BY DENISE REINHART

In conjunction with the Artisans’ Marketplace at the Waverly Community House, 1115 North Abington Road, on Nov. 23 and 24, the Comm will once again offer its popular Holiday House Tour on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour showcases four distinctive homes decorated for the holiday season in a variety of themes and styles by talented design professionals.

This year’s Holiday House Tour is chaired by Kathleen Nelson and co-chaired by Sue Houck.

The tour includes the more recently constructed homes of Barb and Dave Sanders and Dana and Kevin Siebecker and two homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s respectively.

 

The Sanders Home

Construction on The Sanders Home was completed in late September of 2014. Situated on a 38 acre portion of the old Ridgeway farm, this residence has a “mountain home” rustic style with its mix of cedar and stone exterior materials. Situated midway up the hillside adjacent to the pond the residence complements the original barn and farmhouse that are also located on the property. The large expanses of windows take full advantage of the variety of views across the North Abington Township countryside. Views range from vistas across the valley, to shorter wooded views across the fields and last, but not least, a view from the porch to the spring fed pond immediately adjacent to the home.

Upon entering the home through the great room you are presented with a rustic mountain aesthetic style that has high wood ceilings, a massive fireplace, hickory hardwood floors and accent walls of stone. The rustic mountain style is carried from the great room into the dining room, kitchen and all through the rest of the house. On the second floor there is an equally rustic smaller “great room” and two guest bedrooms. The second floor great room contains another large fireplace, a small kitchenette and has incredible views in three directions with a deck for direct access to the rear fields.

 

The Siebecker Home

Built in 2017, The Siebecker Home, pictured above, is a transitional craftsman home set in the Sterling Estates development in Waverly. The house incorporates the charm of craftsman architecture with the simplicity of transitional designs. The family worked closely with Florey Homes to design and build a warm, welcoming place for hosting family and friends in the variety of indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces.

The Parlor was designed as a tranquil, formal area featuring a grand piano and vaulted ceilings. This focal point of the home quickly became a favorite room and serves as a great place to retreat from the business of everyday life. Great care was taken in designing a basement fit for entertaining during NEPA’s cold winters. Guests are greeted with a wet bar and game room situated next to a custom designed hobby room and state of the art home theater.

“We are thrilled and humbled to be a part of this year’s holiday house tour and are looking forward to welcoming you to our home,” said Dana Siebecker.

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Vipond House

The Vipond Home

The Vipond Home was originally a simple, small farmhouse that was built in 1890 on Lily Lake Road and housed the Piedmont family. Mr. Piedmont was employed as the gardener for Mr. and Mrs. Worthington Scranton at their home known as Marworth. Subsequently, the home was owned by Kenneth Bert until the 1980s when it was purchased, renovated and then rented to employees of the International Salt Company and its successor companies.

The Viponds purchased this farmhouse in 1996. The original home comprised of a living room, kitchen, den and enclosed porch on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor. An attached garage had been added by the previous owner. They began creating their home by removing walls, renovating the kitchen and improving the flow through the rooms to form a more open plan and developed outdoor spaces to enjoy the gardens and woodland setting at this home of a former gardener.

In 2017, a barn, designed and milled by a friend from Connecticut, was erected on the property. The existing house and new barn were connected with a new building which houses a central room, mud room, painting studio (playroom) and master bedroom and bath on one floor. The new space allows the owners to surround themselves with art and artifacts created by family, friends and many local artists. From the simplicity of a simple farmhouse, the Viponds have created a joyful place of gathering both indoors and out for family, friends and acquaintances.

 

The Waverly Country Club

The Waverly Country Club is a private social club that has provided members with exceptional dining and catering services since 1911. The club, with its traditions, and ongoing sense of camaraderie and friendship, is inextricably tied to the history of the village of Waverly. Likewise, the strong sense of community among its members is reflective of the Waverly Community House, the gracious and very active hub of life in the area.

The Club was established primarily as a golf club for the gentlemen who were moving with their families from Scranton to the country in the summer. Their wives quickly transformed the former farm house into a comfortable, social spot for dining as well. These families soon began to build expansive estates and move permanently to Waverly. Among them was the Belin family and in 1919, Margaretta Belin established the Community House to serve as hub for educational, social and cultural activities. So, for many years the Waverly Club and the Comm have been anchor traditions for life in Waverly.

The original farm house is still the home of the Waverly Country Club. After 108 years and countless updates to the physical plant, the club maintains the traditional charms of the old farm house, while adapting to the changing expectations of its members.

The Waverly Community House is extremely grateful to the families for opening their homes to benefit The Comm and to the decorators for donating their time and talents to this tour. Tickets for the house tour are $20 and are available in advance in The Comm office, online at waverlycomm.org and on sale in the Comm lobby during the Artisans’ Marketplace (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24). For more information, visit waverlycomm.org or the Comm’s pages on Facebook and Instagram.

All proceeds from the Marketplace and House Tour benefit the Comm, a nonprofit organization.