The joy of being an owner/designer and hands-on builder is that you get to do everything your own way.

You get to use the entire project as an art form, a means of self expression.

However, building in Maine for the last ten years has been an interesting and challenging experience. I’ve come to realize that traditional thinking has dictated the type of architecture here more than common sense. But the original type of architecture here, stick built with clapboards and little or no roof overhangs has no basis in longevity. The early settlers were poor and building for longevity was not foremost in their minds – getting a house up and a roof over their heads was the key. A roof with a short overhang was by far the cheapest and fastest method. But traditions die hard and the style has stuck and is still used on very expensive new homes. But the problems with this type of architecture remain. Being a builder I see the problems that go hand-in-hand with this type of architecture all too often. So, after ten years of building in Maine I’ve come full circle in my thinking and now let my design of homes be dictated by common sense.

I’ve been a builder for 35 years, I’ve built wooden boats, houses in the East, houses in the West, traveled and studied architecture all over the world and my current project in Camden, Maine, I think, is a culmination of those years of experience in studying what works and what doesn’t when it comes to residential architecture. Preventing rot with large protective roof overhangs and tall masonry foundations are the keys to longevity.

Making a home easy to heat in winter is the other key. Positioning a home so that it gets maximum exposure to the south is the obvious place to start. Insulating the home with the best and most insulation possible is the next step. It should be tight as a drum, and to keep the environment in the house healthy, an energy recovery ventilator system needs to be installed; this supplies fresh air to the indoors without the loss of indoor heat.

And what a difference it makes for the indoor environment.

All of these things, tall masonry foundations, large overhanging roofs (which if properly designed do not block the vital sun rays of winter), high insulation value, and fresh air ventilation systems make for a more costly home initially, but more than pay for themselves in the long run.

Here in America we’ve been blessed with seemingly endless natural resources. This fact, combined with an eternal attitude of youthful exuberance has made for a lot of thoughtless waste. But all things change eventually, and we are increasingly aware of conservation, and building green is high on the list.

Thank you,
Marc Scott

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