Tracking Harrison Snapp

It all started with a condominium on a renovation quest. Vertical fissure over fireplace, kitchen cabinets having seen better days. In search of the piece de resistance, the missing link, how to spin some magic for spice, add sparkle 2 great bones. Celebrate. Coming down to a barn beam to crown the hearth, missing link. Distressed beauty. The search on.

Valley to mountain peak, wretched wood frame to historic agricultural storehouse. Kerney Brown on site. Dan Eckstein at Yestermorrow and an upcoming deconstruction class slated to bring down the long-standing barn across from the Fayston Elementary School. Matt Groom on the challenges of finding a beam 11 inches deep, plank alternatives. And the returned email and disconnected phone for the Weather Hill Company.

Weather Hill work stands tall, testament to tradition and integrity. The email bounced back, line no longer in service… Had they gone under? Morphed to snow birds? Curious given the caliber and performance.

Today the break. Pulling onto the highway dividing the Mad River Valley, seasoned green pick up cruising the Mad River Scenic ByWay emblazoned with Weather Hill’s logo, two cars out. A chase worthwhile. Mile and a half later the driver must think me out of my mind or be exceedingly worried something is horribly wrong with his rig.

Out steps Harrison Snapp.

A kind smile, beard of the ages, talking story. “An 11 inch deep beam you say…”

Creating award-winning museum quality combinations of old and new, unforgettable residential & commercial spaces from top to bottom. Condemned, exhausted 200-year-old buildings on the verge of collapse find salvation at the hands of Weather Hill, aka Weather Hill Design Associates; Weather Hill Building Co.; Heritage Joinery Ltd. Homes saved from fire departments on the verge of a practice burn or a bulldozer clearing the way for commercial expansion.

Design & architectural consultants, balance, proportion and scale. Quiet, radiant spaces of unmatched warmth, serenity & power. Owner Gregory & Carolyn Schipa, with Snapp, harking from Fayston, have been at it well over 30 years erecting and renovating landmarks across the eastern seaboard from here in the Green Mountains to Nantucket, Boston, the Carolinas, Virginia, DC, and beyond. Snapp’s been with Weather Hill since 1974 and Greg started out on Nantucket. Val. Snapp’s wife, works in color, painting & staining.

Endeavoring to bring buildings to their former glory when most if not all original detailing has been buried or eliminated during one facelift after the next. Using archival tools and techniques from hundreds of years ago, painstakingly bring history to the fore. Jack plane hand planing after removing modern mill roller marks in search of the 18th century. Wooden Mallets & the Stanley No. 55, out of production since the early ’50s, incorporating dozens of planes for all Greek profiles: beads, curves, beak moldings, ogees, reverse ogees.

Clients can select dismantled and stored structure elements from the Weather Hill collection or find their own. Existing footprints expanded with ells or carriage houses to encompass added bedrooms, a library or great room while upholding the Greek tenets of fascia, soffit & frieze board proportions.

Back to the disconnected phone line. Right, “we’ve moved” says Snapp, from Charlotte to Warren. New digs and direction, part of the Mad River Valley’s nascent renaissance. Bloody good fortune for our Scenic Byway. And that barn beam… Snapp’s checking for the appropriate element.

If you’d like to receive an estimate from the Weather Hill Company for renovation or new construction, or learn more about this wonderful Vermont asset, email or call Maple Sweet Real Estate toll-free at 1.800.525.7965, or visit maplesweet.com for other options.