This two-story, 850-square-foot cottage overlooking the ocean in Biddeford, Maine, was exactly what architect Caleb Johnson was looking for. It’s just three miles down the road from the home he previously built for his family, where the mother of his three children still lives, so the kids could easily travel between the two.

As the founder of Woodhull, an architecture, construction, and millwork firm in Portland, Maine, Caleb was confident he could transform this odd little building that was once part of a roadside motel into a cozy beachside haven. That its mansard roof made it look like a Pizza Hut didn’t deter him. That his son said the house looked like a blowfish made him more resolute. He put in an offer immediately and got to work.

Shoring Things Up

In the beginning, I thought I’d do cosmetic upgrades. Then there was a nor’easter and water poured into the house; it was not even close to watertight. Still, I didn’t want to start from scratch. The decision wasn’t linear or logical. I liked the challenge of making this ugly duckling into a great home with character.

Surprisingly, the roof was well-framed. The framing under it was junky, so we added structural beams. We replaced the recessed windows on the front and back with shed dormers to create more usable floor space on the second floor. We added a wet room bath and a fourth bedroom.

We overinsulated the house with lots of fancy German weather barriers and wrapped it in endless insulation and tape. Living in a tight, electric home whose total annual energy bill is not much more than a few nights out in Boston feels good.

Letting in Light

Downstairs, we removed a few walls to open up the floor plan. We swapped the locations of the kitchen and bathroom, tucking the bath behind the stair and connecting the kitchen to the living space and the view. The interior is only 17 feet wide, but we were able to get two rooms side-by-side. Building a banquette saved at least three-feet, so both the dining and living rooms have ocean views.

We built the extra-large oceanside windows on-site. I hand-carved the frame with scenes from local history, including an 1812 warship that burned down the village. Even though I favor modern architecture, I don’t think buildings have to be stripped down in 1920s Bauhaus style. We can have the best parts of modernism, like open plans that let in nature, and we can have beautiful ornamentation; it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Luxuriating in Materials

I’m always searching for expressive ways to use materials. The interior walls are trowel-applied plaster left unpainted. You can see the trowel marks and the depth of the colors: there are pinks, blue hues, and gray shades. The patina seems inches deep.

The island countertop is made from two pieces of book-matched walnut and the back countertop is waxed cold-rolled steel. I love the darkness and rawness, and that the material gets more interesting with age.

Working with Wood

Caleb challenged Woodhull’s Director of Millwork, Scott Stuart, to craft kitchen cabinetry that pushed the boundaries of what one could accomplish with wood—and only wood.

Stuart: When it came time to design the kitchen cabinetry, Caleb said, “I want something a woodworker would be proud of.” It was a confusing moment. My career has been about helping people achieve their design goals. I never put a lot of thought or value into whether I was proud of my work simply based on a design.

Stuart: The cabinetry is made from solid walnut and traditional joinery methods; there’s not a single piece of plywood or a mechanical fastener in the carcass. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to replace the advantages of plywood as a material for the cabinet box and still maintain structural integrity. Cross-struts, inspired by biplane wings, give the carcass structure without being too heavy. That was important because Caleb wanted the cabinets to float, not touch the floor, giving the whole design a lighter appearance.

Stuart: The face of the cabinet is made from a single walnut plank to celebrate the wood. We laid out the drawer and door fronts to form a continual grain pattern from one end to the other.

Stuart: We showcased the construction methods instead of hiding them. You can see the sides of the drawers move in and out through an infill screen of nails made by local artist John Bisbee. It’s quite spectacular.

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They’d Never Designed an A-Frame Before—But They Aced the Build

Project Credits:

Architecture: Caleb Johnson and Jason Colpitts, Woodhull / @woodhullmaine

Interiors: Homeowners Caleb Johnson and Shannon Richards

Construction Project Manager: Coleman Motley, Woodhull

Millwork: Scott Stuart, Woodhull

Landscape Design: Soren Deniord, Soren Deniord Design Studio / @sorendeniorddesign

Hardscape and Landscape Installation: Keith Stone, Pinnacle Landscape & Design / @pinnaclemaine

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