The house sits a stone's throw from the Crawford House (the residence of the town’s founding family) and has a history of its own: it was home to the namesake of Rudi’s Run at Steamboat Resort and housed an artist, Anne Rooney, and her family for decades.

The Pickings moved in and for years dreamed about renovating.  Over subsequent years they mingled their own vision with drawings by local architects Sally Kavanagh and Frank Becker before embarking on a full-scale remodel in 2022. Andy, owner of Picking Contracting struck a balance between being the client and managing construction on his own property. “It wasn’t an easy task,” he notes.

The original portion of the home, which is visible from the street, was kept, while an extension was added to the rear. “We didn’t want to impact the look from the curb,” Andy continues.

Now as a family of six, they craved a balance between communal gathering areas and rooms to retreat to. “I wanted each kid to have their own room,” Lynn says. A sizable open-plan kitchen and sitting room serves as the hub, providing easy access to a secluded yard through new French doors.

Central to the design was a 14-foot farmhouse table which belonged to Andy’s mother, who kept it on her farm in Pennsylvania until the couple had a place for it. “Oma, as she is called by the kids, understood our need for gathering the ones we love, be it family or friends, at one table in one space,” Lynn says, whose parents and three of her four sisters live in town.

The table is one of several heirloom pieces which were incorporated into the overall design. A chandelier from Andy’s grandparents was refinished, and a civil war chest that spent years with Andy’s uncle in Libby Prison were given spots as well. “The artwork throughout the house honors the memory of Andy's grandmother, Evelyn, and my grandmother, Agnes, as they are original pieces,” Lynn explains. “We also have our daughter, Sophie's, own talent displayed with a piece that sits above the very loved dining table.”

Lynn’s appreciation for vintage is evident in the reclaimed doors she found for the pantry and Sophie’s bedroom closet. Original doors in the upper level were refinished and used for the three bedrooms on the second floor, where a primary suite and bath were added along with a family bathroom.

Updates were made to the entryway living space with new wide white oak flooring, whitewash walls and a contemporary gas fire.

The basement remains a work in progress to become a hangout spot for the kids and their friends. A sauna, bought as a gift from Andy, caused a raucous during installation when flooring was removed to lower it in, but it is now a welcome retreat to ease aching muscles for the busy family who have embraced their new space.

“There is history in this house, and we could feel the love in it from the moment we walked in,” Lynn says. “I am a sentimentalist, so Andy had his work cut out for him, but together we were able to preserve the memories of loved ones and introduce new ones to make this house our home.