AIA Maine - Ledge's Edge

Aptly named, Ledge’s Edge balances on the cusp of Casco Bay. Generous spans of glass welcome the waterscape inward while cantilevered bays sail above the waves.
A vaulted ceiling opens the main living area and catches light reflecting off the water’s surface. The third-floor loft overlooks the space, calling upward sea breezes and warmth from the wood stove.
Sliding windows part to reveal an eight-foot wide opening bounded only by a transparent glass rail. Unobstructed views extend across the bay, and at high tide, the bedroom is all but adrift at sea.
Tucked in the home’s lowest bay, the master bathroom extends over the water and features a soaking tub designed to provide both visual and literal immersion.
Soft blue paint on the kitchen cabinetry quietly echoes the palette just beyond the windows.
A continuous window seat in the second-story bay serves as the helm of this sea-faring home.
In the home's uppermost eave, built-in beds accommodate celestial navigation with effortless views of the stars above.
The space is finished with bright Douglas fir and minimal furnishings, highlighting the surrounding waterscape as the true centerpiece of the home.
The street-facing facade compliments the neighboring historic cottages with a gabled roof, divided lite windows, and a small dormer.
Ledge's Edge fits an immense amount of living space in a modest, site-restricted volume that sits along - and over - the water.
The owner's suite and guest bedroom rest in the home's lowest level, a private oasis that blurs the divide between inside and out.
An open floor plan on the main level playfully contrasts an intimate kitchen and dining area with a tall and whimsical living room.
From the uppermost floor, a loft peaks down at the main living area below. The space allows the option for a future bathroom.

Project Title: Ledge's Edge

Firm: Kaplan Thompson Architects

Submitted for Consideration in: Architecture

Client:

Location: Yarmouth, Maine

Project-At-a-Glance:
Ledge’s Edge perches over Maine’s Casco Bay on a concrete foundation preserved from a house that once occupied the site. Limited to the original modest footprint and height, the new home cleverly uses structure and light to pack an immense amount of living space into a relatively small volume.

Project Narrative:

Ledge’s Edge perches over Maine’s Casco Bay on a concrete foundation preserved from the modestly sized house originally purchased by the client. The request for this project was seemingly simple: create a new home more spacious than the previous.

Town permitting, however, would only allow for a building that existed within the same footprint and height limits as the original structure. Modern building codes designed to protect against flooding also mandated that construction of the lowest level begin one foot higher than was allowed when the previous house was built.

Similar to building a boat, every possible square inch in the house had to be carefully considered.

To introduce a lofted third floor within the allowed height of the structure, the underside of each level was left exposed to serve as the ceiling of the room below it. This unconventional technique granted an additional ten inches of headspace per floor. Warm and bright Douglas fir used for the floors and ceilings lines many of the interior walls as well, creating visual continuity and the illusion of a larger space. As a finishing touch, vaulting of the main living area ushers in a refreshing airiness.

Tiered cantilevers on each floor couple with large, undivided windows to create a sensation of floating and invite the outside in. Tucked in each bay is a unique interior moment: a soaking tub that allows for immersion in water both visually and literally, a nostalgic window seat overlooking the ocean, and built-in beds that nestle in the upper eaves to provide a prime spot for stargazing through thoughtfully placed skylights.

Wide, sliding glass openings along the home's water-facing side part to reveal transparent rails beyond. Valuable interior square footage transforms into simulated deck space, a perfect compromise for Maine’s diverse seasons and the home’s limited footprint.

Ledge's Edge

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