LITTLEJOHN ISLAND, YARMOUTH – It took more than a year to plan and build this cedar-shingled beauty, but the thought behind the new home goes back a couple of decades or more, when architectural designer Joe Waltman began to envision what a home on this elevated site should look like.
A Downeast Maine native and a longtime resident of neighboring Cousins Island, Waltman brought to this project a deep affinity for the coastal environment, and a decades-long history of creating some of Maine’s finest homes. Here is the most recent.
“The Littlejohn Tower House” is in perfect harmony with its surroundings, rising gracefully from a stone foundation, amid the encircling evergreens and birches. The shingle-style home incorporating Gothic elements has a wealth of windows, many with transoms, and is sited for maximum light (all rooms have both southern and northern exposure) and oneness with the natural world. There are glimpses of Casco Bay, a few hundred feet away, and of the Chebeague Island shoreline.
The 3,637-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-bath interior provides four levels of living, with floor-plan flexibility; e.g. the first-floor study, office, library, etc. Floors are 4-inch red birch; most woodwork is top-grade pine, exquisitely crafted and wonderfully aromatic.
The living room, which soars three levels, has a classic brick, wood-burning fireplace; there are gas fireplaces in the adjacent dining room / sitting room (note its barrel ceiling and window seat); and in the family room of the finished, daylight ground level, whose bedroom, full bath, media/multipurpose room and potential kitchenette, all together constitute an ideal guest suite. The well-appointed master suite, for its part, is nicely private, having the upstairs south wing all to itself.
The gourmet’s kitchen – honed granite counters, stainless appliances including a five-burner gas range with hood – flows into a bow-of-windows sun room / dining nook that accesses the patio and granite fire pit. At the other end of the house, the lofty tower room is a haven for relaxation and reflection, and an inspired and inspiring feature.
Connected to the mainland via a causeway, and therefore very convenient to Yarmouth’s village center, I-295, and to downtown Portland, Littlejohn is an island by name, and in the character of the quiet community. The home is an easy stroll to town-owned trails; the oceanfront, 23-acre Littlejohn Island Preserve is a 15-minute walk away. Note, too, that the property’s applied-for mooring is expected to be available soon.
The home at 276 Littlejohn Road, Littlejohn Island, Yarmouth, is listed for sale at $987,500 by David Banks of RE/MAX By The Bay in Portland. Please contact David at 773-2345 or at dbanks@davidbanksteam.com. Please visit davidbanksteam.com/property/littlejohn-tower-house and waltmanarchitecturaldesign.com.
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