Cliff Island Cottage
Private Residence. Completed at Barrett Made.
Historic Renovation & New Construction Addition
Originally built on a ledge outcropping on Cliff Island, one of Casco Bay’s more remote islands, in 1898 by the owner’s generational family members. The layout of the cottage remained original and had last been modernized in the early 60s, although the updates (power and plumbing) left staying on the island quite rustic. There was no shower or tub at the cottage, and the existing kitchen layout was quite cramped. The second-floor plan consisted of 4 bedrooms, a sitting area, and a narrow hallway, all in less than 500 square feet. All of these spaces were much too small to be used comfortably. The home’s exterior was deteriorated beyond repair, and the 3-sided wrap-around porch had rotted since the home was originally built more than 125 years ago.
The project reimaged the entire interior layout to make staying at this historic, quaint cottage more comfortable. All of the interior walls, which were made of 3/4” wood shiplap and an occasional stud, were removed so the interior layout could be improved, and insulation could be added between the rooms. After demolition, all that remained was the original central staircase. All of the exterior finishes were also removed, including the three-sided porch, which was planned to be reconstructed. Keeping the exterior architectural aesthetic the same as what had existed originally was the project team’s top priority. The home had subtle bands of decorative fish scale shingles that wrapped around the exterior, on the gables, and several large triangle-shaped patterns on the ocean side of the house beneath the porch, which were documented and carefully reinstalled using new doubled-dipped shingles. Structurally, the house was jacked and leveled after demolition and received over 40 new posts and concrete footings underneath. On the interior, select engineered beams were installed to support portions of the existing overstressed structure, which allowed a new layout to be imagined and for the health of the existing structure to be improved.
The new structural improvements allowed more flexibility to shift the interior layout around and selectively open up spaces on the second floor to make this compact home feel more open and maximize views to the ocean and the front yard. Given the shape of the lot and the setback requirements, the team was unable to expand the footprint towards the ocean or on either side. A small expansion was possible towards the front of the house, which allowed for a reimaged entryway and new front porch. To gain more interior space, the kitchen was moved to an area that had previously been a portion of the exterior porch on the side yard. This move allowed visitors to have a clear view from the front porch right through the house to the ocean and freed up more interior space to accommodate a primary bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. The upstairs was also reimaged, adding a full bathroom which didn’t exist in the original plan. Given the small size of the floor area on the second floor, the team decided to remove a bedroom in favor of an open flex space at the top of the stairs, which allowed more natural light to fill the second floor and create a shared sitting area that was planned to double as an open bunkroom to make up for the lost bedroom.
