Seth McDowell Architect, pllc

The Shenandoah Valley Chalet began as a found, abandoned A-Frame structure elegantly positioned on a ridge looking south, across Augusta County farmland, towards the Blue Ridge Mountains. The owner, a professional violist, saw potential in the deteriorated structure and commissioned McDowell to help transform the ruin into a contemporary mountain retreat. The design concept for the renovation was to strategically open up the house to vertical views within and horizontal views outwards. New cuts in the second level floor create vertical connections from downstairs living and upstairs public spaces. The front façade was completely reconfigured to better connect to the pastoral mountain views with new windows and dormers. The found ruin was a skeleton of rough-cut timber, and the design approach was to keep the timber structure as exposed as possible. This timber frame creates a rhythm of texture and color that contrasts with the pallet of contemporary finishes.