Rustic origins

Residential Architect, July, 2002 by Meghan Drueding, Nigel F. Maynard

Wheeler Kearns Architects' clients knew they wanted a spacious weekend retreat to entertain family and friends--they just didn't know where to put it. But when they found this 29-acre site in Three Oaks, Mich., they knew it was a perfect fit. "The property was attractive to the clients because of a spring-fed pond and two wide open fields," says Dan Wheeler, FAIA, a principal at the Chicago-based firm.

Located about 90 minutes from Chicago, the site once was used as a farm, and the homeowners wanted to reference its rustic past. They also wanted a guest wing at a friendly but private distance from the main house. The rest of the design criteria were left in the architects' hands.

Keeping with regional traditions, the designers situated the house on a north-south axis and kept the massing simple with a modified "dog trot," connecting the main house to the guesthouse by a staircase. "Normally, a dog trot would be one long gable end with a hole in the middle," Wheeler says. "Here, we blew it up in scale and intersected it."

Although the house bows to the vernacular, a hint of Modernism can be found in the flushed-surface siding and wrap-around windows. The architects organized each detail, including the 8-inch-wide cedar siding, on a strict 24-inch horizontal and vertical module.

"The windows are vertically placed on exactly two-foot increments, so there are only three windows that do not align exactly with a horizontal joint in the siding," Wheeler says. Fixed louvers a foot apart over the entry and stairs temper the sun and reduce the dominance of glass.

The guesthouse, which is offset a half-level from the main house, has two bedrooms and bathrooms. The main house contains the master bedroom, the kids' bedrooms, and a loft. Its first-floor living area is one large room separated from the screened porch by two back-to-back Rumford fireplaces.

Given the home's agrarian roots, the homeowners didn't want an overly Modern interior. As a result, the most progressive touch is the fireplace's red wall. Southern yellow pine floors, tall moldings at the base of the walls to house the outlets, and white trim and cabinetry accent the interior. A ribbon of windows along the north facade provides a sight line to the adjacent pond.

At nearly 30 acres, there's plenty of room to grow. Meanwhile, the clients are happy simply to escape the grit of Chicago for the pastoral pleasures of their new weekend home.--n.f.m.

project: Private retreat, Three Oaks, Mich.

architect: Wheeler Kearns Architects, Chicago

general contractor: Dave Thomas, Great Lakes Builders, Three Oaks, Mich.

project size: 5,000 square feet

construction cost: $100 per square foot

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]