BELFAST, Maine — Two artists, one steep hillside overlooking a scenic harbor, a lot of hard work and a generous touch of whimsy: mix those together and what emerges is the four-story home of Tony Kulik and Elaine Tucker, a 15-year project that blends art with stunning views of Belfast Bay.
“We built this house for each other,” said Tucker, a Belfast real estate agent who also has painted and sculpted.
“We both spend a lot of time looking out there,” Kulik said, gesturing to the waterfront panorama far below. “I like the evening, when the sunset just lights up the harbor. The reds are super red, the yellows are super yellow and Young’s Lobster Pound [across the bay] just glows.”
His artist’s eye is not limited to appreciating the sunset from the couple’s hilltop aerie. Kulik’s delicate wood engravings may be in your home, even if you don’t know it. He has made about 100 pieces for Burt’s Bees, including the famous bearded portrait of company co-founder Burt Shavitz used on the labels of many cosmetics products. Residuals from Burt’s Bees helped the couple pay for the 3,200-square-foot house, which they literally built from the ground up, needing to terrace the hill before they could lay the foundation for their home.
They began work in 1999. When they moved in the following year, it remained a work in progress.
“There was no kitchen, one tap with running water and lots of work to do,” Tucker said.
Kulik said they worked with a contractor until they ran out of money. Then did much of the rest themselves. They built sturdy stone walls with the rocks they found when digging up the garden and planted perennials and a catalpa tree seedling, which has flourished at its spot at the top of the hill. They laid the radiant heat flooring system “on their hands and knees,” Tucker said, then covered that with a thin layer of engineered wood.
Once the infrastructure was solid, the couple used a lighter touch to make the house a home. On a bathroom cabinet, Tucker painted the story of a frog that dreams of flight. A secret cabinet over the fireplace revolves to keep their television out of view until they want to watch it. Throughout the home the walls are adorned with works by local artists, and the light-filled fourth floor is where both of them have their studio space.
“The harbor view gets better the higher you go,” Tucker said.
What’s next for the couple and the house is not entirely certain, they said.
“We’re getting old, and there are four flights of stairs,” Kulik said, matter-of-factly.
But the house — full of art, rich with those views — is special.
“This is hard to leave, frankly,” Tucker said. “The view is hard to let go of.”