THE COX PROPERTY ON GREAT CRANBERRY ISLAND, MAINE, 04625.
June 2011.
Note: The website, CranberryIsles.com, has much interesting material on the five Cranberry Islands. Great Cranberry Island is the largest of those islands. See the details regarding Great Cranberry Island by clicking on the map on the website.
A. THE LAND.
The Cox land is on the east side of the island's main road, 1/4 of a mile up from the town dock. The Cox land is a parallelogram. It is 105.5 feet wide on the main road, extends 960 feet straight back, and is 95.5 feet wide in the woods. The land is half cleared, half wooded, for a total of about 2 acres. In the cleared area, toward the woods, there is a growing patch of the most succulent of all blueberries: Maine WILD Blueberries.
The cleared half of the land—ABOUT 1 ACRE—is characterized as "good" for both building and for installation of a septic system: there is no swampy area; there is no “ledge,”which is to say no layers of rock in the first several feet of the soil; the soil is largely decayed granular granite. Thus the soil is excellent for building, for a septic system ncluding a drain field, and, with compost and other additives, for a garden.
The wooded half of the land consists mostly of white spruce, some pine, some alder. There are several fallen trees, easily harvested for burning in the stove in the living room. In the center of the wooded portion of the land is a huge, quite old pine tree--with a kid's tree fort on lower branches. Fun!
No part of the land is "shoreland," as that term is defined in town ordinances. This means, in general, that an owner of the land in question may be able to build another dwelling, or some other structure, exempt from the rather severe restrictions imposed on "shorelands." Detailed relevant ordinances regarding procedures and permits may be found at cranberryisles-me.gov under the heading "Town Documents."
The property is located between that of Eva (Bracy) Galyean and that of Ruth Westphal.
B. THE HOUSE.
The house consists of the main house--the original structure--and an addition. The entire building has about 1500 squarefeet.
THE MAIN HOUSE.
The main house was probably built around 1920. That is the estimate given to us by the late Wes Bracy, lifelong resident of the island, and owner of the property just to the north of the Cox property. (That property is now owned by Eva Galyean, daughter of Wes.) The house was built by a local craftsman, Lester Rice, who built several other similar houses on the island. (Don Weinreich, the architect, once speculated that all these houses may have been built from simple plans available from Sears or some other source.) The house was built for Sadie Bulger and her husband, Harvey (her second husband: her first was Wilfred Trussell.) We, the Cox family, are only the second owners of the property. We bought it from Mrs. Bulger in 1966, and occupied it for the first time in August of that year.
The house faces roughly west by north, with a prospect across the main road of the island, and then across a large meadow, to a splendid view of the Western Way. The Western Way is often the site of sailboat races. That leg of the ocean is clearly visible from the upper front bedroom, the living room, the dining room and the deck, which opens off the dining room.
The floor plan is simple: the entry hall gives onto the living room to the left, then to the staircase to the immediate left, and then straight ahead to the large kitchen. The dining room and the living room open out from the kitchen. A deck, with railings that can serve as seats, opens off the dining room. The second floor contains three bedrooms and a full bath (antique claw-footed tub, no shower). The two rear bedrooms have closets; the larger front bedroom has a walk-in closet with some drawers. The bath has a handsome old claw-footed tub: its exterior is painted luscious color of greenish blue. (NO shower in this bathroom.) There is a tall cabinet for storage of linens and towels. In 2010 this bathroom was completely redecorated. A new quick-flush toilet was installed. Also installed: A new sink with new faucets; and a new medicine cabinet.
The house has a hip roof. There is a staircase to the attic. The attic is unfinished but good for storage. The attic dormer window, facing the Western Way, has been fitted with an exhaust fan, to help cool the house.
The walls and ceilings of the main house were all constructed the old-fashioned way: plaster is applied on wooden lathe. (This is in contrast to modern "gypsum wall-board," aka "sheet-rock.") The window casings, the doors, and the wainscoting in the kitchen and the upstairs bathroom, are all made of red cypress, a beautiful wood which has aged wonderfully now, and is also quite durable. (Island inhabitants have suggested that the red cypress came up the coast from the South, on schooners.) The front door, which has a large, beautiful oval-shaped glass insert, is constructed of thick pieces of red cypress. The door recently was stripped and refinished by an island resident, Mark Alley. The wainscoting in the kitchen was stripped and refinished at the time of the addition of the new wing. (For a view of the kitchen wainscoting, see this photo titled BLUEBERRY PIE BAKED IN THE COX HOUSE.) The floors throughout are of hard maple.
There is a full basement under the main house. Entry is via a door to stairs in the kitchen; or via two doors at the rear of the basement wall. The basement walls are concrete enclosing field rock. The floor is concrete. Inserted in the concrete floor is a sump well with an automatic sump pump to expel accumulated water, which can seep in at times of heavy rainfall or of severe runoff from snow.
THE ADDITION.
The addition was added in 1988 to 1989. As part of that project, the working area of the old kitchen was completely gutted and then rebuilt, including all new electrical and plumbing systems, and all new appliances.
Don Weinreich was the architect for the project. He is a graduate of the Columbia University school of architecture. He is now a partner of Polshek Partnership Architects, a distinguished firm in New York City. Among the major projects executed by the firm is the large, strikingly handsome NEWSMUSEUM, which opened in 2008, on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, D.C.; and the ROSE CENTER AND PLANETARIUM (2000), at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Don and his family have a summer house down the gravel road on Great Cranberry that facetiously has been named "I-95."
The builder was Michael Westphal, a resident of Great Cranberry. Michael is a superb craftsman. He has built three or four houses on the island, and has done numerous smaller projects over more than 25 years.
The “team” of W and W was a superb one. Don Weinreich consulted regularly with us and with Michael all during the planning stage. He was, from the outset, very attentive to the problem of how to design an addition that would reflect and be consonant with the character of the original house. This is shown, in particular, in his careful articulation, at the outset, of how to conceive of the addition. In a letter of May 27, 1987, he wrote: "As you are probably aware, your house is a pure example of the 'square house' type. This type is actually quite unusual: I don't think I have run across it except on the island. There are several houses like it: Sanborn, etc.... I would also include Westphal's and my mother's house [located just across the road from the church] in this type because of the similar floor plans which allow circular movement round a central chimney. In the case of your house, the 'squareness' of the plan is quite elegantly expressed in the pyramidal hip roof."
In a much more detailed letter of January 20, 1988, Don wrote: "The addition is organized in two parts: one a low shed (very typical in local houses) containing the mundane functions of Pantry and Service Room, the other being a distinct bedroom proportioned to match the existing house (also having similar hip roof and windows)." Don has called the entire structure which contains the master suite a "pavilion." (Don's letters, and supporting materials, all of which are in our files for the house, provide an interesting insight into how the architect developed his plans in consulting with the clients. Don has kindly agreed that the files may be made available to a buyer.)
Don's care to integrate the parts of the whole extended to his measurement and use of the scale of the pavilion in relation to not just the original house, but also to the separate shed behind the house, a shed which was built by Les Rice at the same time as the main house. Viewed from the vantage point of the meadow in back of the complex of buildings, one notices that all three buildings--the original house, the new master-suite pavilion, and the shed--form a harmonious and pleasing triad, particularly with respect to the three hip roofs.
Michael Westphal’s workmanship and his thoughtful contributions to elements of the design—most particularly the style, texture and proportions of the various components of the new kitchen work area—were first rate throughout. Twenty years later, the whole addition has proved to be very livable and durable, as well as handsome. In short, the addition has proved to be a gem.
The floor plan of the addition is simple: a long single-story shed-like room--a service corridor one might call it-- connects the main house to the new master suite. This room contains pantry shelves, storage bins, an auxiliary sink, washer and dryer, hooks for clothing, and a “mudroom” area, with a door, on the left, to the back yard and the shed. The master suite contains a large bedroom, with a two-story tall pyramid-shaped ceiling; a large walk-in closet; and a bathroom with a shower. In 2010, a new quick-flush toilet was installed.
A pocket door of red cypress is placed in the wall at the junction between the work area of the kitchen and the service corridor. A door of solid fir is placed between the service room and the master bedroom, thus insuring complete privacy of the master suite.
One of the virtues of the resulting new structure as a whole is this: When the doors to the service corridor and to the master bedroom are open, and the windows in the bedroom, the kitchen, and the dining room, are all open, a modest wind-tunnel effect is achieved, cooling the entire area.
The addition is constructed with 2x6 studs instead of the more common 2x4 studs. This gives greater structural strength to the building, and it permitted the insertion of 6 inches of fiber-glass insulation. Insulation is also installed between the floor joists under the new wing.
All of the exterior of the addition is covered with clear cedar shingle, treated with oil-based bleaching stain.
The addition is heated by electric base-board heat, with zoned thermostats; and the bath has its own separate electric wall heater. There also are thermostat-controlled heaters in the base area of the island in the kitchen work area.
All of the door and window trim boards in the addition are made of yellow cypress, which gradually ages to gold and tan. The doors are solid fir. All the wood surfaces are finished with two coats of clear polyurethane.
The floor in the service room is painted plywood; the floors in the master bedroom and closet are of hard maple, to match the floors in the main house. The floor of the master bath is high-quality vinyl.
All the windows in the addition, and in the rebuilt kitchen, are Andersen thermopane windows with removable screens. The exterior of the windows is white vinyl, thus eliminating any need to putty or paint.
The three tall windows in the master bedroom have cellular shades with pull cords.
The new kitchen work area has a large skylight; custom-built solid-wood cabinets and drawers, the latter with sturdy slide track and nylon bearings; an island containing the built-in oven and a cooktop as well as storage drawers; a large hood with blower to exhaust fumes from cooking; a dishwasher; a sink disposal; and a medium-size Frigidaire. The disposal (Insinkerator) and refrigerator (Fridgidaire) were replaced a few years ago. The sink is stainless steel. Counter-tops are off-white formica.
INTERIOR DÉCOR.
All of the rooms on the first floor of the main building, the staircase to the second floor, the bath on the second floor, and all of the walls and ceilings in the additon are painted white; window frames and doors are wood-color. The three bedrooms on the second floor of the main house were repainted just over two years ago; they are pastel shades, one yellow, one blue, one green.
IMPROVEMENTS AND MAINTENANCE.
NEW ROOF ON MAIN HOUSE: Michael Westphal applied a new roof to the main house in 1991. The old shingles and underlying tar paper were removed; several square feet of underlying boarding having suffered moisure damage, these areas were replaced with new wood; and then entirely new layers of building paper and high-qualiy asphalt shingle were applied.
COMPLETE RESHINGLING OF MAIN HOUSE. The main house was originally covered with cedar clapboard on the lower half and cedar shingle on the upper half. In 1998, Michael Westphal removed all of the clapboard and shingle and all the underlying building paper; replaced a few sections of boarding which had deteriorated; then put on new Tyvek building paper and new clear cedar shingle. (Clear cedar shingle are first quality: few or no knots or other blemishes, straight grain.) Cedar shingle of this quality, when properly applied, as Michael has done, can be expected to last at least 70 years: the original shingle were put on in 1920, which means they lasted, without significant damage, for some 70 years. (Michael recently told me that one house on which he has worked had shingle dating from 1909.) A year after the new shingles were applied to the main house, once the shingles had weathered a bit, they were coated with an oil-base bleaching stain, to match the color and texture of the clear cedar shingle on the addition. The main house and the addition are now aesthetically integrated, as may be seen in the photos of the house on the cranberryisles.com website, referred to above.)
CHIMNEY: The chimney was rebuilt, from just under the roof-line to the top, some 15 years ago. Also, a stainless-steel liner was installed, to provide additional protection for the surrounding wood from the heat from the woodstove in the living room.
NEW ELECTRIC SERVICE: When the addition was built, completely new electric service was installed from the power line on the road. The new main service is now 200 amps; there is a main circuit breaker panel of 200 amps, and a sub-panel of 100 amps. There is also an auxiliary fuse box that serves the electric water heater in the basement.
HOT-WATER SYSTEM: When we bought the house, in 1966, hot water was available only either (1) by igniting the kerosene burners, which had been retrofitted in the black cook stove in the kitchen, or (2) by heating water on an electic hot plate! Not many large baths! No incentive to use many pots to cook or plates to eat from--all of which had to be washed in hot water which was in very short supply. By method (1), the water was heated in the large copper tank which sits beside the cookstove, heat coming from steel coils inserted in the black range. The heated water was then distributed from the copper tank to the kitchen sink and the bathroom. We later had an electric coil inserted in the copper tank. And then, at the time of the addition, we got really "modern": we had an electric hot water tank installed in the basement, and, at the urging of the plumbers, had it connected to the copper tank. That tank now serves, in effect, as a "warming tank" for the electric tank--a good feature even when there is no fire in the cookstove. This is very economically advantageous given that the well water is very cold, and electricity is expensive. The electric hot water heater in the basement is covered with an additional layer of insulation.
BLACK KITCHEN COOKSTOVE: (See the BLUEBERRY PIE photo, as mentioned above. We regret that the BLUEBERRY PIE was long ago consumed, hence is not offered with the stove.) The stove was made in Maine, decades ago. It originally was fired with wood, then coal, then by the kerosene burners. The latter are no longer approved because they are not safe. But the stove very likely could be reconverted to burn wood. If that is done, when the stove is burning wood the heat will warm the water in the copper tank, greatly reducing the cost of electricity to heat water. It also will heat the house, cook a stew, and dry clothing or towels that may be placed on a rack that is situated above the cookstove. We call the handsome, friendly old black creature, in its multiple capacities, a "tutti fati."
COMPLETELY NEW FRONT PORCH ROOf: In 2003, Michael Westphal removed the entire roof structure, then reconstructed it from scratch: all new wood, a heavy rubber covering on the flat surface, new vinyl decorative railing, new gutters, and new shingling of the area where the porch root abuts the front of the house. The structure now should be good for several decades: the old roof was the original one, dating back to 1920.
CARETAKER: For many years, Michael Westphal has been the caretaker of the house. This means that he opens and closes the house each season--which includes, for example, removing and then later replacing the plywood cover on the skylight; arranging to have the water drained by the plumbers; closing the dormer window where the exhaust fan is located. It also means detailed regular inspection of the house, all during the many months when the house is unoccupied, and additional inspections and actions taken when there are storms or other conditions which may cause damage. Michael is very diligent in monitoring the several houses for which he is the caretaker. He also is careful to consult the owner regarding any contemplated action, unless in an emergency. And of course it means doing all sorts of needed repairs or making changes--such as, a few years ago, replacing the front combination storm and screen door, and putting a new window in the wall of the entry hall; new gutter system from the roof of the master suite to the roof of the service corridor. A list of his work is available.
C. THE WELL.
It is our understanding that the house has always received water from what has proved to be one of the finest wells on the island. The wellhead is located just three houses to the south--right next to the house of Clara Wedge, who draws water from the well, and who sends out bills for its maintenance and operation. The well is about 185 feet deep, drawing water from what seems to be a pocket of fine gravel. We do not know when the well was drilled, but it must be at least 60 years ago, for it was very much operative long before we bought the Bulger house in 1966.
The location of the well on the crown of the island, distant from the ocean, hence from intrusion of salt water, is one of its great features. Another is the generous supply of water the well produces for all five of the houses on the system. This has been true even during summers when there has been meager rainfall—at such times, shallow wells on the island are likely to produce small volume, and even deeper ones may be affected.
The well operates by a pressure pump at the wellhead and by a secondary pressure tank in each of the five houses to which it supplies water. The water is very cool, clear and tasty. Some years ago, I had the water tested for contaminants of any kind: the water passed with the proverbial flying colors.
The cost of maintenace has been very reasonable: most years, the only bill for each of the owners has been a few dollars a month for the electricity used by the pump. On a few occasions, over the years since 1966, the joint owners have had to share in the cost of improvements and repairs to the system. We estimate that, in the 44 years we have owned our house, the total cost to us has been about $1,800--a rather paltry amount compared to the cost of driving and maintaining a completely new well. (The quality of wells driven on the island during the 46 years we have had our house has varied very considerably---often, the closer to the ocean shore a well is driven, the more likelihood of seepage of salt water or other contaminants.)
D. THE SHED.
The shed sits back of the house. It is a cedar-shingled hip-roofed structure, with three windows. It is about 16 feet square. It has electric power and a telepone jack. The shed has been used over the years both as a study and as a storage place for tools, bikes, deck furniture, and odds and ends of all sorts.
E. THE SEPTIC SYSTEM.
The septic system tank and drainage field lie some distance behind the house. The system was installed in 1973 by a plumbing firm from Southwest Harbor. It consists of a large steel tank coated in asphalt and a drainage bed. It has functioned without trouble all these years. Each summer, we dose it with substantial quantities of Rid-X, a special compound which operates to cleanse the tank and the drainage field.
F. REAL ESTATE TAXES AND HO INSURANCE.
| Year | Bldg Val | Land Val | Mil Rate | Taxes Pd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 104,700 | 88,900 | 5.3 | 1026.08 |
| 2000 | 104,700 | 88,900 | 5.3 | 1026.08 |
| 2001 | same | same | 7.3 | 1413.28 |
| 2002 | same | same | 7.78 | 1548.80 |
| 2003 | 153,600 | 188,000 | 6.2 | 2117.92 |
| 2004 | 153,600 | 188,000 | 6.6 | 2254.56 |
| 2005 | same | same | 6.9 | 2357.04 |
| 2006 | same | same | 6.9 | 2357.04 |
| 2007 | same | same | 6.9 | 2357.04 |
| 2008 | same | same | 6.9 | 2357.04 |
The most recent tax bill--for 2010--was about $2700. I do not think there has been a formal, general reassessment of all the properties on the islands for several years.
HO Insurance.
The current HO insurance is by State Farm. Premiums the past two years have been about $900 per annum.
G. FURNISHINGS/ EQUIPMENT.
The house is fully-furnished: furniture, beds, linens, dishes, pots and pan, bread machine, bookcases, storage cabinets, etc etc. We intend, upon sale of the property, to remove a number of personal/ family items—especially art works, some books, and so. But the bulk of the furnishings/equipment will be included in the sale: those who have owned a house on an island are all too aware of what a hassle it is to tote things onto the island, and even more of one, to tote them off—especially large objects of any kind. (All of the Cox family members live some 750 miles from the island, which poses an additional problem of packing and shipping over a long distance.)
Included as part of the furnishings that go with the house are: 5 single beds and one double bed; chests and storage cabinets; two cushioned large chairs in the master bedroom, making the room into both a sitting room and a sleeping room; lamps; 2 easy chairs in the living room; a couch in living room; occasional tables in living room; curtains throughout; automatic breadmaker; kitchen table and chairs; storage shelves in the dining room, made of cedar from an old boat; telephones; a couple of bicycles; deck chairs and table; some power tools and some hand tools; power mower; garden cart.
Some of the furnishings are particularly worth comment:
HEATING STOVE: In the living room there is a Cranberry-Red enamelled-steel heating stove. It is a Waterford Erin stove made in Ireland. It is especially constructed to burn wood very efficiently, with low emissions. It is large enough to heat the whole of the main house in really chilly damp weather. What is more, its bulk, in steel, firebrick and enamel, is such that, when the stove has been operating through the evening, the body of the stove is still quite warm in the morning. The stove was professionally installed by the Sunrise Building Center in Ellsworth, in 1991, when the total cost of the stove and installation was about $1600.
TELEVISION CABINET: Michael Westphal was asked, in 1993, to design and build a cabinet to house the TV and VCR. He built the cabinet of select yellow cypress, to match the frames to the doors and windows in the addition and in the new kitchen. His craftsmanship is wonderfully evident in the structure and finish of the piece: even the back of the cabinet is as fine in material and in finish as is the front, top and sides! The cabinet has pivoting doors so that the equipment inside may be hidden from view. It also has a shelf on brackets which permits the TV to be brought forward.
ANTIQUES (!?? or "just sort of old"??): Sadie Bulger sold us many of the furnishings which are in the house. Some of the more handsome and interesting pieces:
COMPUTER AND PRINTER. The computer is in the shed. It is a PC Dell desktop, with a Sony 15” Monitor, and HP printer. The system is a few years old, but still quite usable.
TV/STEREO.
GOLF CART
The electic golf cart is a few years old, but has performed well in recent summers. It is stored each winter in a boatshed operated by Norman Sanborn. The cart batteries are recharged by a cable from an outlet in the basement.
We hope that the foregoing description of the property is helpful. Please feel free to ask questions--whether to clarify certain points in the document, or to ask for additional information.
Phone inquiry: 716-835-7451 (Residence of Jonathan D. Cox, Buffalo, NY.)
Richard H. Cox; Jonathan D. Cox; Jeremy D. Cox; Richard M.R. Cox.
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