09/03/2026
In the mid-1970s, our clients’ father purchased a family camp on the shores of Sebago Lake. The forested, 5-acre property included a seasonal log cabin built by the original owner As the family grew and the camp became the summer go-to for gatherings and getaways, a larger prefabricated Acorn House was added.
When the three siblings — now with children of their own — inherited the camp they continued to enjoy summers together, but recognized the aging structures were in need of renovation to support future year-round, multigenerational use. At the top of their minds was where to locate the center of activity on a large property with two buildings.
We reimagined the existing attached garage of the Acorn house as a generous, double-height kitchen and dining area at the heart of the compound. The new hub carries outdoors to a covered porch and playground of stepped granite offcuts. An ornamental tree originally planted by their parents couldn’t be saved during construction, but the same species of red maple will be replanted in their memory.
A glassy mudroom entry connects the kitchen to a new two-story addition providing an overflow sleeping loft above much-needed garage storage. A roof-top solar array on the addition enables the combined compound to achieve Net Zero Energy.
Inside the Acorn house, the iconic mid-century character is maintained but modernized in both look and livability. The interior is carefully reconfigured around the original exposed wood structure of the building to add a new ground-floor bedroom suite and extra bathrooms. The exterior is wrapped in an overcoat of wood fiber insulation and buttoned up with all new oversized, triple-glazed windows and doors, upgrading the home’s energy performance to Passive House standards.
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