A portrait of the house itself.
Drawn from a photograph and burned into wood. Given at a closing, a housewarming, or a fiftieth anniversary — it's the one gift that ends up on a wall instead of in a cupboard.
Ships wired and ready to hang. No frame needed — the panel is the piece.
It started with one house
When my parents moved into their new house on Drakes Island, Maine, I burned a portrait of it into a board as a housewarming gift.
It went up on the wall in their entryway, and friends loved it.
What I didn't expect was how much I'd love making it. Wood burning is slow, quiet work, and I find it completely absorbing — one line, then the next, until the house is there.
I give every hand-burned piece my all, because I'm not making decor. I'm making something a family keeps.
— PJ
PJ, with a finished piece.
Who these are for
The same object does four different jobs, depending on who is handing it over.
Real estate agents
A closing gift with your name burned into the edge, hanging in the client's hallway long after the transaction is forgotten.
Interior designers
Commissioned wall art scaled to a specific room, in a material that sits well against plaster, tile and reclaimed wood.
Property managers
A portrait of the building for the lobby or leasing office, or a thank-you for a long-standing tenant.
Anyone giving a gift
A housewarming, a wedding, an anniversary, or the house someone grew up in and hasn't seen in thirty years.
Real houses, real addresses
Every one is drawn from a photograph of a specific building. No stock images, no templates.
Burned by hand, every one
Each portrait starts as an original drawing of your house, then goes into the wood one line at a time with a heated tip. There is no machine-made version.
Hand-burned
- Ten to fourteen hours with the tip against the board
- Tonal shading — roof shadow, depth in the plantings, weight that varies line to line
- No two identical, and the small variations are the point
- Signed on the back
- Six standard sizes, rectangular or square, or ask for a custom size
Why maple
A burn is not a line, it is a tone. The wood decides how many tones you get.
Maple's grain is tight and even, so the tip moves at one speed across the whole board. That is what holds window mullions, siding lines and roof shadow without going muddy.
- MapleThe standard for every piece. Pale, tight-grained, holds the finest detail at every size.
- BasswoodAvailable on request. Softer and a shade warmer, slightly less fine detail.
- Not oak or pineHard and soft grain in alternating bands makes the tip skip and stall. Architectural detail comes out blotchy, so these aren't offered.
- Not walnutToo dark to burn against. The tonal range collapses and the drawing disappears into the board.
From photograph to wall
Send the photo
Request an order form, then send it back with one straight-on exterior photo of the house and a 50% deposit.
Approve the drawing
A pencil layout comes back by email within three days. Say yes or tell me what to change, then pay the remaining 50% plus shipping.
It gets made
Burned by hand, then sanded, sealed and finished.
It ships ready to hang
Boxed and wired, with a card in your name if it's a gift.
Working to a closing date or a party? Standard sizes take three weeks from approval, or ten business days with a rush. Custom sizes get their own timeline, quoted with your order.
Sizes and prices
Priced per piece, on maple, with personalised lettering included at no charge.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| Rectangular | |
| 18 × 24A hallway, entry or smaller wall | $750 |
| 24 × 30Room to show the whole house and its setting | $1,000 |
| 30 × 40A statement piece for a main wall | $1,500 |
| Square | |
| 20 × 20A compact square for a narrow wall | $750 |
| 30 × 30Balanced for a centred house | $1,200 |
| 40 × 40The largest standard piece | $1,800 |
| Custom | |
| Custom sizeAsk when you request your order form | Quoted |
A rush build adds $60 on standard sizes. Shipping is quoted separately, by size and destination — see below. Payment is in two halves: 50% to start the drawing, and the remaining 50% once you approve it, before burning begins.
Shipping
Shipping depends on the size of the piece and where it's going, so it's quoted with your order rather than set in advance.
Quoted before you pay
Your shipping cost comes back with the drawing for approval. You see the balance, the remaining 50% plus shipping, before you pay it.
Packed to arrive flat
Every piece is wrapped, corner-protected and boxed flat, ready to hang the day it arrives. You get a tracking number when it ships.
Sent straight to them
Buying a gift? It can go directly to the recipient with a card in your name and no prices in the box.
The lettering is the part people touch
Every piece carries a line burned into the lower edge, in the same hand as the drawing. It is included, not an upcharge.
For a gift: the address, the family name, the year they moved in, or what the house is called. A named house gets its name.
For agents and designers: your name and firm, small and quiet, in the corner. It comes out of a marketing budget, so it should work like marketing — and a piece on a kitchen wall with your name on it outlasts any closing gift basket.
A named house gets its name. An address, a family name or a gift line all fit — around sixty characters.
Request an order form
Leave your name and contact details and I'll send you an order form. It covers the house, the size, the lettering and where it ships. Need a size that isn't listed? Custom sizes are available on request.
Request received
Thanks. I’ll email you an order form shortly.