In the past year, DK Homes has worked with two different cottage properties to work alongside the owners and create and execute a vision for their new lake home. We love the lake lifestyle. We are going to take a look at both projects as they are finished. First up, this tiny cottage nestled in the trees high above the lake.
As you can see, this 650 square foot cottage has the potential for great views with the right concept. The site was challenging as it was a steep grade and it was very narrow.
PROJECT GOALS:
- capture views up a down the lake while still maintaining privacy
- modify to include main floor garage
- keep the footprint small
After reviewing the site and reworking the project, this is the design we came up with. We came up with this open floor plan to take in the views from the foyer, kitchen, dining, and living areas. Big wide halls through the entry let the natural light flow throughout the home.
We also took the design of the 16' x 8' screened porch from the original cottage to incorporate into the new home. We placed that in the lakeside corner of the home, right off the dining area.
Main Floor Details:
1,330 square feet
1 bedroom
1 bathroom
Stairway with patio at the landing
Another design we worked in was to cantilever the dining area and the screened porch beyond the foundation. This gave us an 8' covered patio below at the walkout level.
Because we wanted to keep the overall size of the home not looking so tall, we designed the upstairs to fit in the trusses of the home with the use of dormers in a couple key locations. In the upstairs we have a full bath, a master bedroom on the lakeside, an office space, and a 12'x26' bonus area above the garage to turn into a bunk room and hangout space.
UPSTAIRS DETAILS:
736 square feet (1,036 once bonus above garage is complete)
400 square foot master bedroom
Office space for home bills and playing guitars
Large views through the dormers
The basement we wanted to keep simple and utilize spaces for large groups, water sports equipment, and another sleeping area.
The 20'x22' open area will include a custom wet bar area and built-in entertainment center. Three windows give views out to the patio and lake. Off the open room is a 3/4 bath to be used for people hanging out on the lake or in the backyard. The access comes from the living room or directly through the water sports storage room so there is no need to be dry. In the water sports storage room there will be stand up paddle boards, wakeboards, skis, life jackets, and whatever else you might find by the lake.
A special feature we incorporated into this home was a tankless boiler to accommodate in-floor heat in the entire basement, the garage, and even the driveway. Since the driveway was sloped down toward the house, at about 10 degrees, we knew that snowmelt would be a priority. There also isn't even width on the lot to be plowing snow. It's a win for the efficiency of the heating and a win for snow maintenance during the cold months.
Here is a photo of the home having the exterior siding put up. We went with a white siding, black window exterior to create a timeless look with a current appeal. We'll update as with current photos of the finished project as soon as we can!
