This $2M Sebec Lake house has a recording studio in the basement

By Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News Staff

DOVER-FOXCROFT — When Kelly and Peter Dennis bought their more than 8,100-square-foot house on Sebec Lake in Dover-Foxcroft in 2021, they didn’t plan on owning the largest estate on the lake. 

At the time, the family was looking for a seasonal lakefront getaway, but the five-bedroom, four bathroom property was overgrown and needed some exterior updates. The family sold two other properties they owned and consolidated their lives into the home on Salmon Road. 

The family is now selling the post-and-beam-style home, which sits on nearly 5 acres with 450 feet of private waterfront, for slightly less than $2 million. 

Aside from its sprawling size, the home’s more unique features, such as a theater and two-room soundproofed music studio, make the property “not something you find in this area often, if ever,” said Sarah Ryan of NextHome Experience, the listing agent for the property.   

“It feels like we’re on vacation all the time,” Peter Dennis said. “This is an opportunity for someone to live their dream life year-round.” 

The estate is among many on the lake that were updated or converted into comfortable year-round homes during and immediately following the pandemic, the couple said. That contributed to the median home price in the town rising from roughly $125,000 in early 2020 to more than $230,000 as of last month, according to Zillow. 

The home is positioned on a small peninsula on the south side of Sebec Lake, which gives it a secluded feeling while being a 10-minute drive from the center of town. 

“It’s a very unusual size for this lake,” Kelly Dennis said. “It offers a very private, exclusive feeling because you can’t see your neighbors.”  

The warm woodwork through the house makes the space feel warm and inviting despite its sprawling size and high ceilings that, in other cases, can make properties feel cold and sterile, Ryan said. 

“Although the house is large, it has a cozy feeling,” Peter Dennis said. “It doesn’t swallow you up like some large houses do.” 

The property also offers granite countertops in the updated kitchen, an attached garage with six bays, spacious patios and a double-sided fireplace made of stones from the land. 

The sellers also tinted the home’s many large windows and added heat pumps to keep the home cool in the summer, Ryan said. 

There’s also a newly-built outbuilding on the land that can store recreation equipment, such as boats, snowmobiles and more. 

The couple would love to see another family enjoy the home because it has an open concept living area where everyone can come together, but there are enough rooms that allow people to have their own space when needed. 

The home could also be used as an event space that offers on-site accommodation. The couple has hosted a few large parties at the house, including a class reunion with roughly 300 people and a wedding for a family member.  

Aside from direct, private access to the lake with on-site dock systems, the property is within walking distance of the entrance to Peaks-Kenny State Park, which offers areas to snowshoe, snowmobile and more. 

The couple are offering the home partially furnished and with one of the home’s docks included, Peter Dennis said. Some of the family’s other belongings, such as a boat and snowmobile, will also be offered for the new owners to buy, as the Dennis family is moving to Chicago. 

Though this isn’t a popular time of year to sell real estate, especially large lakefront properties, Ryan said the home is “a once-in-a lifetime opportunity” and has seen plenty of attention from qualified buyers already.