The client goals as we set out to design their new retreat in Rangeley were simple, “Cabin-like”, single story for age-in-place living, low maintenance with modern day amenities, and blend in with the natural surroundings. The clients never wanted a second home, but they were tired of renting cabins in remote parts of the state of Maine. They eventually found this beautiful parcel of land in Rangeley Maine. Much of the 370 acres is located in “tree growth” but they reserved a piece of it for development of their new home, with a view to the lake.

The design that we developed with the client was arranged as a series of staggered cabins that are connected, keeping the overall roof lines individualized to keep the scale down. The exterior siding was weathered, rot-resistant Cambia, which blends well into the surrounding trees. This, along with the bronze metal roof, and the bronze clad windows help the building blend into the site as well. The cladding materials were carefully selected to be very  ow-maintenance. The interior of the home is almost entirely white oak. There is very little drywall in any portion of the home, which does an incredible job to keep that cozy “camp” feel.

The first floor features an open kitchen, living, and dining with direct access to a beautiful screened in 3-season porch. The primary bedroom suite as well as the guest bedroom suite are on the same floor, all with views to the lake. The mudroom/gear room, right off the entry to the home, was designed to maximize the use of space for all of the gear the clients need for this retreat in the woods.

Located above the garage is the only second floor space, which is a bunk room for overflow sleeping. This space was decked out with Birch plywood for a slightly different aesthetic, but still maintained the wooded camp feel.

This home was designed and built to the “Pretty Good House” standards, with the building envelope performing much better than code. The exterior wall assembly included continuous exterior Roxul insulation with dense-pack cellulose in the stud wall cavity, which has an R-value of 30. The roof was designed to an R-60insulation value. Triple-glazed windows throughout the house improve comfort as well as maintain the high R-value of the walls.

We worked closely with the Clients, Interior Designer, and Builder throughout the design and construction process to fine tune all the details in this home.

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