In addition to building fine boats, three Maine boatbuilders have separately branched out into home construction—waterborne homes, that is. Foy Brown on North Haven, Steve White of Brooklin Boat Yard, and Robinhood Marine’s Andy Vavolotis all built themselves houseboats.
Whether they’re small, spare, and bare as a doghouse, or decorated with animal bones or lace curtains with ribbon ties, Maine ice shacks have a little something for everyone. Some people use them just for fishing; others use them as a winter clubhouse.
When her sons grew up and moved out, Valerie Chiasson put her lifelong fascination with little houses into practice. She downsized into a 230-square-foot home.
Maine Huts and Trails maintains miles of paths for skiing, hiking, or even biking between beautiful lodges in Maine’s wilderness. The organization transports client gear between lodges, and provides a welcome respite at the end of each day’s trek.
Steve Thomas, former host of PBS’s "This Old House" and Discovery’s "Renovation Nation," and his wife, Evy Blum, have renovated a 1,300-square-foot home built in 1905 by a fisherman in Port Clyde.
Built for a Louisiana hotelier and his wife, the jaw-dropping rooms of Portland’s Victoria Mansion constitute the first and only extant interior by 19th-century design star Gustave Herter. Today, more than 150 years after it was built, the mansion retains 90 percent of its original furnishings and grants a rare look at 19th-century design.
Founded by Bill Lowe of Owls Head, Maine, who started out making special metal fittings for yachts, Lowe Hardware has expanded into the high-end custom hardware home market. The company makes doorknobs, pulls, hinges, cabinet handles, and even fittings for furniture, in finishes that range from shiny or rough bronze to gold-plated brass or nickel.
An environmentalist sees the rebuild of his shorefront home as an opportunity to align the house with his principles. The new house is small and extremely efficient.
An old mill in Freedom is a model for adaptive re-use. After a 40-year vacancy, it is filled with new life, including an alternative school and a restaurant.
