+ What is COVE?

COVE is a brand of homes, design studios, and decor. COVE Homes include a collection of unique, architect-designed homes that range from 320 to over 3,000 square feet. Each COVE Home has several Design Styles (interior and exterior finishes along with optional furniture packages) created by our interior designers. Our COVE Design Studios, located in Portland and Boothbay, are where you can meet with an interior designer to engage their services—whether you’re looking for a single special piece, refreshing a room, or transforming your whole home. Featured in our COVE Studios is COVE Decor: a thoughtful selection of designer fabric, furniture, lighting, rugs, pillows, and accessories, as well as exclusive, made-in-Maine pieces, and hand-picked antiques and vintage finds.

+ What’s the timeframe to build a COVE Home?

Since a large portion of the design work for a COVE Home is already complete, the construction process can typically begin within a few months after our first meeting. We start with a site visit, and then we present a design proposal and schedule. This helps you determine your ideal COVE Home design. We provide management and support from permitting to project turnover. Depending on the specific COVE Home, location, time of year, site conditions, and level of personalization, you can anticipate 3-6 months to complete the design and engineering and 10-12 months to build. (ADUs have a quicker timeframe.) Contact us about which COVE Home you’re interested in, and we’d be happy to meet and do a site visit to give you an estimated timeframe.

+ What’s the difference between a COVE Home and a custom home by Knickerbocker Group?

A COVE Home is a home by Knickerbocker Group! All homes by COVE and Knickerbocker Group are by the same experienced architecture, interior design, and construction teams, and they use the proprietary construction methods we’ve developed over our 40+ years in business. COVE Home clients appreciate a COVE Home’s accelerated schedule and are excited that much of the design work is already completed.

+ How does the process work?

The typical steps involved for a COVE Home are:

1. Initial inquiry
2. Answer a Program Questionnaire to determine best home model for your lifestyle needs
3. Meet the architect for further evaluation of home siting on your land
4. Sign a Design Agreement to kick-off your COVE Home experience
5. Meet with the COVE design team to fine-tune your selections and plans
6. Review construction pricing with your project manager
7. Present and sign Construction Contract
8. Ground-breaking! The construction timeline varies depending on the model

+ How many COVE Homes have you built?

We’re pleased to have built several COVE homes and carriage houses since we launched in 2020 and currently have more in the design planning stage. We have also utilized our COVE style packages in existing homes, as well as homes built by other builders.

+ Are there any COVE Homes we can tour?

While we don’t have a model home, depending on our construction schedule, there is a possibility we can arrange a tour of a structure being built. We can also provide a virtual tour of a COVE Home nearing completion.

+ How many years have you been in business? What else should I know about you?

Knickerbocker Group has been crafting quality homes for more than 40 years. We’re also 100% employee owned, have repeatedly been named Maine’s Best Builder and Best Architect by Down East magazine, and are designated as a “Best Place to Work in Maine.” (Oh, and we love a good lobster bake) Check out some of our recent press.

+ Is a COVE Home more cost-effective than a custom home?

Yes! With a custom home, we begin the design from scratch, starting with your program and then developing concept sketches to reflect your ideas and needs. We create detailed floor plans and elevations, window and door schedules, finish and fixture schedules, and additional selections to complete the design of the home. With a COVE Home, a large portion of this process is already completed, so all that’s left is adapting it to your property and existing site features, developing the landscape plan, personalizing the home, securing permits, finalizing the construction plans, and overseeing construction. We estimate the design costs associated with a COVE Home are approximately 10–40% of the design costs associated with a comparable size and detailed custom home.

+ What’s included in the price of a COVE Home?

Upon selection of a COVE Home, our team will present a preliminary price estimate for the home using historical dollar per square foot data from recent, comparable projects. This price is for the home only; site costs will be unique to your property and while broad estimates can be provided early on, the actual site work costs will be determined later in the process.

Once the design work is completed to personalize your home and adapt it to your property, we will then finalize the construction documents and secure final pricing for construction. This pricing for your COVE Home will be all-inclusive for a completely finished home, ready to move-in. The home price will be from the foundation up, including all exterior and interior building-attached finishes and fixtures, such as hardware, lighting, flooring, tile, and plumbing. The price will also include all site and landscape elements, including the driveway, utilities, hardscaping, and landscaping. Furnishings are managed separately and are not included in the COVE Home price estimate. If you have personalized the finishes or added upgrades during the design phase, the cost of these changes will also be included.

+ Do I need to purchase a furniture package? Are furnishings included in a COVE Home?

You may source furnishings and decor completely on your own, or for an additional cost you can work with a COVE interior designer to review a preselected furniture package that coordinates with your COVE Home’s Design Style. In addition, our interior designers often work with clients on mixing existing furnishings with new or Maine artisan pieces. We can also help with furnishings, art, decor, and vintage and antique finds so that your home reflects your personal style.

+ Is design free for a COVE Home?

While a large portion of the design work for a COVE Home has already been completed, each COVE Home requires design expertise to individually adapt it to your property, design the site (grading, drainage, utilities, landscaping, and hardscaping), prepare the plans to secure the necessary permits, finalize the architectural and engineering construction documents package for pricing, and provide contract administration during the construction phase until turnover. Additional design costs may apply if you add options or make changes to personalize the home to meet your needs and lifestyle. We estimate that COVE Homes are approximately 10-40% of the design costs associated with a comparable size and detailed custom home.

+ Can I buy a COVE Home plan?

COVE Homes are a copyrighted Knickerbocker Group design-build, expertly planned from our more than 40 years of experience, which means our designs cannot be built by a homeowner or another builder.

+ What are the Design Style Packages? Can I mix and match from different ones?

COVE Homes are available finished in New England-inspired Design Styles such as Coast, Farmhouse, Woods, and Metropolitan. This includes thoughtfully selected designer flooring, cabinetry, hardware, plumbing fixtures, and lighting. You may mix and match elements from the Design Styles. Optional furniture packages are also available.

+ Can I customize a COVE Home? I love one of your designs, but I can’t live without a fireplace / screen porch / something else. Can we add one?

COVE Homes start from your desired base model, but no two are built exactly alike. Your selections provide you with a unique, individualized home. COVE Homes can be personalized within the footprint to fit your needs and lifestyle. Clients usually retain most of the preselected finishes and modify a few elements, such as decorative lighting or plumbing fixtures, to better align with their personal style. In addition, several COVE Homes have standard options such as adding a screen porch or a fireplace, available at an additional cost. Let’s chat if you have something more specific in mind!

+ I’d like to build green. Is that an option with COVE?

Absolutely! All COVE Homes and Knickerbocker Group Homes are built with our proprietary building system that exceeds the requirements of the state’s energy code and offers materials and practices selected to meet our high-quality standards of care, durability, and performance. We also offer upgraded building systems for those clients interested in sustainable and/or healthy homes. With design and construction staff licensed as LEED Accredited Professionals and certified in Passive House standards, we can adapt any design to meet your personal goals or lifestyle needs. Some COVE Homes are specifically designed to meet these standards (e.g., Lathe is designed for solar panel optimization and can be adapted to a Passive House standard.)

+ Where can I build a COVE Home?

COVE Homes are currently offered within Maine, in our geographic build areas in the southern, midcoast, and lakes and mountain regions of the state. Most of our construction work occurs within 2 hours of either our Portland or Boothbay offices. Contact us to review your property location to determine if it is feasible for our COVE Home team.

+ Do I need to have property before contacting you about a COVE Home?

We are happy to work with you whether you own land already or if you’re still searching. We have a licensed real estate agent on staff who can help you find suitable land, is familiar with local zoning regulations, and can assist with due diligence. If you’re currently working with a realtor, we can work together to assist you with due diligence once you are under contract. Each site has unique features and challenges, and we can help guide you in determining the best option for siting a COVE Home on the property. If you’ve recently purchased your land, send along your survey and we can schedule a site visit with the design team for further evaluation.

+ Our land is waterfront / on a slope / something else. Can we still build a COVE Home?

COVE Homes are designed “above the foundation” to provide optimum flexibility. Our architecture team will visit your property and orient your COVE Home to take advantage of solar exposures and views in addition to meeting any lot restrictions. We create custom site, landscape, and foundation designs to adapt your home to your specific site conditions.

+ Can I work with one of your COVE interior designers if I don't have a COVE Home or a home by Knickerbocker Group?

Yes! A COVE interior designer can help you with decor selections such as rugs, wallpaper, furniture, upholstery, window treatments, and more, from a single room to an entire home. Schedule an appointment to meet remotely or in-person with a designer at either of our resource studios in Boothbay or Portland.

+ I’m working with an outside architect or builder. Can I purchase one of your Design Style Packages for my home?

We are happy to review your home plans to see how our Design Style Packages can be incorporated to your design. If it seems like a good fit, we can provide a design fee estimate which includes a copyright fee for use of the style along with the design time required to modify the Design Style Package and/or make additional selections. Let’s chat more.

+ I want to visit your COVE Design Studio. How does it work? What can I expect when I get there?

You’re always welcome to stop by one our studios during our regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm), however we suggest making an appointment with an interior designer ahead of your visit so that we can offer you the best service and selections. As a design resource studio, we have a variety of exclusive furnishings and home decor selections arranged in room-like vignettes, which are just a small sampling of our offerings. You can also browse hundreds of samples of fabrics, rugs, wallpaper, cabinetry, and more. Our designers will work with you in the studio’s resource library to select and pair textures, colors, and material options for each unique space within your home.