It wasn't until their honeymoon that New Jersey natives Keith and Patti Komline fell in love with Vermont. "I had traveled a lot for my job," notes Keith, an engineer, and when I came to Vermont I realized there's no place in the world as pretty as this."

Patti, now a Vermont state representative, agreed, and the couple took up residence in their adopted state, changing homes several times as their family grew to include three sons. In 2003, Keith and Patti found 11 and a half acres in the lush woods of Dorset, Vermont, that seemed perfect for building a new family home.

In fact, within the next two years, the idyllic property became a family compound, home not only to Patti and Keith's permanent residence, but also to the vacation cottage of Patti's parents, Maureen and Chuck Casey.

The Main House

The Komlines met Jeff Davis, president of Davis Frame Co. in Claremont, New Hampshire at a home show, and ultimately hired Davis to design a 3,565-square-foot hybrid timber frame that combines colonial and farmhouse styling. With Davis handling the timber framing, Keith originally thought he'd try his hand at the standard construction, but changed his mind after doing the decking. "It was clear we couldn't do any more," he says laughing. He did act as general contractor.

The home's welcoming expanse of front porch leads to an entry foyer that looks onto the back of the great room's antique brick fireplace. The king-post bent system of Douglas fir rises dramatically above the great room; curved braces and chamfered edges create a polished look.

To the left of the entry are Keith's office and a family room, which leads to the kitchen and then back around to the great room/dining area. "The warm, cranberry-walled dining area feature a soaring vaulted ceiling that almost didn't happen," says Kim Hentschel, executive project coordinator for Davis Frame. "Originally the Komlines were going to cover the open ceiling with another upstairs bedroom, then they decided to keep it open and eliminate that bedroom," Kim says. To give the dining area a more intimate feel, the timber joists were lowered to a height of 8 1/2 feet. "Now, as you enter the kitchen, and look out onto the dining area, you still have a view of the dramatic king post trusses through the joists," Kim says.

The Vacation Cottage

Following in their daughter's footsteps, the Caseys asked Davis Frame to build their 1,756-square-foot Douglas fir timber frame mountain cottage. Starting with the company's "Homestead" model, the couple added their own ideas, such as a privacy-enhancing walk-through closet that connects the master bedroom to the master bath. "Davis enabled us to personally express ourselves," Maureen recalls. Davis felt the Caseys' modification so improved their original model that it developed a new model - the Classic Homestead - based on the Casey design. "This new model is very popular," Kim says. "It is a compact design but it has an open floor plan that lends itself to entertaining." Maureen calls it "a house of modest size that enables large living."

The main level of the Casey cottage has a master suite, open kitchen/dining area/great room, mudroom and half-bath. Upstairs is a bedroom, bath and loft. Another bedroom plus a playroom is on the basement level. A screened porch off the great room overlooks a backyard brook.

Maureen's favorite feature is the home's wood, especially the great room's ridge beam and common rafter roof system. "If I can't sleep at night I love to get up and take an afghan onto the couch, then sit and look at the shadows and wood of the towering ceilings with the flickering electric candles below," she says.

All in the Family

Maureen and Chuck's cottage was finished just in time to host a 2005 Thanksgiving family reunion with Patti and Keith. Between their two houses, the couples hosted 26 friends and relatives - plus six dogs - for a fun-filled long weekend. An early snowstorm provided a special treat for their Texas kin who had never seen snow before, as the adults relaxed in the Caseys' cozy cottage watching nine excited kids sled sown the slope just outside the great room windows.