Traditional new England summer cottages
July 6, 2019 7:54 AM Subscribe
I own a decrepit but well-used camp built in 1910 on a lake in Maine. I think outside of New England it’s called a summer cottage. It’s not something I want to restore it to its original glory because originally it was actually a gas station. However, I would like to avoid a chalet look which seems to be really popular for new camps. Our house is 600 sq feet and we are not ooking to go above 1000 ft.² Can you show me photographs of traditional New England lake homes?
There's not one "traditional" style of lake house. My suggestion is to look at Craftsman style, which was popular in 1910. Some examples here. (But scroll right past that horrible thing in the sixth picture.)
posted by beagle at 10:00 AM on July 6, 2019
posted by beagle at 10:00 AM on July 6, 2019
If you do a search camps for sale on real estate sites, you'll get outside pictures and/or floor plans. Something like this for northern NH or Maine.
posted by bCat at 10:01 AM on July 6, 2019
posted by bCat at 10:01 AM on July 6, 2019
I tried looking at pinterest using all the key phrases I thought might help. Rustic, New England, camp, cabin, lake, traditional. No go. I only find fancy pants places with drywall.
They are not like the 1910-1920s camps I grew up going to.
I still have friends that have these camps and they still have the same guest books in the bookcases and postcards on the walls from 75 years ago -- but I don't have pictures of them!
Dark wood. Smaller rooms other than the main room. Nicer ones had central stone fireplace. Nice big screened in porch. Is this the image you had?
a bit like this ??
I've seen them for sure over the years on VRBO and AirBnb but can't seem to pull any up. Add rustic camp to a higher price point and you might be able to dig some up.
posted by beccaj at 11:02 AM on July 6, 2019
They are not like the 1910-1920s camps I grew up going to.
I still have friends that have these camps and they still have the same guest books in the bookcases and postcards on the walls from 75 years ago -- but I don't have pictures of them!
Dark wood. Smaller rooms other than the main room. Nicer ones had central stone fireplace. Nice big screened in porch. Is this the image you had?
a bit like this ??
I've seen them for sure over the years on VRBO and AirBnb but can't seem to pull any up. Add rustic camp to a higher price point and you might be able to dig some up.
posted by beccaj at 11:02 AM on July 6, 2019
I think the most basic New England summer cottage was a small, rectangular house much like a Cape Cod, but with a tendacy to have the front be a gable end. If only for summer use, it would have no insulation. If insulated, it would be called "winterized". LR, Dr, and kitchen would be open plan. Bedrooms separated by walls that did not extend up to the roof. In most places, screen porches are highly desirable. A porch used for sleeping would definitely be screened. Stove and maybe refrigerator would be propane. No heat, except a possible fireplace.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:07 PM on July 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by SemiSalt at 12:07 PM on July 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
Shingle-style? I also like the look of this cabin-like RV.
posted by pinochiette at 12:17 PM on July 6, 2019
posted by pinochiette at 12:17 PM on July 6, 2019
My great-grandparents built 2 cottages in mid-coast Maine; my cousin still owns one of them. Single-wall construction, because they were just for summer. Generally pine, there was plenty of it, often lovely wide boards, esp. floors, which are just wide pine boards nailed down, painted or varnished. Often a big stone fire place or maybe a wood stove. Steeply-pitched roof. The gable end often faces the road. Kitchen may be an added space to keep things cooler. Covered porches front and back, sleeping porches. Maine cottages were scaled small, and many new ones miss that. Sometimes weathered, more often painted white with dark green trim. The land near the coast or lake shore is often sloped, so the front was above grade, the back was at grade level.
I live in a converted fishing cottage at a lake and have spent a bit of effort removing the suburban tract house details like cheap carpet in favor of painted floors. I picked up a big threadbare oriental design rug off the side of the road, which made the living room a lot less generic, and have put other rugs over it, which I've seen in many cottages. I used solid live edge pine for countertops in the kitchen, and pressed steel for the backsplash, so the Ikea birch cupboards aren't too suburban. Tongue and groove bead board got overused for a while, but is present in most old cottages I've seen. The plywood that is pressed or scored to look like it looks fake, but you can find a thinner version at a decent price that looks legit. I sometimes see recovered wood on Craigslist, cheaper and has patina.
Maine cottages must have a wooden screen door or 2. Local carpenters have been making beautiful ones with old wood, branches.
Searching Maine summer cottage camp traditional got me some results. A lot of Ralph Lauren interior stuff is the same vibe. Go up to Lubec, visit the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, the summer home of FDR, for excellent well-preserved examples.
Maine Sporting Camp Heritage Foundation
I hate the word glamping, but here's an example Glamping in Maine
Part of my family is from Maine, we used to visit and go to the old LLBean store, some of which still exists, and as they have expanded, they have built additions with a Maine feel,notably the Home Goods store, can't find a good photo. But be careful of cutification, or super-themed.
Visit Bar Harbor/Mt Desert Island, drive around with a camera,and/or Boothbay, and maybe Friendship, a very pretty working fishing village.
Pinterest is a rabbithole, but worth searching.
I have a friend who is contractor specializing in sustainable building if you want his details. He knows a lot of contractors and builders doing sustainable building around the state, and has worked on some interesting projects. Contact info if you want it.
posted by theora55 at 2:30 PM on July 6, 2019
I live in a converted fishing cottage at a lake and have spent a bit of effort removing the suburban tract house details like cheap carpet in favor of painted floors. I picked up a big threadbare oriental design rug off the side of the road, which made the living room a lot less generic, and have put other rugs over it, which I've seen in many cottages. I used solid live edge pine for countertops in the kitchen, and pressed steel for the backsplash, so the Ikea birch cupboards aren't too suburban. Tongue and groove bead board got overused for a while, but is present in most old cottages I've seen. The plywood that is pressed or scored to look like it looks fake, but you can find a thinner version at a decent price that looks legit. I sometimes see recovered wood on Craigslist, cheaper and has patina.
Maine cottages must have a wooden screen door or 2. Local carpenters have been making beautiful ones with old wood, branches.
Searching Maine summer cottage camp traditional got me some results. A lot of Ralph Lauren interior stuff is the same vibe. Go up to Lubec, visit the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, the summer home of FDR, for excellent well-preserved examples.
Maine Sporting Camp Heritage Foundation
I hate the word glamping, but here's an example Glamping in Maine
Part of my family is from Maine, we used to visit and go to the old LLBean store, some of which still exists, and as they have expanded, they have built additions with a Maine feel,notably the Home Goods store, can't find a good photo. But be careful of cutification, or super-themed.
Visit Bar Harbor/Mt Desert Island, drive around with a camera,and/or Boothbay, and maybe Friendship, a very pretty working fishing village.
Pinterest is a rabbithole, but worth searching.
I have a friend who is contractor specializing in sustainable building if you want his details. He knows a lot of contractors and builders doing sustainable building around the state, and has worked on some interesting projects. Contact info if you want it.
posted by theora55 at 2:30 PM on July 6, 2019
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posted by amanda at 9:52 AM on July 6, 2019