Maggie's Farm

In many towns you would be right about members of the local historic society getting into a snit about your renovations. But I'm pretty sure Lyme doesn't have a historic society. However they do have peer pressure and that can be almost as effective. There is just the usual requirement that building permits be obtained for major renovations and if you are working on a home that is non conforming in some way (either the structure or the lot it sits on) then you would need a variance or perhaps a special exception to proceed.
However if you are within a certain distance from the Ct. River you now need to obtain special permissions from either a state or federal agency for plan approvals. That is a relatively new wrinkle in the bureaucratic hurdles that have to be overcome in the area because Lyme was designated as one of the "last great places on earth" by the Nature Conservancy.
As you can see no one believes in hiding our light under a bushel basket around these parts!