Dreams. The story starts in 1993 when we lived in Chicago and I was working for a high-end interior design and architectural firm designing for the rich and famous. I was a few months pregnant with my first child and decisions needed to be made about our future – where we should live and careers all needed to be considered. My husband’s grandparents had a home on Caspian Lake in Greensboro, VT (where we had honeymooned) so off we set for our yearly visit. Grandma suggested that we move east, and the thought was intriguing. After much exploring the surrounding areas, we ended up in the mid-coast of Maine sitting on the huge rocks of at Point Reyes and my soul simply fell in love with the area.
I’m originally from Berkeley, CA and this felt like California... trees and ocean minus all the people and pavement. I was absorbed by the smell, the fresh air, the rocks, the evergreens and tall grasses, the waves and the complexity of nature’s beauty. I looked at my husband and told him, “This is where we should raise our family”. As so, we did... but not without a lot of struggling.
In 1994 our first child was born. I worked for an architectural design firm earning very little money in Exeter and an Interior Designer in Portsmouth, NH. My mother died in 1996 and we met the challenges of life and careers. My second child was born in 1998 and I officially started my own design firm focusing on additions and renovations - working primarily at night and early in the morning on a drafting table in the playroom that doubled as a 3- season porch (brrr). My third child was born in 2001 and my friend and I decided to share an office above Beach Pea Bakery in Kittery, Maine.
For the next two decades we were focused on the busy life of raising the kids: soccer, dance, track & cycling races ... you get the picture. We moved from York, Maine to tax-free NH in 2009, which was a nice change and chance to renovate a small bungalow into our city family home.
Still, every vacation we struggled with where to go. The summer of 2018 we rented a house on the beach on Owl’s Head in Rockland, Maine and despite the drizzly weather we loved the mid-coast and all it had to offer, restaurants, art, hiking, museums, the beach, and more. Finally, we had a focus on the location of where to buy a family house.
Over the years, I had already designed several versions of this how would look and function for our family. One of my criteria is that it needed to be large enough to hold our entire family plus future spouses and grand-children. Our home in Portsmouth is wonderfully historic, cozy and convenient to walking to a fun downtown but it’s small with a tiny yard. We needed to stretch out a bit. My husband’s criteria were more centered on finding waterfront. He found a few potential properties and took our youngest child with us (now a senior in high school) to look at a line-up of houses the weekend of September 29, 2018.
There was one house that we had been watching for years. 190 Scraggle Point Rd. was originally priced at 1.1 million, they had just lowered the price to $750K. It was more than I wanted to spend but it fit all our criteria (and more) - 3500sf, 340’ of ocean front, 1.9 acres, a small beach and a dock.
So, we walked through this 1984 built home on a beautiful, sunny, 70-degree day. It had potential but was very dated. So, it was perfect! What made it even more perfect, was that the broker let us go back to the property later in the day alone. We bought some beer and sat on the huge rock overlooking the bay and it felt full circle! This... this felt like home.
We waited a few days and on Columbus Day weekend we made and offer of $530k with the attached letter (below) and allowance that they didn’t have to respond for 5 days. To our surprise, they responded within 24 hours with a counter of $580K. At this point we talked about it casually and offered $568K. He quickly took our offer and we were under agreement before we could think twice.
We spent the next month doing some research on how to financially swing it and it actually came together relatively smoothly. We didn’t have any contingencies because obviously the house needed a lot of work - first and for most was a water problem in the crawl space foundation (no basement). I guess it’s because I do what I do, I wasn’t worried about it.
Before our closing we met a contractor that I had found and liked him immediately. He also had a plumber and mason meet us at the house and everyone made us feel better about the purchase. Later that day, we met an arborist (yes, also the local police chief) and he informed us that our direct abutter was building a several million dollar home. With relief and smirks on our face, we felt really good about the purchase.
We pushed to close before Thanksgiving because all of our kids were going to be home for the holiday and we wanted to show them the house. Plus, the seller, who is 88, wasn’t getting any younger. We loaded up a U-Haul van and drove to the closing in Portland, Maine in a snow storm on November 11, 2018. The closing was straight out of an SNL skit and we were on our way up to the house in Spruce Head. Just outside of Portland, we realized that if we kept going, we were going to have to spend the night if we got there at all because the roads were terrible. So, we called our teenager, informed the neighbors that a party was not to take place and literally camped out in our new home.
Yes, there have been moments of panic and stress but overall, it’s been a fun process. As we empty in the fall, it feels like the complete circle of life and parenting. My career has always been closely integrated with motherhood with the pieces knit together carefully so I’m curious to see how the next phase will play out.
The only way for us to make it work both logistically and financially is to rent it out as a short-term rental. After all, we don’t really need it all the time now, our kids are 25, 21 and 18 busy working, college and building their lives. This place is far too special to not share it with you all.
So, enjoy the ride as I walk you through the rest of the story.