My Houzz: Past and Present Harmonize in an 18th-Century Maine Home

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Michele Duval

The pool was quite a construction project! That area was a hill that went straight down from the foundation of my house to a brook about 85 feet away. We had to blast to make the pool hole as we hit granite ledge right away. The yard looked like a quarry after that, the granite pieces were scooped out of the hole and piled about 20 feet high and 30 feet long. I had to pay for large Mack dump trucks and a loader to haul it away. We kept some to build the terracing wall which the stone mason complained about constantly. The pool contractor fought with me on every step of the project: site location which luckily my landscape architect was adamant about; insisting I had to have a concrete or wood deck around the pool as opposed to the lawn I chose; he was against a diving board; against the swimout/ seat I designed in a corner of the deep end that he wanted to make into a "popout," - popping out of the perimeter of the pool rectangle instead; actually come to think of it he didn't want to build a rectangular pool from the beginning, he was pushing hard to make it an irregular sort of kidney shape; he wanted me to use safety coping which looks like a municipal pool to me, I had to order the brick coping I used from a dealer in TX and pay the freight to Maine; he flipped out that I didn't want to install one of those big curved steel hand railings. There was lots more we fought over but after it was done he admitted that it came out really beautifully. I sweated every detail from the white plaster walls, as it was very fashionable 14 years ago to make dark walled pools, to the mosaic blue tiles and the color brick (bricks come in lots of shades of red and pink! I wanted to see more pools to help make my decisions but there just aren't that many in Maine and pinterest and houzz did not exist). The lesson is: go with your vision and needs not the contractor's convenience since you are living with it in the long run.

2 Likes September 16, 2015 at 6:53AM

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cowgirldiva

I love this home, but also love the woman who rescued this exquisite home......Michele Duval....!!

I LOVE her ability to see the "good bones" and value in objects most people would just trash and kick to the curb.....oh, wait they did...!!

I love her energy, resourcefulness, her creativity, her nesting skills, her love of the objects of life, her ability to find and combine these objects in a wonderful way which warms and encourages fun and family and LIFE...!! I can tell she is a saver, preserver, good steward and caretaker of "things" and I would imagine people as well.....!

I imagine she is the kind of person who would forgive your mistakes, give you a hug, put on some nice music for you and put a delicious glass of Chardonnay in your hand...!!! I would love to be friends with her....!! ;D

GREAT JOB MICHELE...!! And GREAT JOB FAITH TOWERS and HOUZZ for sharing this fine home and fine lady with us...!!! THANK YOU...!!!

1 Like October 29, 2016 at 7:59AM

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cowgirldiva

Skiff, Dinghy, Pram, Sunfish, Tender, Dory, Canoe, Crafty Little Hand-Built Boat that Michele and her daughter made together...!! There. Done...!! ;D

1 Like October 29, 2016 at 8:20AM