A Modern Rural Retreat

The goals for this project were clear from the beginning and helped guide every major decision. First, the layout was built around the idea of a modern dogtrot, with separate parts of the home organized around a shared outdoor space. This approach allowed the home to feel open and connected while still giving each area its own purpose. The outdoor space wasn’t treated as an extra feature, but as a central part of daily life, shaping how rooms relate to one another.

Orientation was equally important. The home was positioned to face the lake and appreciate the incredible views across the property. Rather than designing inward, the plan looked outward, using openings and circulation to keep the landscape present throughout the home. This layout assured that the setting played an active role in how the house would be experienced, with light, water, and distance influencing the use of space.

Our material choices supported these goals by staying simple and durable. Our team and the homeowners selected finishes for how they performed and aged, not for quick visual impact. Straightforward construction methods and a limited palette helped keep the focus on the home’s layout and its relationship to the site, creating a structure that felt practical, grounded, and built to last.

One of the primary challenges of this project was the site itself. While the property offered some grand views, the land was almost completely flat, which created drainage concerns early in the process. Without natural grade, water had nowhere to move, increasing the risk of pooling and runoff near the home. Addressing this issue required careful planning before any vertical construction began.

Our solution was to reshape the site in a controlled and subtle way. Rather than relying on visible drainage systems, we contoured the land to gently direct water away from the home and toward natural low points. This approach preserved the open, calm feel of the property while quietly solving a functional problem that could have impacted the life of the home.

Another challenge was coordinating the scale of the site work with the home itself. The project included a significant earthwork effort to create a manmade lake designed specifically to be viewed from the house. This challenge required us to make sure the grading, orientation, and building placement all lined up together. But the choice to plan the lake and the home together made everything feel balanced and gave that serene style you expect from a lakeside retreat. 

Our team and the homeowners chose the materials in this home to support the experience of the place, not to call attention to the materials themselves. From the beginning, the goal was to use a small set of materials and let them repeat, settle in, and carry the house as a whole. Nothing was decorative for its own sake. Each material earned its place by how it looks in changing light and how it would feel over time.

The exterior was defined by a metal roof and simple siding that gave the home a clear outline against the landscape. Stone stays low and grounded, reinforcing the connection to the land rather than competing with the form of the house. These choices allowed the building to sit comfortably on the site, feeling steady and familiar even as it reads clearly as a modern home.

Inside, stained concrete floors moved continuously through the main living spaces, giving a natural flow from one area to the next. They hold light softly and anchor the rooms without asking for attention. We went with stone and tile for regular use areas, and we kept the cabinetry practical rather than luxurious. Together, the materials create an atmosphere that feels lived-in rather than finished. The spaces that don’t demand notice, but reward it the longer you spend there.