more photos of this home, please click here.
In Part 2 of this blog we describe another house, “Little River Overlook,” where it was necessary to devise equally creative solutions for another challenging scenario.
