Connors Residence

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Build Well, Live Simply

Beach Residence Whitmore Lake, MI

Introduction

This small house on the north shore of Whitmore Lake is one of my favorites. Designed for 2 people, it is a modest sized house that stresses quality over quantity.

Preliminary Design #1

The site was a very tight one. The concept was to tear down an existing cottage that was in poor condition and could not be easily renovated, and build anew. We had a very tight footprint to work with and were in a township that never granted variances. The proposed design was a 2 story craftsman style cottage that placed the main living spaces towards the lake. Due to the small size, every square inch was put to use.

Preliminary Design #2

The owner was pleased with very happy with the first design, but when the new survey came back, we had a surprise. The old survey was very much in error and the property lines were not where we thought they were. This meant the design had to be revised and the shape of the house had be carefully tailored to fit within the allowable footprint.

Construction Drawings

Once the design was finalized, I went on to the final construction drawings, which show in great detail how the house is to be built. A final set of construction drawings includes not only floor plans and elevations, but also cross sections, room and door schedules, interior elevations, structural design, mechanical and electrical design and specifications.

Bidding and Construction

The owner received bids from several contractors and selected Richland Construction and construction proceeded, although there were several delays. But the house turned out beautifully.

Follow-up

I visited the house about a year later. It was the middle of winter and the lake was frozen solid, which gave me the opportunity to walk out on to the lake to take pictures

By chance Joyce was there and she showed me around. The house was by now quite well lived in and well loved by the owners.

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