FALMOUTH FORESIDE – Set above the shores of Casco Bay, and providing elevated water views from decks and many windows, here is a stately Colonial Revival home that has both great period character, and contemporary amenities to please a 21st-century family. (The huge, L-shaped mudroom with dog-washing station is a particularly nice touch.)

The classic Foreside home was designed by John Calvin Stevens and built in 1925. Today, essentially all its fine details and original features – the elegant formal dining room’s paneling and twin china closets; the coffered-ceiling living room’s handsome fireplace (check for the wood-ferrying dumbwaiter); the graceful light fixtures, the abundant built-ins, the master-crafted woodwork – are perfectly preserved. More, the home has been substantially improved, and also expanded to its present 5,500 square feet on four levels of living. The 15 rooms include six bedrooms; there are 5.5 baths.

Foremost among the additions is an 800-square-foot room extending across the water-facing back of the house, from a generous family/sitting area with gas fireplace to a gorgeous gourmet kitchen with top-end stainless appliances (six-burner gas range); soapstone counters, and a marble-topped island with lots of seating. Access to the stone patio and back lawn is from here, and also from the lovely four-season sunroom.

Equally stunning is the master suite’s updated bathroom, which has an oversized custom glass shower enclosure, a deep soaking tub, and his-and-hers granite vanities. The suite also enjoys splendid water views, especially from its big balcony.

The second upstairs suite’s bath is also beautifully updated. The bedroom has a brick fireplace. Two more bedrooms on this level are served by a Jack-and-Jill bath with cast-iron tub. Up one floor, the two-bedroom former servants’ quarters (note the bell) have their own bath, and tons of charm in the form of built-ins.

Connecting to the two-vehicle, walkup-space-above garage (there’s also a newer, three-car garage) is a very special room, with a 40-foot indoor swimming pool beneath its paneled cathedral ceiling. The perfect changing room is provided by a full bath nearby in the basement, where there’s also an exercise room/office, a cool family room with plenty of bookshelves, and a very nice laundry.

Family life is also enhanced by a well-landscaped 1.36-acre lot whose front yard is a park unto itself, and includes a sweet little bunkhouse with a pair of French doors. Bordered by lilacs, the sweep of back lawn catches sea breezes and offers wonderful play space, not to mention a rustic swing hanging from the towering maple tree.

The home at 279 Foreside Road, Falmouth, is listed for sale at $2.3 million by David Banks of RE/MAX By The Bay. Please contact David at 207-773-2345 or at dbanks@davidbanksteam.com.