Isle of Light: Idyllic Post & Beam Eastern White Pine Cottages on the Maine Coast

Set about 23 miles beyond Port Clyde on the coast of Maine, Wheaton Island is about as peaceful as it gets, with few structures and even fewer residents. In the winter, you’ll find hardly anyone around, but in summer, a series of charming white dwellings come alive with the inspiring creative activities of contemporary artists Bo Bartlett and Betsy Eby, who spend the rest of the year at their full-time residence in Columbus, Georgia. Bartlett bought the island in 1999 after spotting it in the distance while vacationing at the summer home of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth on Benner Island.

Bartlett immediately got to work restoring the island’s turn of the century house, barn and guesthouse with the help of Freeport builder John Libby, and after marrying Betsy in 2010, called Libby back in to build two custom “his and hers” artist studios. 

From Decor Maine:

“The simple, uninsulated post-and-beam structures were adapted from the company’s 18-by-24-foot ‘Harraseeket’ model. North-facing skylights capture the light so crucial to the artists, while double barn doors open to ocean views. ‘We started with that footprint and went with a steeper roof to give it a bit more character,’ explains John. Made of Eastern white pine, the white shingle-sided studios look nearly identical from the outside, while the interiors have been adapted to suit the artists’ varied needs. Bo’s include a loft space and large north-facing windows, Betsy’s an upright piano, which she plays throughout her workday (‘Going back and forth,’ says Bo). The structures were painted white inside and out, down to the furnishings, making plain canvases, as it were, for the colorful work created within them.”

Libby constructed the timber frames at his warehouse in Freeport, then dismantled them and shipped them to the island by barge. It took a helicopter too set them into their permanent places. Each one is painted stark white inside, giving them a purity and simplicity that instantly evokes feelings of calmness and tranquility. It’s also a highly effective backdrop for art. The studios are powered by solar panels and propane.

“My connection with nature is just so piqued out there,” says Eby. “It reminds me of who I am.”

Classic Cottages Made Modern: Stylish Wood in Vermont

modern cottage 3

This group of beautiful cottages on the Marlboro College campus in Vermont take visual cues from the college’s traditional architecture, echoing centuries of Vermont traditions, while updating them for the modern era. Designed by HGA Architects, the cottages provide cozy and comfortable housing for classical musicians who come to collaborate with students during a seven-week summer festival.

modern cottage 1

modern cottage 4

Located on a 15-acre site adjacent to the campus, the five cottages feature an archetypal chimney-topped gable shape that has been seen in the New England countryside since it was first settled by the British. Outside, thin horizontal strips of wood in varying shades give the cottages visual interest and dimension.

modern cottage 2

Inside, they’re constructed almost entirely of local Eastern White Pine and Vermont slate. Long pine beams stretch up to the apex of the high ceiling, the simplicity of the naturally finished wood paying tribute to the tradition of rustic cabins yet feeling very fresh, open and modern.

modern cottage 3

Large operable windows open up the cabins to the outdoors, providing the perfect place to soak up a little inspiration before creating a musical masterpiece.

White Water Village: Eastern White Pine Cottage in Ontario

whitewater 1

Eastern white pine was chosen as the primary material for a series of cottages at White Water Village, a sustainable, all-season community on the Ottawa River in Canada. Built by Kealey & Tackaberry Log Homes, the cottages feature timber dove-tail log construction and include a timber-framed screen room and an open deck.

whitewater 2

Kealey & Tackaberry is dedicated to creating homes that meet their clients’ needs, style and budget using materials that are sustainable and renewable. The company seeks out materials that are both environmentally responsible and authentic.

whitewater 4

Eastern white pine meets these requirements both in its standout beauty as long, large-circumference hand-peeled or hewn logs, and by being harvested at the end of its life cycle to ensure healthy forests. “In fact, our homes leave a small carbon footprint behind,” says K&T. “We believe, with each home produced, we actually help create a better world.”

whitewater 3

Learn more about the sustainability of Eastern White Pine.

Raising Backyard Chickens: Eastern White Pine Coops & Nesting Boxes

Eastern White Pine Chicken Coops Clark

Eggs never taste better than when they’re plucked from right beneath a hen in your own backyard, moments before cooking. Raising chickens is fun and rewarding, and requires less money and maintenance than many other pets. If you’re on the path to producing some of your own food or simply enjoying the friendly personalities of these feathered friends, you’ll need a chicken coop and some nesting boxes.

Eastern White Pine Chicken Coops Kings

Clark Farm offers chicken coops that are just as cute as cabins and cottages made for humans, complete with gambrel-style roofs, dutch doors, brass hardware, opening windows with screens and a number of other features that vary with each model (pictured top). The colors can be customized, so you can create a hen house that matches your own. They’re hand-crafted in Connecticut using high quality Eastern White Pine.

Eastern White Pine Chicken Coops Jamaica

Also made with Eastern White Pine are the coops offered by King’s Berry Farm, which have a simpler and more open design including roosts, nesting boxes, a sliding hen house door and a large clean-out door. Jamaica Cottage Shop, which builds full-sized cabins and cottages by hand in Vermont, also offers a range of coops and nesting boxes that will stand the test of time.

Raising Backyard Chickens: Eastern White Pine Coops & Nesting Boxes

Eastern White Pine Chicken Coops Clark

Eggs never taste better than when they’re plucked from right beneath a hen in your own backyard, moments before cooking. Raising chickens is fun and rewarding, and requires less money and maintenance than many other pets. If you’re on the path to producing some of your own food or simply enjoying the friendly personalities of these feathered friends, you’ll need a chicken coop and some nesting boxes.

Eastern White Pine Chicken Coops Kings

Clark Farm offers chicken coops that are just as cute as cabins and cottages made for humans, complete with gambrel-style roofs, dutch doors, brass hardware, opening windows with screens and a number of other features that vary with each model (pictured top). The colors can be customized, so you can create a hen house that matches your own. They’re hand-crafted in Connecticut using high quality Eastern White Pine.

Eastern White Pine Chicken Coops Jamaica

Also made with Eastern White Pine are the coops offered by King’s Berry Farm, which have a simpler and more open design including roosts, nesting boxes, a sliding hen house door and a large clean-out door. Jamaica Cottage Shop, which builds full-sized cabins and cottages by hand in Vermont, also offers a range of coops and nesting boxes that will stand the test of time.

Charming Vermont-Made, Ready-to-Ship Eastern White Pine Cottages

Jamaica Cottage Shop 1

The beautiful and impeccably crafted small structures built by the Jamaica Cottage Shop can function as play houses, freestanding backyard offices, sheds, bunk houses or simply extra living space. All of the designs are hand made in Vermont using native rough-sawn, full-dimensioned lumber grown, harvested and milled within the region – including siding made of kiln-dried Eastern White Pine.

Jamaica Cottage Shop 2

You can get anything from a basic cabin or cute cottage with a mini front porch to a screened-in Florida Room, which offers an insect-free outdoor getaway. These little buildings are available in three forms: kits, plans, or fully assembled.

Jamaica Cottage Shop 3

If you live in the Northeast, having a fully assembled building shipped right to your door is a convenient option, while those who live farther away can follow a set of detailed step-by-step instructions to either assemble the shipped parts, or use the plans to have their own materials procured locally.

Jamaica Cottage Shop 4

Putting together an 8×10 Vermont cabin takes just about 20 hours, and can be done at any skill level. The precut lumber package includes pre-dimensioned siding, precut roofing sections, trim, windows and ready-to-install doors. Some kits even include vintage 1800s factory salvaged windows. Check out the whole selection at Jamaica Cottage Shop.