She Turned an Abandoned Pump Station in Maine Into a Loftlike Waterfront Home

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Project Details:

Location: Norridgewock, Maine

Designer: Mandy Lamb

Footprint: 1,400 square feet

Cabinetry Design: Steve Ryder

Electrician/Plumber: James Pollis

Concrete: TLC Concrete

Photographer: Mandy Lamb

From the Designer: "In the late 1890s, a dam and pump station were built to harness the energy of the small but powerful Sandy River, introducing electricity to a remote area of Maine. For over a century the hydro plant powered the community—initially as the sole source and eventually providing only a small fraction of what was needed. In 2006, the town voted to dynamite the dam rather than add a fish ladder in hope of reviving the river’s salmon. The dam came down and the pump house sat empty, left to age quietly by the water.

"More than a decade later, photographer Mandy Lamb found it, tucked away down a long snow-covered drive. Lamb had been working as a cook on commercial fishing boats in the Bering Sea for years, living on Vinalhaven Island between contracts in Alaska. She was searching for a home, ideally something very old, small, and waterfront. When Lamb first viewed the property it was January. The building was rough—the windows boarded up, the walls covered in peeling lead paint, a 14-ton generator still situated, and the original wood floors ruined. The snow was deep, blanketing the surrounding cornfield and obscuring the view of the river. It was dark, empty, unyielding, and deeply cold, but she knew, with an almost unreasonable certainty, that she wanted it.

"The restoration took several years, interrupted by Lamb’s time at sea, as the work was completed chiefly with the aid of a few skilled friends. She realized early on that nothing in the space needed to be perfect, that flaws felt right for the age and nature of the building. They started by removing lead paint, restoring original windows, rebuilding part of the subfloor, and curating the remaining industrial features. Lamb hired local electrician and plumber James Pollis, who rewired and plumbed the building, requiring a drill through 33 inches of granite foundation to allow passage for pipes and buried electrical lines. After that milestone Lamb laid radiant heating and had a new concrete floor poured. She hand-stained the surface with a spray of dye, reminiscent of splatter-paint techniques used in New England farmhouses throughout the 1800s. Once the floor was finished friends helped frame the bathroom, apply a fresh coat of uniform white paint to the walls and ceiling, and replace the entry doors with a massive pair salvaged from an old mill in southern Maine.

"Lamb wanted the house to feel open and airy, opting not to dissect the space with rooms or lofts. The bathroom was placed carefully to create an entrance hall along one side and a bedroom space on the other—creating privacy from most of the house. The bath features shiplap walls, and an antique clawfoot tub and cast-iron sink gathered from far corners of the state. The cabinetry was inspired by the Shaker town Lamb grew up in, with drawers built into the wall and doors that she crafted herself—creating a huge bank of storage. A bold yellow was chosen to bring in color.

"It was essential to Lamb that the kitchen remain cohesive with the rest of the house. She designed a large, functional worktable with drawers on the front and cabinets all along the back. It was constructed from timbers original to the building that had formerly supported the generator and was crafted by cabinet maker Steve Ryder. A local welder fabricated a custom steel structure—complete with curtain rods—that runs along the back wall to house the refrigerator and support marble countertops as well as the sink.

"The furnishings are sparse yet warm, a blend of minimalist antiques and a few modern pieces acquired over decades. A midcentury yellow sofa, gifted by Lamb’s upholsterer uncle who claimed it was ‘the ugliest he’d ever seen,’ adds another pop of yellow. The dining room cabinets originated from a 1920s Harley Davidson showroom, and the Windsor chairs came from Lamb’s family’s former furniture company, Cornucopia. A vintage woodstove from Maine Wood Heat Co was a prototype that never went into production. In addition to providing a good amount of the warmth for the house, Lamb uses it to hand-dip beeswax tapers for her business, ML Wax Co, founded in 2021. Near the stove is a sunken dog bed—favored spot of bulldog Goose—which doubles as an access hatch to the basement. The house is punctuated with a selection of vintage art as well as paintings, ceramics, and photography done by friends. The bedroom is minimal, allowing the view from the corner windows to be the focus, along with the bed Lamb designed and built from plywood, inspired by boat berths.

"High ceilings, large windows, and an abundance of white evoke an old New England meetinghouse. The only sounds are the river and birds, with beautiful light and the calm of the building’s age and solidity. In fall, the trees along the bank turn muted shades of orange and yellow. Winters are thick with snow, and the river’s surface eventually freezes—bringing a sharp silence. Throughout spring and summer, berries, weeds, and wildflowers flourish, aggressively reclaiming the land. Each season casts the home in a new light, giving it the quality of something both historic and quietly alive."