Brunswick home makes it easy to age in place
The Teffts' new three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house in Brunswick is nestled between a south-facing meadow perfect for solar gain and mature trees.
Efficiency Meets Accessibility
By June Donenfeld
Photography by Christine Macchi
Late at night, if Dennis Tefft opens a window in the home he shares in Brunswick with his wife, Paula, he can hear an avian symphony of up to 27 different species. He knows—he’s counted them.
When the windows are shut, blissful silence reigns, thanks to the heavy insulation and triple-paned windows that are just two of the home’s high-performance features. Their three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house incorporates many elements of universal design, an approach to creating environments accessible and usable by anyone, regardless of age, ability or circumstances.
The peace the couple now revel in is a welcome change from their previous Brunswick home, where they lived for 43 years. Early adopters of energy-efficient building techniques, they built the 1,200-square-foot dwelling in 1980 following principles of house design from the 1976 book From the Ground Up by green building pioneers Charlie Wing and John Cole and the 1964 Your Engineered House by Rex Roberts. Dennis describes it as “a simple, south-facing 1,200-squarefoot saltbox with a standing seam metal roof, lots of south-facing glass and a sunspace.” A sunspace is a south-facing, glazed addition designed to produce significant gains in energy efficiency. Though its high-performance building techniques may be commonplace today, in 1980 they were the exception. It features such details as a two-by-six-inch stud wall and a vapor barrier to the inside of the studs, with two-by-two-inch spacers inside the barrier, so that all the wiring and water lines lie to the inside of the studs and barrier and to the outside of the finish wall, which faces the interior of the house. The cavity between the two walls also had plenty of room to pack in heavy insulation. Thanks to this and the warmth from the sunlight streaming through the windows (aka passive solar gain), the couple were able to spend 40 winters there with “no annual heating bills ever exceeding $800 to $1,000,” Dennis recalls.
But what had been a quiet rural route eventually became a busy thoroughfare, and by 2015, the serenity they’d cherished had vanished. They also worried about aging in place in a home with a layout that might prove challenging over time. They decided it was time to go.
“We started looking for a place to build and planning our next, and likely last, home,” Dennis says. In 2017, they found an ideal lot in Brunswick: On one side, there was an open, south-facing meadow perfect for solar gain, and on the others there were mature trees. There was also a pond between their land and one neighbor and a large meadow dividing them from another. They bought the land and started planning their new home.
They originally had a two-story home in mind and looked at dozens of possibilities over three years. But just when they were about to settle on a design concept, they received unwelcome news. “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease,” Dennis says, “which drastically altered our vision of the future and any new home. I switched gears and started sketching out some onestory designs that could work for me as I aged with Parkinson’s.”
This is where Dennis’s 35 years as a kitchen and bath designer came in. “I quickly realized,” he says, “that I had all the experience and skill I needed to make initial drawings of what we wanted.” And as luck would also have it, he was familiar with universal design. He got started on a set of ¼-inch scale drawings, and a few months later, a plan was born.
The Teffts' new home incorporates many elements of universal design, including ample space for maneuvering between the central island and the counter tops in the kitchen.
During this time, the Teffts were also on the hunt for the right contractor, someone who would be responsive to their needs, knowledgeable about the newest developments in energy-efficient building, and have “a reputation for skill, honesty and quality work,” Dennis says. Happily, because of his professional contacts and experience, this took less time than he thought, and he soon selected Nathan Ellis, founder and head of N-E Construction in Brunswick. “Nate is young, smart and ambitious, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering,” Dennis says. He filled the bill for skill and integrity, specialized in wellbuilt, energy-efficient homes and completely understood the couple’s needs. Another plus: Dennis knew Ellis’s lead framer and finish carpenter and was confident they could provide the quality he sought.
But the house plans were still a work in progress. “I had presented Nate with some early plans, which he didn’t think were suitable for what we wanted to accomplish,” Dennis says, “so I continued to look at different ideas until circumstances, and Nate’s wisdom and knowledge, guided me to the single-story concept that ultimately evolved into a solid plan that met Nate’s full approval.” The couple then hired Jeff Smith, owner of Bluewater Design, to draw up the working blueprints. The project wheels were in motion, and the crew broke ground in June 2022.
Completed in 2023, the Teffts’ airy, light-filled home has achieved all the goals the owners set for it and is a happy marriage of universal design and high-performance building. It is also the result of a remarkably smooth construction process, thanks to the team who took part in it and the care that went into selecting each member. “I was extremely lucky,” Dennis acknowledges. “I had working knowledge of most of the components that go into the construction of a new home and a contractor I could fully trust, who was responsive to my every phone call and question, with subcontractors and crew who were some of the best in the area.”
The Teffts hope that others who want to embark on a similar project can learn from their experience. “Don’t rush,” Dennis advises. “Learn as much as you can about new home construction, energy-efficient practices and universal design. Read publications like this to learn about designers and builders of energy-efficient and accessible homes. If you don’t know any contractors, ask salespeople at local lumberyards who they would recommend. And get to know your contractor, because your relationship with them is critical to a successful process and outcome.”
The home features strategically placed grab bars throughout, including here in the guest bath.
Among the many universal design elements are wide interior travel spaces and doorways and no interior thresholds. There are also strategically placed grab bars and plenty of blocking in the walls for this purpose. The entry hallway is wide enough both for a bench and a 4-foot-wide passageway; the kitchen has ample space between the central island and the other countertops; and the primary bath has a curbless shower with multiple grab bars. The Teffts also wanted a larger home with functional spaces that would enhance their daily lives. “We had no interest in downsizing,” Dennis says. “We lived in the downsized home for 43 years.” But there’s not an unconsidered inch in the additional 600 square feet they now enjoy, all geared toward ease of living. The new spaces include a two-car garage with a workbench, a laundry utility room, an entry room with seating for reading or quiet time, and generous storage space throughout, including a walk-in closet off the primary bedroom.
With its solar array, heat pumps, a mechanical ventilation system, LED lighting and more, the home could also be a textbook study in highperformance building. Despite the larger space, the first year’s electrical bills were only half of what electrical and heating costs were in the previous home, even with air conditioning and overnight charging for a new plug-in hybrid vehicle.
After some trepidation about leaving their old home, how do the Teffts feel about their new quarters? They couldn’t be happier they made the move. “Now we just look forward to another day here,” Dennis says. “We love the location and everything about the home. And the best part of living here is the quiet both inside and outside. We are so fortunate to be here.”
High-Performance Features
Double 2” x 4” wall construction with 10” dense-pack insulation (R-38)
18” loose-fill cellulose in attic (R-68)
4” rigid foam insulation under floor slab and at all frost walls
Matthews Brothers Sanford Hills triple-glazed casement windows
20 roof-mounted solar panels
Zehnder ComfoAir 200 ERV System
Mitsubishi 36,000 BTU Hyper Heat 2–4 zone multi-split outdoor unit with four interior wall-mounted units
Kohler 20,000 kW whole-house backup generator (propane)
LED lights throughout, with solarcharged auto-on night lights
Dedicated outlet in garage for electric vehicle charger
GE induction range
ENERGY STAR appliances
Learn more about this Project
Watch our homeowner chat with Dennis Tefft to learn why universal design is so important, how he achieved his goals and advice for others considering a similar project.
Project Team
Design | Dennis Tefft, homeowner, and Bluewater Design
General Contractor | N-E Construction
Insulation | Northeast Insulation Services
Solar Array | Maine Solar Solutions
Ventilation | Jess Harriman Ventilation
Heat Pumps | EcoHeat Maine
Generator | Best Home Generators
Painting | Moore Painting Inc., Brunswick
Color Consultant | Spruce Color and Design
Pergola | Maine Porch and Pergola
Landscaping | Cutting Edge Landscapes
In the elegant but cozy dining room, the large casement window brings the outside in, with peaceful views of the meadow beyond.
This article appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
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