As an architect on ski/snowboarding vacation in northern Vermont in February, 2011, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tour HGTV’s Dream Home, which was built in the resort town of Stowe. Furthermore, as a part-time blogger, I could not pass up the opportunity to write about my visit. I don’t need to go into too much detail about the products used or construction process because you can read all about it here and here. I will, however, share my observations on the experience of visiting a Dream Home and probably throw in some philosophical thoughts along the way.
The Stowe Dream Home exterior as I saw it.
I had only been to Stowe once or twice before, and this was the first time going to the actual ski resort. For those who don’t know, historic Stowe is in the valley below the actual ski resort. The character of the town reminds me of Princeton, NJ, only without the collegiate Gothic university buildings flanking one side of main street. So to get to our tour, we drove through historic Stowe and up to the resort. It might not be readily apparent on the HGTV website, but the home site really is right in the middle of a giant ski resort complex. The actual access to the site is through one of Stowe’s Spruce Peak parking lots and up a driveway identified as “Ski Club Lane” on Google maps. Since our tour was supposed to start in Spruce Peak Lodge, we parked in the main resort parking lot on the opposite side of the Lodge.
My view of the kitchen island, dining room, and exterior beyond as seen from the mud room.
Follow me on Twitter 
