Our 10 Most-Read Stories of the Year

We visited dozens of intriguing Maine houses in 2019. From a rehabbed mid-century houseboat to a cottage inspired by Robert McCloskey stories to a meticulously restored tiny home erected when Washington was president, these are our most-read stories of the year.

Home on a Lark

10. Home on a Lark

By Joyce Kryszak
Photographed by Myriam Babin

From the October issue of Down East: Three years ago, a newly single Laurel Hoppe gave herself 10 days find a place to live on the Maine coast. She ended up needing only one. As soon as she saw the 200-plus-year-old Cape near Roque Bluffs beach in Jonesboro, she knew it was time to pack up her farmhouse in Wenona, Illinois, and move.

Home Floats

9. Home Floats

By Jesse Ellison

Photographed by James R. Salomon

From our March/April issue: While most houseboats are designed for leisurely cruises, former helicopter pilot Rheanna Sinnett’s 34-foot 1968 Thunderbird Drift-R-Cruz was built for speed, strength, and life on the water.

Long Time Coming

8. Long Time Coming

By Jesse Ellison 

Photographed by Sarah Rice

From the August issue of Down East: Diane Ryan yearned for a cabin in Maine decades before she ever set foot here. A few years ago, with retirement in sight, Ryan took on the mission more seriously. She drove up and down the coast and settled on Camden, where in 2017 she found a little cottage perched on the sloping shore of Hosmer Pond.

Sitting Pretty in Bridgton

7. Sitting Pretty

By Amy Sutherland 

Photographed by Irvin Serrano

From our July/August issue: A few years ago, the Rockwell family struck real estate gold on a largely spoken-for stretch of Bridgton’s Highland Lake, but the camp was cramped, dated, and dark. So the couple transformed the lakeside camp to fit their needs.

Hidden Treasure

6. Hidden Treasure

By Sara Anne Donnelly

Photographed by Jared Kuzia

From the February issue of Down East: Every home has a cozy, tucked-away place — an upstairs reading nook, perhaps, or a sunny attic corner. Now imagine your whole house is that place. The circa-1830 childhood abode of former U.S. House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed is a sliver of a home sandwiched between taller buildings in Portland’s West End.

It's Not Complicated

5. It’s Not Complicated

By Sara Anne Donnelly

Photographed by Meredith Perdue

From the May issue of Down East: Samantha Pappas and her husband Ryan worked with local contractor Bob Brann to design and build a manageable, efficient, and easy to clean 2,050-square-foot two-bedroom cottage in Yarmouth.

Full Circle

4. Full Circle

By Julie Senk

Photographed by Maine Home Photography

From our November/December issue: In the 1850s, Jesse Tucker had a home built in West Gardiner that was so unusual passersby would stop to watch the workers raising it up. The dwelling’s circular, eight-sided design was cutting edge — one of just a handful of octagon houses built in Maine during the mid-19th century.

One Cottage in Maine

3. One Cottage in Maine

By Laura Wallis

Photographed by Jared Kuzia

From our May/June issue: Robert McCloskey’s One Morning in Maine and Blueberries for Sal are touchstones for many Mainers, and for Rich Rose, who hails from Yarmouth and spent summers in Machiasport, they still evoke fond memories of home. So much so, that when he and his wife, Julie, decided to renovate a summerhouse on Beals Island, they made McCloskey their muse.

Fantasyland

2. Fantasyland

By Sara Anne Donnelly

Photographed by Michael D. Wilson

From our November/December issue: Artist-builder David Lee hopes you’ll find your happily ever after in an efficient, escapist cottage like the one he recently finished in Boothbay.

These Walls Can Talk!

1. These Walls Can Talk!

By Jesse Ellison

Photographed by Myriam Babin

From our September/October issuePam Logan’s tiny home has been perched on its tiny hill off Route 1 in Wiscasset since before Route 1 was Route 1, Wiscasset was Wiscasset, and Maine was Maine. The 448-square-foot dwelling was built in 1790 — a year into George Washington’s presidency.

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