project overview
Desiring a gracious, spreading, welcoming retreat for family and friends, clients engaged AMDG to help envision a home on their expansive site elevated above and overlooking Lake Michigan. The site included a public thoroughfare traversing the waterfront edge, posing a unique challenge for the design team. The custom residential design of this premier lakefront home artfully considers how to account for public exposure and maximize private beachfront exposure, with the lake serving as the family’s “front yard.” The design includes an open-plan layout intentionally folded around a leeward courtyard, ensuring that almost every room provides a stunning view of the lake and providing outdoor shelter from the light and variable to more intense winds that often buffet the site. The gambrel roof design allows for spectacular views from each bedroom, while allowing those rooms to be embedded in the “attic”, thereby diminishing the height and scale of the home. A continuous wrap-around lakeside porch offers seamless indoor-outdoor living and views to the lake from north, west and south elevations.
AMDG designed a beach side stair and deck to traverse the steep lakeside bluff, interspersed with viewing platforms and ending with an expansive deck anchored to the boulders stabilizing the water’s edge at the shoreline. The top of the stair offers barrier free access to a perched viewing platform with views framed by a pergola.
Building on a dynamic shoreline presented significant challenges, particularly related to erosion. AMDG collaborated closely with Mike Schaap Builders Inc. and an environmental consultant (for EGLE regulatory statutes) to secure necessary approvals and implement erosion controls. By addressing the site’s unique environmental concerns, the team was able to create a design that not only capitalizes on access to the lake’s beauty but also protects the integrity of the site and structure.
This custom home perfectly fulfills the homeowners’ vision for a lakeside retreat by providing seamless flow between living areas, the screened porch, and outdoor spaces while maximizing the beautiful lakeshore.
