big pine farm

by laurie lamountain photos by julie whelchel

“So often people take down structures and there’s nothing that honors what was there before. I’m a saver of old structures. Even if you have to amputate a diseased limb, you want to replace it with one that works well and pays homage to was there before,” says Julie Whelchel of the 1809 extended farmhouse she is completing work on in Bridgton.

Julie was originally tasked with renovating the farmhouse kitchen and an uninsulated bedroom above the barn. As the project evolved, however, it became apparent that the attached barn, stable, shed, garage and boathouse all had to be taken down due to extensive powder post beetle, fire and water damage. So with the owners’ approval, she went to Plan B, which was to design and build a new structure with the same ridge lines, roof pitches and elevations so that it would blend seamlessly with the original farmhouse exterior.

Julie executed the design, had her draftsman put it to paper, and Douglass Construction Inc. in Bridgton was hired to build it, with Julie as oversight agent.

“Essentially this is a new build, but I had to marry it in a yin/ yang fashion to the original house in a way that it wouldn’t look new,” says Julie.

An unintended positive consequence of the tear down was the opportunity to reconstruct the space for 21-century functionality. The owners are mindful of aging in place and were therefore open to re-envisioning it in a way that would serve them going forward. With children and grandchildren in place of livestock, Julie convinced them to abandon the idea of renovating the original kitchen space and, instead, embrace a redesign for a larger, more functional kitchen, first-floor master bedroom suite, and second-floor guest ensuite with remote office in place of the barn and stable.

She designed the eat-in kitchen in a way that allows the cook to interact with family and friends while preparing meals. An island that runs along the length of the kitchen both separates and unites. The dining room table is positioned to take advantage of lake views.

In an effort to incorporate as much of the original structure as possible, barn boards and beams were salvaged for use in the new kitchen. Only a fraction of them were salvageable, but what could be reused was conditioned and treated. A large carrying beam running the length of the wall above the kitchen sink defines the space as the stable it had once been, with a Carrara marble backsplash adding to the organic flow.

Another big advantage to converting the original, much smaller kitchen to a “gathering” room and creating a larger, more functional kitchen in the new space is that a staircase that basically bisected the structure was removed and a door leading into the back yard and overlooking the lake could be added. Keeping to the reverse cottage nine-over-six windows for replacement windows not only honored the original structure, but allowed Julie to design the space to take advantage of pass-through breezes. It’s just one of several ways she intentionally designed the new structure to use as little energy for heating and cooling as possible.

Adding a master bedroom suite beyond the kitchen gave the owners something they didn’t have before: one-floor living. The bedroom captures views of the lake and feels spacious due to the fact that bureaus and closets are built-in. The bath features a curb-free shower and frameless doors.

With the primary objective of the first-floor met, Julie then had to design access to the second-floor ensuite.

“If you know old connected farmhouses, then you know that as you worked through the house from the formal front to the back, when you transitioned from one room into the next, you progressed up as you moved toward the back. So in keeping with the original ridge lines, roof pitches and elevations, it required that we have additional steps going into the back of the barn,” explains Julie.

A straight run of the requisite sixteen stairs wouldn’t have worked because it wouldn’t have fit side to side and, even if she had been able to achieve it, would have bisected the house. Mimicking the original U-shaped staircase in the front of the house allowed her to keep the transition relatively seamless. Tucking a remote office into the area behind the stair rails in the upper-most leg of the U affords anyone using the office a view to the first floor.

Walls painted in a cashmere white allow the owners’ impressive collection of artwork to shine. Hand forged light fixtures from Hubbardton Forge in Vermont blend well with hardware Julie was able to salvage and reuse from the barn and stable. Besides handles and hooks, the original barn door and track were mounted on the exterior facade. It no longer functions as a barn door, but it retains the spirit of its original use. Julie also made sure doors, windows and granite from the foundation were incorporated into the new structure. Board and batten, both interior and exterior, are in keeping with the walls and siding of the old structure.

When she realized the barn and stable had to be taken down in the early stages of the project, Julie said she could almost hear the neighbors lamenting the loss of yet another historic structure and its inevitable replacement with something ultra-modern and incompatible. Now that it’s nearly completed, she feels confident their concerns have been quelled.

“I’ve achieved the marrying of old and new, while keeping the spirit and aesthetic of this 1809 connected farmhouse intact.” R