How to Design and Build a Pretty Good (or Better) House by Michael Maines THE BUILDING STANDARD that’s not a standard and started as a joke takes off… again. Once a month a small group gets together in Portland, Maine to discuss hot topics in building science—the field that covers everything from indoor air quality…
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AN IMPROPERLY BUILT foundation can be a primary culprit of both indoor air quality and energy problems in homes. Whether your new home is built on a slab, a crawlspace or a full basement, your foundation has some very important work to do, including: prevent moisture and soil gases (such as radon) from entering the…
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What makes a high-performing house? By Chris Briley & Heather Chandler THERE ARE A LOT of loosely defined terms used to describe how “green” a house is. Luckily, some professionals in our industry have worked very hard to find ways to quantify this almost intangible quality, and in so doing, have generated new nomenclature that can…
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Here’s a way to enjoy a scenic bike ride, without the bike: the newly re-opened RailCyclers provides foot-pedaled, open-air “railcycle” tours along the historic Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad. Riding railcycles is a low-impact, quiet, non-polluting activity, and a great way to get in shape. They are basically a tandem single speed pedal bike built…
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From berry picking to cheese tasting, and kayaking to cafes, you’ll find no shortage of things to do on Maine farms. By Jen Hazard AS WE BECOME more connected to our food and where it’s from, the interest in local farms has skyrocketed. Fortunately for those visiting Maine, there are more farms to visit than…
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By Jessica Skwire Routhier CERAMICS BELONGS TO the “arts of the fire,” so called because, along with glass and metalsmithing, it requires heat and flame to turn raw materials into lasting and functional works of art. Transformation is key to understanding the ceramic arts—both in terms of how time-honored techniques can transform humble clay and…
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By Carey Kish JUST AS WE are drawn to the alpine heights of Maine’s windswept mountaintops or the seemingly endless expanses of sandy beach at the ocean’s edge, so, too, are we captivated by the thundering roar of waterfalls, the rainbows amid the glitter of the misty spray, the raw power of water rushing through…
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Maine’s craft ciders offer a wild taste of history By Caitlin Gilmet JOHN ADAMS DRANK a tankard of hard cider every morning before breakfast. The drink was served at the Battle of Concord—to both sides. And Benjamin Franklin once quipped, “He that drinks his cider alone, let him catch his horse alone.” Maine’s wild and…
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By Lynn Ascrizzi SWEET-SCENTED AZALEAS, bee balm, roses, and phlox. Moss-lined pathways meandering amid green light and shadows. Reflecting pools, cedar-fragrant, sun-warmed air, and artfully planted herbaceous borders bursting with Japanese irises, delphiniums, velvety lamb’s ears, poppies and sunny dahlias… This is a mere sampling of the unfolding seasonal riches to be discovered in the…
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By Carey Kish THE GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSE of Maine’s coastline ranges some 230 miles from Kittery to Lubec as the crow flies, but an incredible 3,500 miles when every nook and cranny and more than 3,000 islands are accounted for on the undulating margin along the Gulf of Maine between New Hampshire and New Brunswick,…
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