A stone’s throw from the Geneva Point area in Moultonborough, this cozy two-story cabinstyle home along Lake Winnipesaukee has been carved into the wooded landscape with the utmost care.
The project preserves one of the property’s three original pine cabins—a survivor from the Great New England Hurricane of 1938—and literally connects it with the new, modern home.
Inside the great room, picture-perfect views of the water can be seen through large expansive windows. The home’s timeless style blends in subtle nods to the old hunting and fishing cabins of the 1930s and ’40s.
Given its history, Chris Williams, the founder of Christopher P. Williams Architects, dubbed the original 1938 cabin—now the home’s seasonal sitting room—the “38 Special.”
Special, indeed: Those who worked on the remodeling and renovation of the home achieved accolades at this year’s ninth annual New Hampshire Home Design Awards.
The two are extremely pleased with how the project turned out.
“We were just thrilled with it. We can't get enough of it,” says homeowner Ana, a freelance journalist who documents the Cuban-American experience.
The build, a collaboration between Christopher P. Williams Architects, Meridian Construction and several other companies, was finished in December 2017. At about 5,200 square feet, the four-season home includes a garage, four bedrooms, a game room, kitchen and dining area, seven-person bunk room and deck and more.
Its foundation was built on ledge using “geotechnical expertise,” says Tim Long, president of Meridian.
Where ledge was absent, workers created a partial basement. Radiant heat is throughout the first floor.
Members of Stephens Landscaping Professionals in Moultonborough installed stone pathways and three patio spaces, including a coffee patio and a grilling patio. A fire pit provides a haven for evening s’mores or for just watching the loons. A small beach leads to crystal clear water.
“Theoretically, you probably could jump into the lake. The water is so clear you can see the whole rock under the lake too,” says Matt Daughdrill, project manager with Christopher P. Williams.
The homeowners wanted to keep the historic feel of the original cabins on the site, and designers knew just what to do.
“We’ve preserved one of the 1938 cabins entirely and connected it to the house, and used that as the standard for detailing the new house,” says Daughdrill.
The 1938 cabin was first lifted off its foundation. Then the new home’s frame was attached to the original cabin, which leads to a modern, yet casual dining area and kitchen.
A timber archway graces the room, which features a double stove and exposed beams.
It took “some careful planning” on everyone’s part to achieve stellar views of the lake and mountains, while still maintaining modesty.
“They get a lot of privacy from the lake, and they get privacy from the road and from their neighbors. So they did a great job,” says Long.
The owners are more than pleased with the results.
“I love that you can see the Ossipee range. You see the Sandwich range too from the property,” agrees Ana.
Ana took on the role of interior designer, researching how traditional camp homes used to be and incorporating several “camp-style” details that recall the cabin’s heyday, creating a timeless style within a modern design. Ana also referenced an “old” cabin in Newfound they enjoyed renting, and researched “old lake camps, Adirondack homes, old New Hampshire hotels.”
“We wanted it to look kind of ‘beat up.’ So it's very distressed,” she says of the style.
Wood from the original cabin has been repurposed, reused and reimagined in many spots around the home, including wainscoting in the kitchen, the 38 Special and the bathrooms.
Exposed cabinets by Kitchen Encounters in Laconia are Shiloh doorstyle Hanover Beaded Inset with top drawers as a slab style. The surround cabinets received a caramel stain “with mocha glaze on Rustic Alder.” The cabinets on the island are painted a soft white, and aging and wearing techniques were applied on maple.
The cabinets blend with Tesoro floor tile in Wrigley from Middleton Lumber, a weathered style used around the house. Ana found retro glass knobs and drawer pulls at Restoration Hardware.
Ana and her husband Andy especially love how the great room invites family members and friends to unplug and relax. Rocking chairs and mismatched furniture lends an eclectic feel.
Buying the home came after some serious thought. After Ana’s mother died, the couple decided not to wait any longer to realize their dream of building a cabin-style home on the lake.
Ana drew parallels between the 1938 hurricane and their acquisition of the property.
She says the previous owners were at the cabin during the storm and thought the building would collapse. But once the storm passed, they continued to build there using lumber from trees felled by the storm.
Likewise, Ana says this has been an opportunity to heal her family.
“This all happened because of a very, very great loss. And it really was an effort to repair and restore ourselves,” Ana says.
And she says that’s exactly what happened.
“We've had so many happy celebrations here,” she adds.
To further maintain a connection with the past, Ana kept elements of the original cabin throughout the home, like nail barrels with original hardware, floorboards, “beautiful patinaed wood wherever we found it,” Ana says.
Nail barrels are used as seating or side tables. “Flip up tables” serve as extra seating in the kitchen, as benches,= and as desks in the hallways.
Even small details, like the woven chair in the game room featuring an enterprising fisherman, or a fish-shaped cutting board that the previous owners cherished, maintain the look and feel of “an old New Hampshire cabin.”
The home provides ample room for Ana and Andy’s extended family members—27 in all, who visit for celebrations and get-togethers.
“Twenty-seven in one house can be a little much,” Ana says.
But the couple planned ahead. The upstairs primary bedroom features a large walk-in closet, cathedral ceilings, exposed timber, a loft and window seating. Its ensuite bathroom has a curbless shower, exposed timber, hisand-her sinks and a small seating area to apply makeup. Natural light floods the room, thanks to a skylight and plenty of windows.
“It has views in two directions. So about 120 degrees worth of views are in that one bedroom,” says Daughdrill.
“I wanted also all of the bathrooms to have a water view,” adds Ana.
Seven beds in the bunk room, each with its own reading light, and a pullout couch provides ample space for overnight guests and a bathroom.
Double doors lead to a deck with iron detailing and an exterior spiral staircase. A five-paneled door was repurposed from the previous cabin and is now used for a large linen closet.
When Ana’s dad, 90, comes for a visit, he stays in the ground-floor bedroom, which features details like an American flag, classic movie memorabilia and a straw Cuban cowboy hat.
“He’s a very, very patriotic immigrant. He's a huge John Wayne fan,” say Ana. Provisional space was also created for an elevator, should Ana’s dad need it; for now, it’s a pantry on the ground floor and a linen closet near the bunkroom.
Another cabin “for when all the cousins go off and get married” has been set aside in anticipation of their ever-growing family.
“Latino families are really quite tight and very intergenerational and used to being packed in often together,” she says.
To further merge the outside environment with the home’s indoor charm, designers used “novelty siding”: exterior siding that’s used in the interior.
That can be seen on the second floor of the great room; French-style windows with wavy glass from the original cabin swing out freely.
“They’re fun and sometimes people get up there, swing them open and belt out a song,” Ana writes.
The stair-railing system, with cedar collected from Maine swamps, faces the front entryway. A bold maple burl post is directly sourced from Meridian’s crew.
Live rooted timber can be seen at the bases of the staircase’s entry posts as well as outside and on balconies.
“That takes real artisan work to make that stuff come together, and fit and meet code,” Long adds.
The two-story great room includes a beadboard cathedral ceiling, and picture windows from the original (property) that stretch “from near the floor all the way up to the roof.”
These picture windows literally bring the outside in.
“Unlike a lot of picture windows that are fixed, these open to ventilate the home,” says Daughdrill.
“Windows were a combination of Marvin Wood Clad in the main living areas and large-size ones, and Integrity Wood Ultrex now called Elevate in bedrooms,” writes Long.
On chillier days, the home’s 40-foot fireplace becomes a cozy centerpiece.
Ana says Natt and Caleb King of King Stoneworks in Moultonborough went above and beyond to custom-create the two-story stone fireplace. Its veneer stones hail from the Poconos, while the mantle stone and hearth stones were sourced locally here and in Maine.
“Natt (King) and I went to some quarries around here to find the right mantelpiece and also the right hearth stones. He took a lot of time to do that with me,” Ana says.
“There aren’t many masons around anymore that know how to build a firebox and smoke chamber from scratch,” writes Caleb.
A wooden collar, provided by Sharps Lumber in Ashland, hugs the fireplace.
“I wanted that because it was similar to what they had on the original fireplace, which I had hoped to keep,” says Ana.
Finally, an owl, carved by Tim McEachern of Keene, shelters in a niche above the fireplace—a nod to earlier cabin life, when fish and deer were mounted as a point of pride.
“He did this owl for us because I love owls,” she says.
The couple enjoys relaxing most in the 38 Special, a seasonal room with a unique history. The ceiling was left intact and reveals a fun snapshot of the previous owners’ time here.
The couple enjoy discovering hidden gems within the cabin’s woodwork.
“They had boot prints and little kid feet. We found paw prints on the ceiling boards. So I imagine that those were on the ground, and some dog walked on it. (The previous owner) said they had a dachshund.”
“We’re still discovering these little things,” Ana says.
It’s a safe respite on stormy days.
“Partly because we are on a point, (this area) gets crazy weather, crazy storms. We love being in that cabin when there's a storm, because it feels like you're on the water. You're out on the water, but you're safe.”
Distant loons and lapping water can be heard in several rooms.
“There’s nothing like listening to those loons at night. It's a really quiet part of the lake,” says Ana.
Hunter Secord and John Stephens with Stephens Landscaping left intact as much of the natural landscape as possible after construction was complete.
“Their goals were clear, which were sustaining the health of Lake Winnipesaukee,” says Secord, a design-build operations manager.
Pennsylvania fieldstone for the walkways and patio proved “a great match against the New England fieldstone.”
The company used hay-scented ferns, low-bush blueberries and other native plants. Creeping thyme and moss woven throughout finish the organic look.
“We were very respectful of environmental features, including the shoreland zoning,” says Daughdrill.
Williams adds, “There are some wonderful outdoor spaces on the property.”
Both said the people, “and the opportunity to save a historic building,” made this project enjoyable. Everyone felt like they were part of a team.
Williams and Daughdrill said working with Ana was “a lot of fun.”
“She was genuinely very enthusiastic, and also grateful to be involved in the process,” says Daughdrill.
Long especially appreciated Ana’s entrepreneurial spirit.
“In homes like this, a lot of people work with interior designers, but I'm pretty sure that Ana did this all herself,“ he says.
Williams praised Meridian’s timemanagement skills.
“Meridian construction did a terrific job keeping the project on schedule, and to a schedule that both did not sacrifice quality and gave us a really good time frame,” says Daughdrill.
Ana and Andy also lauded Meridian project manager John Bruss.
“[He] was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and seemed to know where every nail was going to be driven in,” they wrote in their letter of recommendation to the firm.
“We are enchanted with this home,” they added.
The couple, who live near Boston, have considered making this their permanent home and someday retiring here. Already, Ana and Andy wish they could spend every day here.
“It's always sad when we have to leave. My husband always says, when I tell him I'm sad, the morning that we're leaving, “We get to come back.” NHH
RESOURCES
Boehm Graham Interior Design boehmgrahamdesign.com
Christopher P. Williams Architects • cpwarchitects.com
Home Comfort • homecomfortnh.com
King Stoneworks • (603) 520-1175 kingstoneworks.com
Kitchen Encounters • kitchenencountersnh.com
Meridian Construction (603) 527-0101 • meridiannh.com
Stephens Landscaping • stephenslandscaping.com