Facing the open Atlantic, this cottage in Georgetown was up against some of Mother Nature’s harshest elements: sea, wind, salt, and sun. While the original 1960’s ranch had commanding views, it was lightly built and no match for such conditions. Using the existing foundation, we designed a new cottage with an expansion that met Maine shoreland zoning guidelines. Our clients were an empty-nester couple with many friends and family who return for extended stays and vacations, so creating enough entertainment spaces was key, as was providing ample gallery space for their collection of art and antiques. We designed an open floor plan that includes connected kitchen, dining, and living spaces; a two-story gallery space; second-floor bedrooms; an upper-level bunkroom; and a main-level guest suite. Our design includes cottage rooflines with one-story eaves; low-maintenance, weathering cedar shingle walls; high-performance windows and doors; a three-season screened porch with antique window panels; removable storm shutters; and covered porches.