Homes

The Most-Read Maine Homes Stories of the Year

We visited dozens of intriguing Maine houses and people. From a peek inside a traffic-stopping shipping-container-compound to an interview with Maine’s female building pros, here are our most-read stories of the year.

accessory dwelling units

10. Go-Go Granny Flats!

By Sarah Stebbins

From the November 2022 issue of Down East: Building pros are betting that an antidote to the affordable-housing crunch lies in Mainers’ backyards.

Douglas-fir soffits work with the bold paint job to warm the metal exterior of Liz and Todd Howard's shipping container home

9. In Northport, a Couple’s Purple Shipping-Container Compound Stops Traffic

By Suzanne Rico | Photographed by Myriam Babin

From our Spring 2022 issue: Four boxes comprise the main home and three more house guests.

Maine female builders from left to right: Heather Thompson, Katherine Carlson, Erin Connolly, Laurel LeBauve, Deidre Wadsworth, Hannah Guilford, Heather Jackson, Sara Simpson, and Ann-Marie Waterhouse

8. Meet Maine’s Female Builders

By Sarah Stebbins | Photographed by Tara Rice

From our Fall 2022 issue: Introducing nine female building pros who are changing the construction landscape in Maine.

Rockport boatbuilder Timo Foster spent five years restoring this 1929 floating home, pictured in Camden Harbor; the owner is currently looking for a more out-of-the-way spot to anchor.

7. Dream Boat — Or Floating Nuisance?

 By Sara Anne Donnelly

From our Fall 2022 issue: In Maine, where some houseboat owners are navigating troubled waters, it depends on whom you ask.

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The Eyrie, a Tudor-style formerly owned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife, Abby

6. Remembering Mount Desert Island’s Storied Estates

By Brian Kevin

From the September 2022 issue of Down East: Sooner or later, even the stateliest mansions must face the wrecking ball.

Rich West’s 1904 bungalow on Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth

5. A Cape Elizabeth Gardener’s Lavish Container Garden Slows Traffic

By Aurelia C. Scott | Photographed by Heidi Kirn

From the June 2022 issue of Down East: And serves as a balm for the community.

Benjamin Moore’s Peach Sorbet and Orange Appeal on the shingles, Peach Cider and Orange Appeal on the clapboards, and Fall Harvest on the screen door set the tone for the couple’s warm aesthetic.

4. This Peaks Island Charmer Was Deemed a Teardown

By Michaela Cavallaro | Photographed by Rachel Sieben

From the May 2022 issue of Down East: A couple spent a year and a half meticulously rehabbing it instead.

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Danielle Filosa in her New Harbor, Maine, home.

3. The Priciest Item in Her House Cost $100

By Sarah Stebbins | Photographed by Danielle Sykes

From the April 2022 issue of Down East: A vintage dealer trades Hollywood for a New Harbor home filled with unusual finds.

The cottages on Auditorium Park, where camp meetings were held in Northport’s Bayside village, are named for the hometowns of the church societies that built them.

2. Welcome to Maine’s Storybook Village

By Virginia M. Wright | Photographed by Benjamin Williamson

From our Summer 2022 issue: In Northport’s Bayside neighborhood, you’ll find charming gingerbread cottages with spiritual roots, friendly owners, and inventive patch jobs.

Cone flowers, ferns, hydrangeas, lavender, peonies, and yarrow encircle the cottage, which sports new cedar shingles, windows, and a reimagined porch.

1. It Doesn’t Get Cuter Than This Cape Porpoise Cottage

By Sarah Stebbins | Photographed by Danielle Sykes

From the July 2022 issue of Down East: A couple finds peace, and a decade-long project, on a tidal cove.

Happy New Year from all of us at Maine Homes by Down East!

2022 covers of Maine Homes by Down East