An Elegant Gabled Residence

A few years ago, a Maryland-based couple started looking for a home in Maine. Their youngest daughter was living in Portland, newly married with a small baby; with three other daughters and a growing flock of grandchildren, they wanted a place where the family could come together by the water and where they could eventually retire. There were few such homes on the market, and not much buildable land. Finally, their realtor, Linda MacDonald, brought them to a waterfront lot in Freeport. It was a beautiful piece of property featuring streams, wetland, and old-growth forest at the shoreline—along with the building restrictions that come with each element. “It was challenging in the best sense,” says the owner. “We had a feeling that something special could be built here.”