Up North Remodel

This design project was for a concept design on a cottage exterior remodel including the potential to add a Four Seasons room lakeside on their property in “Up North” Michigan. The owners purchased the home several years ago and the structure was built in 1976. With their desire to spend more time in the winter months at the cottage with the prospect of making it their year-round residence, they were looking to make some modifications to the exterior as a new roof and some other structural fixes were needed.

The clients received a Rendering Services quote for conceptual design services and our remodel questionnaire and quickly got excited about the prospect of launching into a design for a new exterior to their cozy cottage.

One of the desires was to have a covered entryway to the home with the possibility of having a contained breezeway/foyer that would keep the outside spaces separated from their main living areas. In addition, they were looking for a livable space on the west side of the home facing the lake that the cottage is on. This space does not get used a lot simply due to it always being in the elements and sun. They wanted to look at having covered and uncovered seating areas as well as the potential to add additional living space that is climate controlled.

The challenge on this project is that their build envelope did not allow for expansion on the right or left of their existing structure due to the tight property lines. Fortunately, there was space in the areas of the front and back where they hoped to add on and remodel. Another challenge was the need to keep as many of the existing windows and doors as possible as these had been recently replaced. As there was a degree of uncertainty in timing and budget over time for the remodel, the clients wanted multiple options in the designs and to have these be shown in 3D. This impacted the overall scope and required a small increase in design services, but the clients were thrilled to see their options and be able to potentially do this remodel in phases as the space needs are increased.

The result of the design process was a full four seasons room being added to the rear of the residence as well as reconfiguring the front left corner of the home and bringing roof lines out over these living spaces, tying existing structure to new. The front covered area featured a new roof line to cover a front porch area allowing coverage when entering the cottage. The remodel included a completely resurfaced metal roofing with new gutters. The four seasons room was tied into the existing baseboard heating system and a mini split was added to this new space to provide for air conditioning with a very affordable solution for when the humidity and heat come up in the middle of summer. With the reconfigured front structure of the cottage the heated breezeway provides for plenty of space for winter boots and wet dogs…

The four seasons room included a wall of windows providing views to the lake with operable sliding glass doors and a full cathedral ceiling with exposed stained cedar beams. A sliding glass door on the left side of the room as well as two operable awning windows to provide for cross ventilation. An extended eaves full gable roof extends out over an additional sitting area on the lakeside with a privacy wall and outside gas hook up for grilling. This space is completed with an extended deck walk area returning to the deck with no roof.

The key to this design was the availability of 3D and the ability to show in the rooms the effect of different featured options the owners were looking to explore. The exterior in 3D allowed the owners to visualize the finished product with all the remodeling completed.