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New Hampshire natives and longtime residents of the Lakes Region, Steve and Carol Bush are a husband and wife Realtor team with over twenty-five years of combined successful real estate experience in the Lakes Region. Whether it is a luxury lakefront home, a condominium, commercial property or acreage, Steve and Carol will guide you through the process with unmatched, expert service, call today! ®

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By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper If you have visited any number of businesses in the Lakes Region, you have run into Marcy Yerkes. You might not have met her in person, but you have seen her beautiful murals that grace the walls of an athletic club, a dentist’s office, restaurants and other spots.

The murals sweep across walls, opening up a world where animals live in harmony, people enjoy the lakes, boats bob on the blue water and the best of life is revealed through Marcy’s artist’s eyes.

“Murals bring the outside in,” Marcy says in her slow Southern accent as she sips coffee at Country Cookin’ at the Lakeside restaurant in Gilford. Nearby, one of her large murals fills an entire restaurant wall with a summer lake scene.

It’s hard to know where to focus: on Marcy as she explains her murals or on the mural itself in all its beauty.

“I tell clients to think about the mural before I begin,” she goes on to say. “It’s a permanent part of the home and it will give a room more depth. If you entertain a lot, be prepared for the mural to be a conversation piece!”

If anyone knows about murals and the process of turning a blank space into a vibrant painted scene it is Marcy, whose business, Southern Accent Designs, offer murals and paintings for private homes and businesses. The extremely warm and approachable artist, originally from South Carolina and now residing in Laconia, has painted murals in both the Lakes Region and the southern United States.

“I grew up in Greenwood, South Carolina,” Marcy ex-

plains. “I went to an all woman’s college and then worked for a year as an au pair in Europe. After I got back to the United States, my mother told me I needed to get an advanced degree if I wanted to be an artist.”

Marcy went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; one of her professors sent her on to the prestigious Parson’s School of Design to hone her skills as an illustrator.

“After college, I worked in Hilton Head as a waitress, while also working doing illustrations for three magazines,” she recalls. After the whirlwind life of a single artist, Marcy married and had two children. Her husband got an engineering job that led them to relocate to NH, a definite lifestyle change from living in the Deep South.

They also came to New England with the idea of seeking great educations for their children. “I had to start all over again as an artist,” Marcy adds. “I went to Plymouth State University to become an art teacher. I taught in the schools for about 10 years and then got into murals.”

Marcy saw the value in murals as an almost spiritual thing for people. She had a client who asked her to paint a mural for his ill wife to “make her happy.” Very quickly, Marcy saw the murals could add color and joy to people’s lives.

She became very interested in painting murals to help sick people, as well as for those who simply wanted a mural in their home for the beauty it would bring.

Simply by word of mouth, Marcy’s mural business gained recognition and awareness. “One of my first big murals is at the Laconia Athletic and Swim Club in Laconia,” she remembers. “I also did a mural for the children’s room at the Laconia Public Library.”

Most of Marcy’s work is done in private homes and she 9 North Main Street Downtown Wolfeboro, NH 603-569-6159 • www.theartplace.biz

Published by The Panoramic Publishing Group, LLC, P.O. Box 119 Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896 | 603-569-5257 | thelaker.com Publishers of home, The Laker and Dining Out in the Lakes Region.

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Cover Photo Courtesy of Lamprey Real Estate Associates

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PUBLISHER & EDITOR Brad Lipe Assoc. Publisher Frances Lipe ADVERTISING Jim Cande Dick St. Onge PRODUCTION MANAGER Gina Lessard PRODUCTION Thomas Caldwell TJ Governanti CIRCULATION Kathy Larson

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has honed her mural painting skills over the years. “I’ve gotten faster and more realistic in my paintings,” she says. “I have now done over 135 murals in the area. My clients are supportive of the arts and they know what they want.”

Presently Marcy is working on a three-panel mural on stretch canvas for a private home. The huge size of the mural, done in three parts, would pose a challenge for anyone putting paint to brush. But for Marcy it’s nothing new to work on a large project such as this. The client will have a beautiful three-panel scene of the lake when the work is finished and it will be like looking out on a lake on a beautiful summer’s day no matter what time of year it might be.

As well as murals, Marcy is edging toward fine arts as a painter. Her smaller canvas paintings are available at American Cottage on Rt. 11 in Gilford. The business represents Marcy; her wonderful paintings are displayed throughout the shop. From landscapes to a charming painting of three cows (“I painted it after I dreamed I was in a field with cows!” she says with a laugh), those who want an original Marcy Yerkes painting can find her work at American Cottage.

Another goal of Marcy’s is to utilize her murals to help people suffering an illness. When a close family member was ill, Marcy began to see how her murals would add joy and peace to someone facing a health problem. In the future, she would love to paint murals in children’s wards of hospitals.

This goal was reinforced when Marcy was asked to paint murals at a local children’s dental office. “The dentist wanted the scene to be happy and peaceful, with animals living in families. It was a big project, but through it I saw how calming the murals could be to little children who were unsure of being at the dentist.”

It is hoped that Marcy will eventually work on murals in waiting rooms of cancer centers and hospitals, which will offer a soothing distraction to those facing medical issues.

When asked what her most challenging mural was, Marcy recalls,” It was a loose canvas mural and it was huge. It was for a children’s nursery with lots of animals. I did it with three small children around me as I worked in the home!

That was a challenge but it was fun!”

Because many murals wind up a stairway, Marcy has found herself painting “up high” on scaffolding in some homes. “Luckily I don’t have a fear of heights!” she says. “I am fully insured, which is just part of having a business such as mine. I have my own scaffolding too.”

Many of Marcy’s murals are of forest scenes and they definitely bring the outdoors into living spaces. Deep green for-

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est glens, huge and graceful birch trees, small animals peeking around trees and the mountains and lakes in the distance evoke the best of nature in the Lakes Region.

Windows, doorways and architectural elements in a home or office are not deterrents to Marcy painting a mural. Often, tree branches gracefully arch over a door or frame a window or skylight. Her skills as an illustrator come in very handy when Marcy is painting; it is not a problem for her to paint children, animals and boats into a scene with great skill.

Marcy has received recognition and attention from the four charity showcase houses she’s worked on, and her murals are now a permanent part of those houses.

For those who are pondering if a mural would be just the

thing for their home, Marcy says to be aware that it is permanent. Once painted, no homeowner would want to consider removing or painting over one of Marcy’s murals.

All considerations aside, a mural can be a wonderful, artistic, bright and happy addition to a home. To see the best of mural painting, stop by a number of Lakes Region businesses and offices to view Marcy’s work: Patrick’s Pub in Gilford; Laconia Athletic and Swim Club in Laconia; Lakes Region Community Services in Laconia; Children’s Dentistry of the Lakes Region; Sundays Salon in Laconia and the Laconia Public Library children’s room to name but a few.

Marcy’s work can be viewed online at www.southernaccentdesigns.com.

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Custom Pieces for the Home

By Thomas P. Caldwell

ear-round and seasonal residents of the Lakes Region have found that David Little of Winnipesaukee Forge is a good source of unique, hand-crafted items for the home and garden. A Meredith resident for more than 30 years, with a family that has been here for 100, the blacksmith is known not only throughout New Hampshire but well beyond the state for his uniquely crafted metalwork and collaborative furniture.

In fact, one of his pieces is on display at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. Many of those who have seen his booth at craft fairs or who came across his artistry at one of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen shops now have one or more of his creations in their homes. Some of those pieces are collaborations with artist Steven Hayden, with whom Little hooked up during a craft fair at Sunapee State Park. Hayden was a ceramics artist from California but his interests also run to woodworking and other media. Their collaboration has produced items ranging from tables and desks to bedroom furnishings and TV lift cabinets — pieces that hide the television in a traditional-looking cabinet when not in use.

Little describes his work as an evolving mix of furniture, home furnishings, architectural installations (railings,

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gates, and window grills), and items such as fireplace screens and floor lamps. He also describes it as a “reinterpretation of nature” in which he incorporates such natural elements as cattails, pine cones, tulips, and leaves into his designs.

Now that “evolving mix” has extended to the Arts Collaborative in which Heyden and Little, along with Little’s wife, Heidi Lea, and Moultonborough artist Cynthia Robinson, operate a gallery and hold classes for children and adults to spread the joy of arts and crafts.

Little and Heydon purchased a former industrial compound at 5 Winona Road, Meredith, last year and they converted the former office space into a gallery that would showcase their work in a home-like setting where patrons could see how the cabinets, lamps, shelves, and paintings would look in a realistic setting. The basement became the workshop and teaching studio where Heidi and Cynthia could lead sessions for art teachers, children, and adults, as well as offering demonstrations by visiting artists and holding creative gatherings where people could exchange ideas and talents.

Each Tuesday, from 7 to 9 p.m., there is an open studio in which anyone with an interest in art can come to learn, share a skill, discuss an idea for a project, and receive support or advice. It provides the perfect venue for those contemplating design changes for their homes or gardens.

“We can put together a class for someone with a specific project in mind,” Robinson said. “Or just come and get a variety of perspectives from the others who show up.”

The gallery showcases works by regional artists, as well, most of them from New Hampshire. In addition to the

wrought iron and wood pieces, the gallery features sculpture, pottery, prints, paintings, blown glass, and fiber art, making it a perfect place to shop for the home.

Additionally, they offer custom pieces to match a home’s architectural style or to fit into a specific space. David Little takes pride in being able to take accurate field measurements to create pieces that fit the physical space as well as the homeowner’s vision of what he or she wants.

He gives the example of a couple living in Cambridge, Mass., who owned a Greek revival-style home near Harvard Square. Little worked with them to design an 80-foot fence with hand-forged archway and gates, incorporating elements of the facade into the design. The project also involved creating a large, electrified lantern that had to fit between two granite posts.

“To survive in this economy, you have to be nimble and find a niche, and sometimes to create your niche, and then educate your clientele so they understand why they need your work,” he said philosophically.

Attending craft fairs is one way to make a name, he said, noting that, in addition to selling the pieces one brings to a fair, it provides exposure and establishes relationships that may become long-term. Many people seeing the exhibits will pick up a business card but not contact him for years, until they are ready to purchase a piece. And once someone has bought one piece, more orders are likely to follow.

In addition to works for the home, Little designs and creates donor recognition art for nonprofit organizations, including a donor tree with 400 leaves which he custom-built

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home • Spring 2013 • 9

for a hospice in Kingston, N.Y. The tree was eight feet tall and 12 feet wide, designed to fit a curved wall at the facility.

In addition to the gallery and studio space, there are other buildings where Little does his metalwork and Hayden does his woodworking and other crafts.

Heidi Lea Little is a multimedia artist currently working in acrylics, collage, and mixed media. With a bachelor’s degree in Art and Psychology, with a concentration in Ceramic Arts, she also studied Art Therapy and has taught at community centers, retreats, school programs, and at her ArtsEnlight Studio where she encourages playful experimentation, risk-taking, trusting intuition, and appreciating individuality.

Cynthia Robinson’s background is in arranging visiting artist visits to schools in New Hampshire and she operates Eco Art a la carte. Working with Heidi Little, they have held ® after-school and vacation art programs for youths, as well as adults and 30 professional art teachers, and they are looking to Diamond Vibe is a unique line brought to you by Diamond Cabinetry.

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Historic Home Living

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

Those who live in a modern home probably choose the structure for its sleek style. They appreciate the open spaces, lack of detailed woodwork and numerous, smaller rooms that might be aspects of an older home.

For those who choose to reside in an old home, they are aware of and ready to face the special challenges a historic structure might need. Repairing a roof, a foundation or opening up small rooms to make larger, open spaces are just a few of the things the owner of an old home may face.

When Wolfeboro residents Eric and Amy Piper purchased their historic house, barn and property on South Main Street, they planned to live in a newly-built home elsewhere in the town. The South Main Street property was a large old farmhouse with a barn, perfect for Eric’s new business, Image Awnings. (Old photos show that at one time huge chicken coop buildings stood on the property, although Eric says they were gone by the time he and Amy bought the farm.) A business such as Image Awnings requires a lot of room to spread out

in order to make awnings of all sizes. Luckily, there was plenty of workshop room at the old home/barn.

“We moved to Wolfeboro from Vermont,” Eric recalls. “It was 1992 and we had bought a spec house in another part of town. It was a new home. I was using the South Main Street property for my awning business.”

When the Pipers decided to move into and renovate the farmhouse, it was a drastic move and change in lifestyle.

“Amy had reservations about moving into an old house,” Eric laughs and Amy nods in agreement.

“We lived in an RV for a week,” she remembers. “We sent our kids to stay with family in Vermont while we used that

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week to make sure one room in the house was totally renovated with new carpet, clean walls and nothing hazardous to the kids.”

It was just the beginning of the many renovations the family did on the circa 1890s house; it took nine years to redo all the many rooms of the house.

“Each room was a vacation!” Eric says. “By that I mean instead of taking a vacation, like many people do, we put the money into redoing each room in the house.”

“Vacations are great,” Amy concurs. “But the renovations to your home are lasting. It’s been well worth any sacrifices.”

Indeed, the home on South Main Street is a well-known part of the Wolfeboro community. In summer, old-fashioned wicker furniture on the farmhouse porch facing the road adds a charming touch. In fall, Amy, an event planner and a whiz at decorating, has been known to add a scarecrow or other fall décor. Christmas brings its own beauty and at any time of the year, the pretty and subtle striped awnings over the windows add another bit of flair to the old home.

Well kept inside and out, the home is one of which to be proud. But it took a lot of hard work to get to that point.

When Eric and Amy moved in, the rooms were smaller and the floor plan did not flow as smoothly as it does today.

“We took the smaller rooms and made an open concept,” Eric explains. “We had help; we didn’t do it all alone. I am a believer in letting the experts do what they do best. I do what I know how to do but many times in this process, I was the helper in projects and we hired the experts.”

Eric has learned to be the demolition guy over the years as the couple tackled many projects. Old horsehair plaster

walls and ceilings needed to be removed and he did much of the work, including sheet rocking.

The heat in the home was steam and the Pipers replaced it with baseboard hot water heat for more efficiency. Replacing about 70 windows in the house with more efficient ones stopped further heat loss.

“We added lots of maintenance free changes and modern conveniences, such as up-to-date appliances and a good floor plan in the kitchen,” Amy explains. “We live busy lives and we don’t have time for lots of upkeep.”

While some might have maintained the oldfashioned floor plan and character, the Pipers are pragmatic about the renovations they have done. They have kept the farmhouse flavor but are aware they need to live comfortably in their home. If it meant moving a wall or opening up spaces or adding mod-

ern conveniences, so be it.

“We love the feeling of an old home,” Amy explains. “It has a different charm and character from a new home. In our previous new Wolfeboro home, we didn’t have much to do because it had all been done for us.

In this old house, we put lots of time and energy and love into fixing it the way we want.”

Amy’s taste is eclectic and she is not afraid of adding a dash of color here and there.

Entering the home is like stepping into a beautiful, open and vibrant environment.

The kitchen invites one to sit at Bob Ness Photo the roomy counter on a colorful bar stool and the “purple” colored kitchen counters add a touch of daring to the space! The floor plan is functional and opens into the living room where décor is all about the ocean.

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“I grew up near the ocean and the room is my way of staying connected with the sea,” Amy says of the room’s color and décor.

The recently completed family room has added more space for Amy, Eric and their three nearly grown children to relax. Anywhere and everywhere in the home seems to be a spot to live peacefully and to spread out.

With most of the home having been remodeled, what is next for the Pipers? “We need more closet space,” laughs Amy. “We plan to make our smallest bedroom a walk-in closet.”

The work the Pipers have done on their old home is certainly impressive, and they admit it’s never ending. In an old home, there is always something to be fixed. Do they ever wish for the convenience of living in a condo community?

Eric concedes it crosses his mind when he is mowing the huge lawns around the home each summer or when tackling maintenance projects. “Our next move will be one where I don’t have to maintain a big yard. Maybe a condo!”

Somehow, it is difficult to picture the Pipers living in a

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ready-made home. With their energy, their flair for decorating and their daring to tear down walls, raise ceilings and boldly paint rooms in bright colors, they will need a home where their creativity can continue to shine.

Eric explains a new idea has come to him and it’s one the couple may pursue.

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Coming Home to Ferry Point

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

S

ometimes it takes a lot of searching to find just what you are looking for. But when you find it, you definitely know it.

Such was the process for John and Cindy Becker when they set out to find and purchase the perfect bed and breakfast lodging establishment.

The inn was to be a dream-come-true and a permanent residence/business for John, a lawyer and Cindy, an art educator, and their three children. Living in Wisconsin, the family began a search for the perfect inn; the journey would take them across the country to California and the East Coast where they viewed a total of 27 inns for sale.

“We wanted a property on the water and we loved Cape Cod,” Cindy recalls. They realized, eventually, that an inn on Cape Cod was not in their budget, so they expanded their search to Maine and the West Coast.

“We almost bought an inn in Hawaii,” Cindy says with a laugh. Unfortunately the owner made other plans and once again, John and Cindy were on the look out for the perfect inn.

“I was surfing the internet late one night, looking at

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all the properties for sale,” Cindy says. “I saw the listing for this inn at 3 am!”

The Beckers called immediately and 10 days later they were in Sanbornton, NH to tour the inn located on Lower Bay Road.

“We saw the property in September and

by November 1 we were the owners,” John explains.

The inn had everything the Beckers wanted: 10 guest bedrooms to make running the property as a year round inn very viable; a family apartment on premises so they could get away from the business to unwind; and beautiful Lake Winnisquam right across the road with a beach and charming gazebo.

“We want guests to feel that this is what they would experience if they had a house on the lake,” Cindy explains.

History abounds at the Lake House at Ferry Point. The fireplace in the living room is highly unusual, and the Beckers have been told the huge stones are from Ruggles Mine, a former mica mine and now a NH tourist attraction. “We had a geologist stay at the inn and she fell in love with the fireplace!” says Cindy.

One of the highlights of the property’s history is its connection to the Pillsbury Flour family, who once owned the structure when it was a private home. Although they have yet to fully research the history of their property, the Beckers have been told the Pillsburys used it as a summer home.

“Researching the history of the inn is on our to-do list,” John says. “We believe the first part of the house was built before 1800. The current lobby and dining room was once the size of the entire home. It might have been used as a lake house or camp. The first addition was two bedrooms on a second floor. Screened-in porches were added at some point.

And we have been told the Pillsburys owned it at one time.”

If such a wealthy family as the Pillsbury Flour clan owned the property, it can be imagined they loved the summer retreat. With the lake directly across the street, and airy porches for relaxing on a hot summer’s day, the place would have

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been an ideal place.

“We have also heard there was a ferry here that took people to other points around Lake Winnisquam,” John adds.

Before the Beckers purchased the property, former owners ran the place as an inn for many years, featuring a Victorian décor. After purchasing the inn, the Beckers moved in and put their plans of running a year-round inn in motion.

Slowly, they are renovating and adding features in keeping with a “Golden Pond lake house style.” With a love of home improvement tasks (Cindy says they have redone every home they’ve lived in!), the Beckers are taking the inn room-by-room and refreshing and adding to the more amenities.

The names of inn rooms give a nod to the Lakes Region: Wentworth Lake, Opechee Lake, Lake Winnisquam, Webster Lake, Lake Sunapee, Sunset Lake, Sunrise Lake, Squam Lake, Loon Lake and Lake Solitude.

A new website has brought them international attention and guests from 19 foreign continued on page 18

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countries have stayed at the Lake House at Ferry Point. “We moved in during November of 2011 and we opened on Valentine’s Day of 2012.

We have been quite busy and people are thrilled that we are open year round,” Cindy adds.

The clientele of inn guests ranges from young to older; many younger people have found the inn via the internet. Guests love the special inn touches, such as the delicious breakfasts John serves and the fact that local products are used as much as possible.

“We get our maple syrup locally from Just Maple; our eggs are local and in season, so are the berries and vegetables that we serve,” John mentions.

Because guests come from all over the world to stay at Ferry Point, John and Cindy offer a special welcome. “When we have a guest from a foreign country, we put out a flag from that country. It’s a nice welcome and local people love it too. We always have the American flag outside and then we add a flag from the country of the current foreign guests.”

Because of the age of the inn, upkeep is a constant. With 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, housekeeping is a daily chore.

The work is something John and Cindy relish. “It is challenging but it’s what we wanted. We are always expanding,

updating and moving things around!

We like it; this is the fifth house we have remodeled,” Cindy says.

With over two acres, the inn offers scope for the Beckers to take their renovations outside as well as indoors.

John plans to work on a hiking trail in the future, which should please guests who love to explore the woods.

Directly across the street, the inn features a charming gazebo and beach on the waterfront. The property is perfect for a relaxing summer get away or a weekend retreat anytime of the year.

Admittedly, the search for a perfect inn to call home was a long one. From coast to coast, the Beckers expanded their search. Although Cindy had never been to NH previously, she loves the life the family has made in Sanbornton.

Sometimes it takes patience and searching to get it just right. It’s clear the Beckers found their dream home and lifestyle and the search brought them home to the Lakehouse at Ferry Point.

(For information on the Lake House, visit www.newhampshire-inn.com. The inn has a three diamond Triple A rating.)

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Living Over the Shop

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

There was a time when Mom and Pop stores were located on every street corner. Today these shops would be called convenience stores, offering milk, bread, newspapers, candy and basic grocery supplies. Mom and Pop stores were owned by husband and wife teams, and chances were good the shopkeepers lived above or in back of the shop in an apartment.

It was a convenient way to keep their eyes on the store and it allowed them to be just steps away from work at a time when automobiles for commuting were scarce.

In today’s world, the practice of living above the shop has become almost unheard of. People want to get away from their work and business, and choose to live in homes a distance from their careers.

One couple that embraces the old-fashioned practice of living above the store is Mary Ellen and David Dutton, the owners of Kellerhaus in Weirs Beach. Many visitors are not aware that the owners live on the second floor of the big (former home) building that houses Kellerhaus. One would assume the second story rooms are for storage, but for a number of years it’s been home to the Duttons and they have experienced first-hand the

good and the bad that come with living above the shop.

Mary Ellen smiles as she says, “When we bought Kellerhaus in 2004, we did not live above the shop. At that time we commuted from our home in Londonderry. When we got busy in the summer of 2004, we rented a cottage and stayed in the area to be closer to Kellerhaus.”

Living and working in the Lakes Region was quite a change for the Duttons, who had resided on six acres in Londonderry and were used to the massive amount of traffic just to get to and from work each day. Their home was large with lots of room for Mary Ellen to indulge in her passion for gardening.

Although they were in a highly populated area and faced the stress of the daily commute, they had a lot of privacy on those six acres.

Why trade a known life for something as different as owning, operating and living at Kellerhaus? “David always wanted to own his own business. He was continually shopping for a business and when he saw that Kellerhaus was for sale, we came up to see it. David had lived in Alton for a short time in the past and loved the area,” Mary Ellen says.

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When they toured the property, the Duttons were aware the previous owners lived on the second floor of the building. The apartment was spacious and the Duttons decided they could live above the shop as needed.

It was the business and the building they fell in love with. Built some years ago and once a private residence sitting on the hill with great views of the lake and mountains, Kellerhaus looks like it would be at home in the Swiss Alps. Lots of fine wood paneling, nooks and crannies and beautiful period lighting and stained glass adorn Kellerhaus, making it a very attractive and charming place to live and work, rather like a fairytale place in a storybook.

“In 2008 we sold our Londonderry home and moved into the upstairs apartment, and Weirs Beach became our new, permanent home,” Mary Ellen recalls. “We were empty nesters, so the apartment was perfect for us.

It’s surprisingly spacious, with seven rooms and 1 1/2 baths. It’s really a wonderful sanctuary.”

There are, she stresses, the good and the bad of living over the shop. As can be imagined, unplugging from work is difficult. “We can’t always relax and get away from work. For example, sometimes Dave makes ice cream on his days off,” Mary Ellen explains. (The business makes a huge assortment of candies and ice cream, as well as offering a full-scale gift shop.)

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If the couple is upstairs, they can tell when the staff is getting busy downstairs.

They say they can feel it and hear it. “We certainly don’t get into pajamas and have a glass of wine at the end of the workday,” she adds. “Especially in the busy summer months, we are often needed downstairs.

“And I can’t cook. The smells from cooking would waft down and linger with the smells of the candy, which would be undesirable. When I know we are going to be closed for a day or two, I make things like turkey or spaghetti sauce, but when we are open, we use our outside grill quite often.”

The Duttons have found clever ways to incorporate the aspects of private living into their home/work environment. Most of us know when we go home, we can cook or garden without worry. When Mary Ellen plants flowers outside the shop in the spring, she also plants some tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini in the big plant pots.

This fulfills her need to garden and have fresh produce. She also grows flowers and vegetables on their roof deck.

Holidays are extremely busy times for Kellerhaus. “By Christmas day we are utterly wrung out from working in the shop,” David says. “We manufacture, meaning we make many things at Kellerhaus that we sell and ship out. That makes for a busy holiday. Our two grown children have come to accept

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A Great Place for a Lakefront Home Thousands of vacationers flock to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire every year to enjoy the rich landscape. They come year after year to capture their moments of vacation heaven. Why not consider investing in a piece of that glorious lakefront land? Many of the business people and residents in the Lakes Region originally were vacationers who loved New Hampshire’s lakes so much, they made it their priority to live there.

There has never been a better time to invest, and they just aren’t making any more lakefront. New Hampshire’s ranking among the 50 states and New England reinforces its appeal as a very attractive place to live, work, and play. New Hampshire is ranked first in New England and third nationwide as the Most Livable State by CQ Press. The U.S. Census Bureau named New Hampshire the fourth safest state.

With 273 lakes and ponds, including the famous Lake 3/13/13 Winnipesaukee, there isWW.TheLaker_ad_Layout a lakefront property1 that will4:38 suitPM just about anyone, from those whose idea of a second home heaven is quiet, rustic cabin with a wood-burning stove and a generator for power to those for whom a grand mansion on Governors Island on Lake Winnipesaukee is their ideal lakeside living. And there are plenty of condominium properties for those who prefer to leave the homeowner maintenance demands to someone else.

Many homeowners take advantage of the region to offer their homes as rentals during the seasons their home is not

Living Over the Shop

that Christmas day isn’t a big day for presents. We have a new tradition of taking them shopping the day after Christmas when we are rested up.”

The Duttons have learned that they must get away from the shop now and then and that vacations are necessary to recharge themselves. “We get away a few nights in May before the busy summer season and then again in the fall. And we took a vacation to Mexico not long ago and that really helped us relax. It also made us realize how important time away from work – and for us – home can be,” Mary Ellen comments.

One delicious side of living above a candy and ice cream shop is the after-hours access to that entire delightful cornucopia of sweets! Laughing, Mary Ellen says, “Yes, we have a scoop of ice cream every night and often some candy! When our two adult children are home, they know they can have their choice of candy and ice cream from the shop. After all, if you have a business like this and don’t enjoy it, what’s the sense?”

Mary Ellen adds that she finds their life above the shop refreshing. “It feels really good to have lowered our carbon footprint. We still have a neighborhood to enjoy and the staff is like family. We plan to stay here; it’s perfect.”

In the future, the Duttons plan to add a private entrance (at present, they must enter the building and gain access to their apartment by the same entrance as Kellerhaus).

Mary Ellen says, “Our apartment above the shop is a nice escape, a little nest. For us, it’s home.”

in use. This is a great way to make the investment sweeter.

According to Lamprey Real Estate, most lakeside homeowners intend to make the home a family retreat that will stay in the family for generations.

“There’s just something about Lakes Region living that connects people, gets in their blood, and becomes their way of life,” said Mary Lamprey Bare, owner of the real estate firm that has been selling lakeside homes since 1945. Even the Lamprey Real Estate office overlooks the lake in Center Harbor. Potential homebuyers get a real glimpse of the history that can be found in the region as they discuss potential properties sitting in the Lamprey office, which once was a horse barn and is filled with New Hampshire Lakes Region memorabilia.

For those who have not determined exactly what type of Lakes Page 4 Region property they are interested in, an option is to seek out a vacation home rental property and try the region out for a season. Lakes Region Vacation Rentals, Preferred Vacation Rentals, Maxfield Real Estate and Bayside Rentals offer a wide variety of long- and short-term rentals for those who really want to experience living in the region before they make the commitment to buy. The companies also offer summer home rentals for a week or even longer for families.

This has become a popular option with the recent trends of extended families traveling together.

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home • Spring 2013 • 21

Living A Dream Software Engineer Builds His Own Castle

By Thomas P. Caldwell

Let your dreams, not your limitations, dictate your life’s journey.

That is the essence of Lance Keene’s approach to living and to creating a dream home.

Fifteen years ago, when Keene moved back to New Hampshire where his father had operated Yankee Tankers Diving Club, a SCUBA diving business at Weirs Beach, for many years, he hit upon what would become his “lifelong art project” — the building of his own castle.

Keene said his interest in castles began while he was serving as a soldier in Germany. During his free time, he traveled as much as possible to take in the sights, including the castles of that country. He later spent time in Pennsylvania where he admired the old, stone farmhouses. Back in New Hampshire, after purchasing a 20-acre home site on a mountain just inside the White Mountain National Forest, he happened to pass by the Bethlehem Country Club building, also built of stone, and his vision of a dream house turned into a vision of a castle.

While his livelihood is working as a software engineer, Keene has dabbled in art all of his life and he was drawn toward stonemasonry as an art form. He also had developed a

22 • home • Spring 2013

love of science as a child while spending time in his father’s workshop which he said was equipped with everything one would need to experiment with new inventions. As a result, once he came up with the idea of building a castle as a home, he also wanted to build one that would incorporate green technology and new building techniques for superb energy efficiency.

He envisioned building a castle that would be timberframed, then covered with custom-made, structural insulated panels. Those panels, comprising an insulating foam core sandwiched between two structural facings, would retain the warmth, in contrast with traditional castles which are known for being very drafty.

In order to live off the grid, he planned to have a wind turbine, combined with solar panels, to generate his electricity; while heat would be provided by a wood boiler with a backup propane furnace.

As his planning progressed, he discovered that building a traditional, timber-framed structure would cost more than $800,000 — far more than he could afford. Undaunted, in talking with builders, he learned of a new technique pioneered by an Arizona firm that involves the use of custom-

engineered expanded polystyrene panels which, once assembled, would be coated with a special, high-grade concrete with embedded fiberglas that is sprayed on, making the panels extremely strong and durable. Not only would that structure handle the curves and ridges of the castle towers; the materials cost drops to around $90,000, much more within Keene’s budget.

The panels will be engineered based on an analysis of the architectural drawings. Keene said there will be eight-inchthick panels for the walls and 12-inch panels for the floors and ceilings, giving the home an R40 rating for the walls and R60 for the ceilings. He noted that the structure will have to bear the potential weight of four feet of wet snow on the roof.

As he began working on the project, he also realized that the use of solar panels may not be feasible, since the property faces east, rather than south. He will be looking at other ways to site the panels, as well as consulting wind tower experts to make sure his proposed location for a wind turbine is workable.

But Keene has grown used to making modifications in his plans. Admitting that he is not a professional architect or builder, he found the whole process to be a bit of trial and error; but the dream has not faltered.

While he purchased the property, not far from Waterville Valley, in 1998, it was in 2000 that he began building the first terrace on the rock face to take advantage of the 180-degree views. “It took my breath away,” Keene said of his first time out on the ledge.

As he began building the terrace from rocks he found on the property, he would assess his work at the end of each day and often would come up with a different approach for the next day. He began to see better ways to lay out the property while also improving on his skills as a stoneworker and mason.

The work went slowly at first because he had no access road and had to carry the materials to the site as well as transport the rocks from other areas to the ledge. It was not until 2004 that the first terrace was complete. He continued to move all material by hand until 2008 when he purchased

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The Terraces take advantage of the panoramic views from the ledge. Dickey and Welch mountains are in the center while off to the right is the Sandwich Mountain Range. Inset-A Computer rendering of the castle and the topography on which it sits.

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a backhoe to speed up the work and also bought an ATV with a trailer.

The grand terrace would take until 2011 to finish. Meanwhile, he was building his own access road because he could not find a contractor willing to take on the project. By last year, he realized that the road was too steep and he began working on a series of switchbacks to make access a little easier. That work will continue this year, pushing back his completion date by one more year.

Yet the end is in sight. In 2010, he used a laser transit and shot elevations all over the cliff face. Then, using inexpensive computer software, he made an architectural design of the castle that would take those contours into account while also allowing him to experiment with room design. He was able to adjust what was on each level for a better flow between rooms and come up with what he deemed an optimal design for his dream castle.

Now the drawings will go to the Arizona firm for an en-

gineering analysis that will determine what structural changes may be necessary; then the forms will be cast and sent back for assembly. Barring any unforeseen complication, Keene plans to move into the castle with his wife and two daughters by the winter of 2014.

Keene admits that not everyone shares his enthusiasm for the project.

While only road contractors seem to think of him as a fool, many others do not understand the project until he describes it as his art project. Others do “get it” and he hopes to be able to use the project to raise awareness of alternative building techniques.

“I want to change the way people think, and to realize that this is not only possible, but it’s cost-effective,” Keene said. “I want people to understand that it’s really cool. In fact, I pass everything through the coolness filter.”

Not losing sight of one’s dream and making it happen regardless of the obstacles may be as cool as it gets.

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motivated by the thought of the rewards when harvest time hen seed and plant catalogues start arriving in the mail in early January, I eagerly flip comes around, with fresh vegetables readily available for imthrough the pages, looking for inspiration and mediate gratification or for preserving for future enjoyment. ideas for our summer vegetable garden. Not And an added bonus is that you can control and limit any outside chemicals used in your garden, so that you know that it really matters – we tend to stick to the tried and what exactly has gone into the food you are true vegetables, such as cucumbers, zucchini, eating. tomatoes, beans, peppers, and broccoli, If the gardening bug has hit you but the catalogue pictures are fun to this year and you are ready to put look at. Of course, these pictures in your own vegetable garden, always show vibrant, thriving one of the key things to conplants in lush gardens, which sider, as is commonly said is a goal we all strive for, in real estate, is “location, but sometimes have troulocation, location!” A sucble achieving, but hope cessful garden needs adsprings eternal! equate space, lots of sunExperienced gardeners light, and good, rich soil. know that, unfortunateA wonderfully inly, gardening is a little formative (and free!) more involved than just resource for beginning digging a hole in gardeners (as well as the ground, popmore experienced ping a seed or gardeners) is the two inside, and UNH Cooperative watching the plant Etension. The Cooperagrow. Vegetable gardentive Extension has an office in eving is actually a lot of hard work ery county plus the Family Home and with many variables at play which can Article and Photos by Garden Center in Manchester, and staff affect the success of your efforts, including Christine H. Randall members are available by phone and email to weather, pests, and diseases, but most of us are

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answer questions about agriculture, consumer issues, home and garden, wildlife, forestry, and nutrition. They can be reached toll free at 1-877-398-4769.

Help and information is also available online at www. extension.unh.edu/. The website has a long list of publications which you can view and print out free of charge.

Topics about vegetable gardens include general gardening, guidelines for transplanting starter plants to the garden, pest control, plant diseases, nuisance wildlife, mulching, pesticides, and fertilizers, just to name a few. The Cooperative Extension also offers services such as soil testing for a small fee, so that you can determine just what your garden needs to improve its composition before you start.

Two publications that I consider to be useful to beginning gardeners include a very general one-page guideline to vegetable gardening optimistically entitled, 10 Steps to Success with Your Vegetable Garden, and it highlights ten things to consider when planning and taking care of your garden, including site selection, selecting plants for our New Hampshire climate, spacing requirements, disease prevention, and watering.

The other publication which is particularly helpful is entitled, Choosing a Home Garden Site. This publication stresses the need for a site that receives sun all day, is protected from the wind, has well-drained, fertile top soil, and is free of weeds and rocks. The publication reads, “Fertile soil is essential for a productive garden. Vegetable crops do not absorb nutrients well in either heavy clay soils or light, sandy soils. Poor soils can be improved greatly with…ample addi-

tions of compost and well-rotted animal manure.”

The key here is “well-rotted.” If you add fresh manure to your garden, the plants can be “burned,” so manure that has been allowed to age is preferable. We found this out the hard way in our own garden when we added fresh cow manure from a local farm to our soil one year before planting, only to have trouble with our plants failing to thrive during the growing season.

Another mistake that we made a few years back was that we continually added wood ash from our woodstove during the winter to the garden spot, thinking it would enrich the soil come spring. Wood ash may be good in limited amounts – but like anything else, wood ash can seriously alter the organic composition and pH balance of your garden, so a little goes a long way.

We also learned an important lesson about the difference between screened loam and unscreened loam. If your soil is not high quality to start with and you ask a helpful friend deliver a truck load of top soil and loam – make sure that it is screened! When we first put in our garden 15 years ago, the only sunny spot was rocky and full of ledge, so we had some loam trucked in – rich loam freshly removed from a construction site near a local river. It was unscreened, so I dutifully spent a few days picking out rocks and sticks – only to come down with one of the nastiest cases of poison ivy that I’ve ever had! We had our “friend” truck the loam right back out and replace it with screened loam, and to this day, we occasionally remind him of how thankful we were for his generosity….

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Another tactic that you can use if you have really rocky soil all over your yard is to create raised beds. Raised beds consist of some sort of barrier, which can hold in about 6 inches of added top soil. Most people build these rectangular barriers out of wood, especially if they are just putting in small herb gardens, but we have a neighbor who is quite creative in making raised beds – he recycles old rubber truck tires and round pieces from plastic barrels, which he places in various sunny spots in his yard. Surprisingly enough, his efforts are quite successful.

Before planting anything in your garden, you probably should consider having your soil analyzed to determine what, if any, types of fertilizer that you need to add to optimize growing conditions. A lot of people (us included) just blindly pick up bags of fertilizer at the garden stores that contain standard amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium without knowing if the garden already has enough of these nutrients.

The UNH Cooperative Extension offers soil testing for $17, and

the analysis will detail amounts of lead, calcium, magnesium potassium, phosphorus, and organic matter in your soil, as well as measure the pH (acidity) level. Obviously, you don’t want lead in your soil, but the other elements need to be in balance too.

After a few years of harvests that were getting more and more mediocre from our garden, we had the soil tested last fall, and found out that we have very high levels of phosphorus – about 12 times as much as recommended. This imbalance probably came about due to the fresh manure and other composted organic matter that my husband faithfully rototilled in year after year “to improve the fertility of our garden.”

In addition to the analysis, the Coop also offers recommendations to correct any imbalances (in our case, they basically suggested that we avoid composts or manures for awhile). Soil tests are recommended every couple of years.

A couple of other things to consider when planning a garden include its size and whether or not to fence it in. The size obviously depends a great deal on

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how much space is available, what you want to grow, and how many people you want to feed. If there are only a couple of people to consider, a huge garden is probably not necessary, unless you plan to do a lot of canning and freezing later in the summer.

I’ve always heard that the general rule of thumb is that two or three tomato plants will produce an ample amount of tomatoes for personal consumption during the summer, but my husband and I have a hard time throwing away plants, so we routinely end up putting in two or three dozen tomato plants (as well as planting five or six hills of squash and cucumbers, which we fail to thin out). As a result, much of my late summer and early fall time is spent making pickles, relishes, zucchini bread, and tomato sauce, much to the delight of family, friends, and neighbors.

Once you decide what it is you want to plant, you have to allow enough room for the plants as they grow – and grow, and grow. This is particularly true of squash and cucumber plants, which start off small and neat in their little hills and then insidiously start to take over the rest of the garden, making it hard to move around without accidently stepping on a vine. Like-

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wise, tomato plants like to take over and expand outside of their neat little tomato hoops, making it a challenge to reach and harvest these nice ripe tomatoes in the middle of the tight pack!

Whether or not to fence in your garden is another thing to think about when planning your garden. It’s probably impractical to fence in a really large garden, but it makes sense to fence in smaller gardens, particularly if you have active, curious pets or live near areas teaming with wildlife. Although a fence may not be able to keep out 100% of animals, such as hungry deer interested in nibbling your lettuce and cabbages, or burrowing animals who want a taste of your carrots and turnips, a fence at least makes it harder for these unwanted animal pests to help themselves and destroy all your hard work, so we always put one up. At the very least, the fence does keep the dogs out.

Although it may seem that having a home garden takes a lot of hard work and time, the rewards are great – you have the satisfaction of watching your seeds and seedlings turn into fresh, high quality produce that is conveniently located right on your own doorstep!

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