Pine Hill is compact but feels spacious

While the country-style Pine Hill makes an ideal retreat cottage, this home is equally well suited for year-round suburban living. Wooden shutters and a wrap-around front porch add their nostalgic charm.

Light spills into the entry through sidelights that flank the door. The stairs directly ahead of the entry lead to the three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.

On the first floor, four linked family living areas wrap around all sides of the staircase. Families with young children can set them to counting the circles they can run there on rainy days. The entry is open to the living room on the right, and a den on the left. A fireplace serves as a focal point on the living room's exterior wall.

A wide arched opening links the living room to a dining room that is expanded by a window bay. Sliding glass windows there access a large deck, down a few steps from the main floor. The dining room is totally open to the kitchen, where a large work island adds to the counter and cabinet space. Standing at the kitchen sink, you can keep close tabs on the dining room, patio and backyard.

Just around the corner are a good-sized utility room and a small bathroom. In the utility room, cabinets line the wall above the appliances. The hallway leading to these rooms ends with an exterior door that leads out onto the covered porch and then on to the patio. Installing a dog flap in this door would give wet pets get dry without muddying the rest of the house.

The Pine Hill's owners' suite boasts a second gas fireplace, a deep soaking tub, and a dual vanity.