138 Bayside Road

About this home

Conceived around a beautiful hidden valley with bay shorefront, this house fits its magical setting, just a walk to vibrant Bayside. The owners fell for this 1.92-acre property above Brown's Cove and designed a house specifically for it, working through their own drawings before bringing in the architect. The brief was thoughtful and pragmatic: build as environmentally responsibly as the budget allowed, make it hardworking and low maintenance, and combine Maine simplicity with modern, green chic. Built in 2020, the result is a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 35 feet of tidal bay frontage. Huge windows put nature at the center of daily life, while the open kitchen and living space work equally well for a quiet morning or a table full of friends. A first-floor primary suite makes single-level living possible, with two more bedrooms upstairs and a bonus loft above. The environmental thinking goes well beyond heat pumps. Continuous insulation wraps the house from beneath the slab through the walls; blown cellulose, Zip-R sheathing and careful air sealing create an exceptionally tight envelope, supported by a heat-recovery air exchanger. There's a heat-pump water heater, ventless heat-pump dryer and Level 2 EV charger, while the woodstove is there largely for pleasure in a Maine winter. The planted roof is part beauty, part insulation and part clever stormwater management. It is now its own evolving patch of clover, wildflowers and even tiny wild strawberries. Durable metal and rough-sawn pine siding were chosen to age gracefully rather than demand constant attention. A charming, wide path winds down through the valley to the seating area with a fire pit overlooking the shore, perfect for watching the birds and wildlife that make their home here. Further up the driveway is another buildable area, with infrastructure planned from the beginning to leave options for the future. Beautiful, practical and environmentally gentle.