This site provides contractor-focused detail about an ongoing three-phase improvement project at 92 Allagash Road, Sanbornville, NH (a login is required in order to access the full site, which includes detailed architectural plans and construction drawings, site plan and photographs).
The property is a family-owned tract on the north shore of Lovell Lake. The immediate lakefront is characterized by many large boulders (some appearing above water, some not) deposited during the northward retreat of the last North American ice sheet 10,000 years ago. It also features fully mature blueberry bushes along much of the waterfront which do an excellent job at retaining shoreline structure against the erosive forces of wind-driven waves and their much more destructive cousins: waves produced by large boats cruising at low speeds (as in wakeboarding) back and forth across the lake, occasionally producing compounded waves 3 or more feet in height.
It is backed by a buffer parcel of non-developable land, which not only provides privacy but keeps the waterfront safe from unwanted development. The area is dominated by towering 80-foot hemlocks and pines, with some beech trees and a few maple and oak hardwoods. It has been a family property for more than 100 years. It is cherished, maintained and protected by many immediate and extended family members.
At left, the sun sets "uptown" (on the western horizon).
The centerpiece of the project is Phase III: Demolition of a seasonal cottage and construction of a modest year 'round home. The last phase also includes removal of an existing non-confirming septic system and installation of a new, fully conforming septic system.
The original 100-year-old seasonal primary dwelling (removed 2022)
The original 1924 property as seen from the opposite shore of Lovell Lake, looking northeast, prior to removal of the camp
New dwelling nearly finished, spring 2024
The original two-room cabin, built in 1924, lay at the center of the now-removed structure, which was added on to during the 1940s and the 1950s. A porch on the north side (center of photo) was enclosed during the 1980s.
The weathervane atop the cupola is circa 1890 and shows the silhouette of a wood-burning locomotive of the type that dominated the rail lines through Sanbornville at the turn of the last century. The refurbished weathervane will be on display in the new dwelling.
More than 20 authentic beams—most of them laid almost 100 years ago—were reclaimed from the original camp. Most will be integrated into the new dwelling.
