Raised from the Ashes: A Look Back at our Acorn Deckhouse Remodel

The first of Supermoon’s properties, this Acorn Deckhouse was badly damaged by a 2010 fire caused by an unattended space heater. The blaze started in the basement and spread throughout the house, leaving the interior burnt, blackened and strongly smelling of smoke, (thankfully no one was home at the time). In addition to this catastrophic event, the house had suffered significant rot and insect damage on one side, and the pipes had burst. The structure was considered a total loss.

The home was full of smoke damaged furniture and ephemera. Some was salvageable—notice the set of chairs

Despite it’s dilapidated state, the home’s architecture was striking. Acorn Deckhouses are custom built, pre-fabricated homes known for their open floor plans, walls of windows and tall ceilings. The Washington Post has called them “an upscale, upsized 21st-century version of the old Sears kit home.”

The fire burned a hole through the kitchen floor and roof. Had it burned any longer, the house would’ve collapsed

Smoke penetrated the home’s walls, creating crawling black veins through the pink insulation, and covered the windows in a thick, yellow film. The pungent smell of burned wood, plastic and upholstery permeated the neighborhood for almost a year.

The remodeled master suite features floor to ceiling windows:

To rehabilitate the home, all of the damaged material needed to be disposed of, sandblasted or sealed. Working with family and friends, Bradley took the home down to its studs, leaving only the most basic structural elements. What could not be removed was sandblasted with baking soda and painted over with several coats of B-I-N’s, a shellac-based white primer. The layout of the kitchen, foyer and bathrooms were redesigned and a new roof was installed.

A restored studio/office space, located just off of the living room, overlooks the Harpswell Sound:

The remodeled house features many custom-made features, including lighting, cast concrete countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, and a roman-style bath tub.

Blackened by soot, the ceiling was sandblasted with baking soda and coated with B-I-N’s. The African Mahogany trim was carefully restored and reinstalled.

Major renovations were completed in 2013, and the daylight basement was remodeled into a guest suite in 2019.

The downstairs guest suite has a refurbished barn door with custom-welded hardware. A pellet stove keeps it cozy and runs on a local, renewable resource.

As a finishing touch, a roman style bathtub was added in the guest suite

Supermoon’s deckhouse, located in Harpswell, Maine, is currently rented year-round.