11/7/06

Weekend @ Sturgeon Bay

As an architect, I have a variety of types of clients; from the money hungry developers to the planet-loving tree-huggers. But it is extremely rare to get a client who not only cares about sustainable green architecture, but has enough trust in you to let design something bold and out of the comfort zone. It is with these types of clients that architecture can be truly rewarding. Such was the case with this vacation home we designed. I saw this project grow from a tiny sketch on a piece of trace paper to realization. And to top thing off, the client extended an offer to me that I just could not pass up; to spend the week end there to experience the home for myself. Wow. How cool is that.

It has been a while since I've been up to see the progress of a vacation home we designed. Usually when a project is done, we really never get an opportunity to actually spend a lot of time living in the house. I couldn't help but relax in this vacation home with its radiant floor heating, jaw dropping view of Lake Michigan and secluded location. The four hour drive was absolutely worth it. This is officially my first design that I have slept in. I always feared that I would be overly critical seeing everything that was compromised but due to the wonderful clients and their trusting nature, there weren't any compromises. This is truly a great project that I am particularly proud of.This project did make it in the Chicago Home Magazine back in the spring debut issue (page 115) but that was pre construction. Hopefully soon this project will soon be featured in some other magazines in the near future. But for now here is some pictures of the finished house.