Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Battling the Tides Results in a Wondrous House on the Water
A complex construction effort pays off big-time with unobstructed views of Blue Hill Bay in Maine
A former hot-dog stand turned mishmash house on a deteriorating foundation doesn’t sound like the kind of prime waterfront project you’d want to take on. But the location — a rare setup in which the home juts over the water at high tide near Blue Hill Bay, Maine — spurred Ken and Dee Gray to dive right in.
BEFORE: Ken spotted the original home, seen here, while on a bike ride in the area. Though the house wasn’t in great shape, the Grays were attracted to the property for its proximity to the water. The site is believed to have once housed a hot-dog stand during the Blue Hill Fair.
If you want to remodel or build a new house in the area, current shoreline setback regulations dictate that the house must sit 75 to 100 feet from the water, depending on the body of water. But because of the small lot size, this regulation didn’t apply to the Grays. “It would have been impossible,” Papadopoli says. “The entire site is within the shoreland setback.” That meant the couple could build their new home literally over the water.
If you want to remodel or build a new house in the area, current shoreline setback regulations dictate that the house must sit 75 to 100 feet from the water, depending on the body of water. But because of the small lot size, this regulation didn’t apply to the Grays. “It would have been impossible,” Papadopoli says. “The entire site is within the shoreland setback.” That meant the couple could build their new home literally over the water.
AFTER: A U-shaped sea wall encloses a terrace that wraps under the house. Steps lead down to the water during high tide and to a beach of sorts during low tide. The large stones aren’t held together by mortar, but rather by pins, so water can move through them.
Ken keeps a kayak and scull beneath the house that he can take out on a whim.
Ken keeps a kayak and scull beneath the house that he can take out on a whim.
AFTER: Papadopoli pushed the house back and stretched it along the shore to create more relief from the street and, in turn, open it up more to the water.
He pitched the roof portion above the living areas away from the water to bring more southwest light into the house during the afternoon.
The team applied bleaching oil to the cedar shingles to help the exterior maintain an even gray tone over time. Having few windows protects privacy and cuts down on street noise. “The house doesn’t call a great deal of attention to itself,” Papadopoli says. “It feels like it belongs in Maine.”
There’s no garage, but the cobblestone area offers parking for two cars. The barn door on the side leads to storage for things like bicycles and equipment. An ipe wood deck wraps around the house to a deck off the living room.
The staircase leads down to the patio and waterfront.
The team applied bleaching oil to the cedar shingles to help the exterior maintain an even gray tone over time. Having few windows protects privacy and cuts down on street noise. “The house doesn’t call a great deal of attention to itself,” Papadopoli says. “It feels like it belongs in Maine.”
There’s no garage, but the cobblestone area offers parking for two cars. The barn door on the side leads to storage for things like bicycles and equipment. An ipe wood deck wraps around the house to a deck off the living room.
The staircase leads down to the patio and waterfront.
As for the interior, the Grays wanted something durable and low-maintenance to make visits from their kids and grandkids less hectic. The clean lines of contemporary style fit the bill. “It’s really easy to clean,” Dee says.
A frosted-glass front door provides privacy from the street while letting in light. A vision strip lets the Grays see who’s at the door but still allows visitors to get a thrill upon entering. “The door sets up a nice reveal,” Papadopoli says. “You don’t have a sense of what’s beyond, and then all of a sudden, you’re hit with an unobstructed water view.”
Limestone floor tile in the entry transitions to maple flooring that carries throughout the home. The bench is solid maple.
There was a lot of debate about the paint color for the walls. The Grays looked at 40 samples, mostly in the white and light green color range, and painted each on the walls of the original home before it was torn down to see how the light changed the color throughout the day. They settled on Gray Cashmere by Benjamin Moore.
Lighting design: Peter Knuppel
Learn about the best way to test paint colors
A frosted-glass front door provides privacy from the street while letting in light. A vision strip lets the Grays see who’s at the door but still allows visitors to get a thrill upon entering. “The door sets up a nice reveal,” Papadopoli says. “You don’t have a sense of what’s beyond, and then all of a sudden, you’re hit with an unobstructed water view.”
Limestone floor tile in the entry transitions to maple flooring that carries throughout the home. The bench is solid maple.
There was a lot of debate about the paint color for the walls. The Grays looked at 40 samples, mostly in the white and light green color range, and painted each on the walls of the original home before it was torn down to see how the light changed the color throughout the day. They settled on Gray Cashmere by Benjamin Moore.
Lighting design: Peter Knuppel
Learn about the best way to test paint colors
In the kitchen, a large island does a tremendous amount of storage work so the Grays can forgo upper cabinets and preserve the view to the water through a wall of windows.
The island holds the cooktop, downdraft, steam oven, microwave, dish storage and more. “There’s a lot of things going on,” Papadopoli says. They even went the extra effort of leaving the end cabinet open to keep the view on that side as unobstructed as possible.
An integrated refrigerator and dishwasher keeps things clean-lined and clutter-free.
The island holds the cooktop, downdraft, steam oven, microwave, dish storage and more. “There’s a lot of things going on,” Papadopoli says. They even went the extra effort of leaving the end cabinet open to keep the view on that side as unobstructed as possible.
An integrated refrigerator and dishwasher keeps things clean-lined and clutter-free.
A series of glass shelves suspended from a canopy holds glassware while letting in even more views.
The cabinets are all custom-designed and built locally.
Cabinet paint: Misted Green, Benjamin Moore
The cabinets are all custom-designed and built locally.
Cabinet paint: Misted Green, Benjamin Moore
The couple spend the majority of their time in the main living area. “The view changes so much with the height of the water,” Ken says. “You open the windows and can hear the sound underneath. It’s like you’re really part of it. We have lots of birds — bald eagles, cormorants, things like that.”
Papadopoli designed the teak coffee table against the glass wall. The top flips up to reveal a TV. The wood stove can rotate 360 degrees and provides supplemental heat to the radiant floors.
Papadopoli designed the teak coffee table against the glass wall. The top flips up to reveal a TV. The wood stove can rotate 360 degrees and provides supplemental heat to the radiant floors.
Papadopoli and Elliott + Elliott Architecture designed all the cabinets, dressers and beds in the home.
Pullout drawers under the beds provide additional storage for seasonal clothes and linens. Each bedroom has a built-in with 18 drawers.
Pullout drawers under the beds provide additional storage for seasonal clothes and linens. Each bedroom has a built-in with 18 drawers.
Ken, who runs an investment fund, works out of a home office. The aluminum windows hold up well in the moist climate, and they’re triple-glazed to help create a tight, energy-efficient building.
In the master bathroom, a granite counter tops a series of custom-built cabinets.
Cabinet paint: Misted Green, Benjamin Moore; countertop: Jet Mist granite
Cabinet paint: Misted Green, Benjamin Moore; countertop: Jet Mist granite
To put it all together, the team replaced the original deteriorating stone and concrete wall foundation with piers, following Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations. But granite bedrock prevented them from driving the piers directly into the ground. “It’s all one big stony mass under the earth,” Papadopoli says.
Instead, they had to fasten the piers to the granite rock itself with concrete footings, which meant a lot of excavation work. That in itself wouldn’t have been a huge problem had the crew not had to battle an ever-changing tide that recedes 50 feet from the shore and splashes right up against it every 12 hours, leaving the crew a three- to four-hour window in which to work.
“You’d dig a hole, and it’d fill with water, so you’d have to pump it the next day,” he says. “Then you set the forms and have to pump more water.” With careful planning, they were able to get the foundation set up for the house.
But before any of that could be dealt with, the crew had to stabilize the eroding shoreline. A combination of wire-mesh anchors filled with earth plus plants, terraces and boulder retaining walls got the job done.
Managing runoff and silt to prevent waste from entering the bay during the construction process was another major effort. “We couldn’t have equipment on the beach; everything had to be done from above,” he says. “The contractor had to build the piers in stages because there was no place to work.”
The site’s septic field is located across the street under a neighbor’s property, and pipes for it and water run under the road.
“You’d dig a hole, and it’d fill with water, so you’d have to pump it the next day,” he says. “Then you set the forms and have to pump more water.” With careful planning, they were able to get the foundation set up for the house.
But before any of that could be dealt with, the crew had to stabilize the eroding shoreline. A combination of wire-mesh anchors filled with earth plus plants, terraces and boulder retaining walls got the job done.
Managing runoff and silt to prevent waste from entering the bay during the construction process was another major effort. “We couldn’t have equipment on the beach; everything had to be done from above,” he says. “The contractor had to build the piers in stages because there was no place to work.”
The site’s septic field is located across the street under a neighbor’s property, and pipes for it and water run under the road.
Papadopoli says the complex construction of the home took more than 16 months. A typical home, he adds, runs 10 months.
This floor plan shows how the stretched layout maximizes views to the water. “My husband can see his sailboat from almost anywhere in the house, so he’s happy even if he isn’t out sailing,” Dee says.
Landscape architecture: Michael Boucher
Structural engineer: Becker Structural Engineers
Erosion control: Bobbie Burdick & Associates
Builder: MK Purvis Construction
See more photos of this home
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This floor plan shows how the stretched layout maximizes views to the water. “My husband can see his sailboat from almost anywhere in the house, so he’s happy even if he isn’t out sailing,” Dee says.
Landscape architecture: Michael Boucher
Structural engineer: Becker Structural Engineers
Erosion control: Bobbie Burdick & Associates
Builder: MK Purvis Construction
See more photos of this home
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Ken and Dee Gray
Location: Near Blue Hill Bay, Maine
Size: 1,478 square feet (137 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designers: Corey Papadopoli and Matt Elliott of Elliott + Elliott Architecture
The Grays considered remodeling the original home, but after living in it for a summer, they concluded that something different would work much better. The construction of the new house was no easy swim, though, and architect Corey Papadopoli and MK Purvis Construction faced a slew of challenges.
For one thing, the team had to figure out how to get more living space out of the footprint. Papadopoli was able to expand the home by only 30 percent, according to regulations for the site. “We calculated all the volume out to cubic inches to make sure we conformed to that requirement,” Papadopoli says.
The Grays could live without a lot of space in the bedrooms but wanted the living areas to be as open as possible. That resulted in a pitched roof with 8-foot ceilings in the kitchen, dining and living spaces, and a flatter roof in the sleeping areas.
Ken, an avid sailor, is able to keep his sailboat, not pictured, moored in the bay within view of the new house.