Mere Point Cottage
The clients are long-time summer residents of Mere Point, sharing a classic Maine summer cottage with their extended family. With many generations of memories made and shared in the cottage it was important to find a way to honor and preserve the character and charm of the original cottage while expanding the home in a way that was complementary and sympathetic to the original.
Project Details
Location:
Mere Point, Brunswick, Maine
Structural Architects:
Melissa Andrews, Brian Stephens, Will Winkelman
Builder:
Coastal Carpentry, Inc, Dana Smith
Photography:
Jeff Roberts
Recognition
Project Requirements
The client’s initial goal was to convert the seasonal cottage to year-round use and build an expansion for improved spaces for cooking, socializing, and sleeping. But after evaluation, the team concluded that the character of the original cottage would be destroyed (and costly) if the necessary work to winterize was taken on. We also felt that the option of tearing it down and rebuilding entirely new would lose the time-worn character that was so endearing. So a Plan ‘B’ emerged that let the existing cottage remain a seasonal structure with its only improvements being to stabilize it on a new foundation and to restore and/or maintain roofing, siding, and windows.
Building Materials
- New foundation
- Roofing
- Siding
- Windows
- Ambered natural pine paneling
- Extra wide paneling for formal spaces
- Stone pavers for flooring
- Glass for the ceiling
The Site
We affectionately refer to the resulting solution as a ‘time machine’. It does something magi-cal… weaving together the preservation of a classic 1885 seasonal Maine cottage located on the shore in Mere Point with a newly constructed, self-sustaining year-round addition.
Design Concepts
The program for year-round functionality was satisfied by building a new addition alongside the original seasonal cottage that functions as its own dwelling in the winter. It is lightly connected to the original, expanding the two parts into a single whole in the summer that can flex to entertain large gatherings. The original cottage has 10’ ceilings, ambered natural pine paneling throughout, extra wide paneling in the formal spaces, a deep front sitting porch, a classic sun porch and is imbued with the deep history of extended family memories.
Challenges
The character of the original cottage would be destroyed (and costly) if the necessary work to winterize was taken on. The option of tearing it down and rebuilding entirely new would lose the time-worn character that was so endearing.
The Results
The newly constructed year-round portion, built-in cottage style, has all the updates and conveniences of a contemporary living plan. It includes an open living/dining/kitchen plan, a first-floor guest suite, an upper-level master suite, and an office, plus 2 additional bedrooms and a recreation room.
The gallery space between the two structures, which is also the entry, deliberately reads as an indoor porch of sorts, using exterior siding for walls, stone pavers for flooring, and glass for the ceiling, acting as a transitional space linking the two time periods.