Meadowview was the vision of a local builder residing in Wilmington in 1979. After occupying the residence a short time, it was sold to a couple, Lee and Carol, who had a blended family with five children and purchased the property as a second home. Carol, who passed away in recent years was remembered in her obituary expressing her love of golf, skiing, tennis, gardening and daily walks. Although we were not previously aware of the background of the family who owned this home for thirty-one years, we couldn’t have related more to Lee and Carol if we tried.
We discovered the unexpected treasure of Meadowview after what seemed like an exhaustive search of homes in Southern Vermont during the final chapter of the Covid Pandemic during 2021-22. After a full year of home schooling children and working remotely with our blended family, we were ready to find a spot to enjoy the outdoors, have close proximity to mountains and ski resorts, and get away from daily life. We were certainly open to projects but did not fully anticipate the many obstacles including a super competitive housing market as well as a shortage of building supplies and labor, Just as we were about to pause our search and perhaps seek out a different region outside of Vermont, our agent called us with a home that was about to go to the market. We saw a lovely but somewhat neglected property on almost twelve acres and knew we could achieve our vision of a family getaway not only for us but for our friends and future guests. In the spring of 2022 we took ownership of Meadowview and got to work.
The next several months were spent hauling out broken furniture, old linens, broken blinds and dusty window treatments, gutting bathrooms, and priming and painting literally everything. We also had to call in many professionals along the way to help with the many checklist items we considered phase one of what ultimately will be a whole house facelift along with a new addition and outdoor upgrade.
We were both delighted and surprised that the property had an incredible and large pool that was in excellent shape, as well as a tennis court that was quite the opposite. The building of the court was well documented in a photo album left in the house, but was severely neglected and unplayable.
Starting in May of 2024 we underwent the arduous task of having the beautiful but weedy and dry clay court excavated and converted into a gorgeous hard surface court painted in traditional US Open blue and green colors along with the addition of two pickleball courts painted on the court. It took several months but it was worth all the effort as many will enjoy the fun and exuberance of a family tennis match or a weekend with friends for pickleball play, hopefully for many years to come.
One of our most favorite features of Meadowview are the extensive gardens. Carol clearly spent much of her time outdoors during those thirty-one years, planting perennials, creating new gardens and giving much thought to how trees, plants and flowers add to the enjoyment of this vast property. We are grateful stewards and have been continuing her work by consistently weeding and culling the overgrowth, dividing the larger plants, removing diseased trees and just generally restoring Meadowview to not only what we feel is its former glory, but also our vision for the future. We have so many plans including expanding the living area addition, overhauling the pool and patio garden area, creating an outdoor kitchen, and planting a herb and vegetable garden. We know you will enjoy your stay at Meadowview and appreciate all the effort we have put into the elevated country home aesthetic as well as all the amenities we provide for your comfort. We hope to see you soon in Southern Vermont and enjoy all that Meadowview and the village of Wilmington has to offer!
