Northern exposure: an outdoor haven on the shores of Lake Erie

Custom Home, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Shelley D. Hutchins

An acre-plus site wedged between a lake and a bay sounds like an ideal spot for a house open to the outdoors. But the lake is Lake Erie, the bay is Sandusky Bay, and the state is Ohio. Here, violent storms of every variety, freezing winters, and swarms of summer bugs can render outdoor spaces uninhabitable. No matter to the owners of this lakeside custom home; they wanted outdoor living regardless of the elements--they especially enjoy watching storms. Architects Kevin Carroll and Paul Meneilly were up for the challenge.

"We have a good understanding of local weather patterns" says Carroll. "You want a substantial structure and long-term materials that don't require a lot of maintenance." Luckily, the clients' request for an Old World look could be easily executed in naturally weather-resistant materials such as stone and heavy timbers. Carroll envisioned three tiers of outdoor areas facing the bay that move from fully protected to partially sheltered to totally exposed.

Reclaimed Douglas fir beams support a long, low eave that spans a deep veranda and an adjacent screened room. The eave protects the home's southwest exposure from the intense summer sun and allows its rays to penetrate when foliage disappears in winter. The sloping eave also shelters the veranda from wind, rain, and snow, while radiant-heated stone floors, a massive pizza oven, removable floor-to-ceiling screens, and a full outdoor kitchen allow the family to enjoy their backyard in January as well as July. At the opposite end of the veranda, a two-story dining room juts into the yard and maintains its indoor/outdoor relationship through 13-foot, operable windows.

The heated pool is kept in swimming condition all year, although few brave it in January or February. The property has a high water table, so two pools had to be constructed. The home's builder, Paul Prete of Vermilion, Ohio, poured a watertight concrete shell and then pool contractor Designer Pools of Columbia Station, Ohio, built the finished Gunite pool within the shell. Enough space was left between the shell and pool walls for a long tunnel that holds mechanical equipment and lawn furniture.

Project Credits: Builder: Prete Builders, Vermilion, Ohio; Architect: OneSphere, Perrysburg, Ohio; Landscape architect: Cathy Aufdencamp, Vermilion: Pool contractor: Designer Pools. Columbia Station, Ohio; Photographer: Steven M. Elbert Architectural Photography; Illustrator: Rick Vitutto.