Originally they purchased their lake property five years before our encounter. They planned on saving up and ultimately drafting the architecural plans themselves. However, without any third party to settle differences, the couple confided they were experiencing significant marital pressure through their own design process.

We explained to them one of BlueStone’s most valued services we offer our customers throughout the design process was marital reconciliation. They laughed and hired us to help them out.

There was an immediate release of pressure once we began designing for them. No longer was the couple at odds with each other. Rather, when differences came to the surface, we merely began problem solving and introduced ideas that incorporated the best of both sides. We were amazed at how beautiful the end product ended up compared to what we were first shown at the initial meeting. Synergy is powerful and often takes all of us to higher heights than any one of us could have achieved on our own. This was the case with the Thunder Lake project.

The master bedroom had to face the lake so the first image they experienced after waking up in the morning was warm sunlight bouncing off the waves. Sliding glass doors allowed easy access to the lakeside deck. And the master bath connected landward behind the bedroom. So far so good.

Their next combined goal was the great room had to face the lake. As did the dining room. And the kitchen had to be part of the great room and dinning room. Open design was very important. And glass windows covered a large percentage of the walls in order to bring the outdoors in.

Here is how we finally set up the floor plan. On the far left (as you are facing the lake) was the master bedroom. Master bath was behind that. Immediately right of master bedroom was the great room. It spanned all the way back to the landward main enterance. Moving right still further was the dinning room with the open kitchen behind that. In between dinning and kitchen was an island that could seat four on bar stools. From the kitchen you could see the lake and the majestic stone fireplace in the great room.

Hard work was done. However we still needed to include a loft , two bedrooms and a bath upstairs with access to a bonus family (play) room over the double garage. It worked out better than we planned giving plenty of space for family and friends to visit. Using their cabin as a family resort compound was a shared goal.

Material selections used were rustic, warm and inviting. The ceiling was tongue and grove pine. Great room walls were rough cut douglas fur on fireplace wall with sheet rock over remaining walls. Floors in great room, dinning and kitchen were wide plank douglas fur with alot of character. We hand nailed one inch long nails throughout entire floor (for looks) to enhance the rustic feel they were after.

Casework around windows was four inch pine which added interest both in color and texture against the douglas fur. We also installed a 12 inch wide douglas fur plank all the way around the great room and dinning room at 10 feet height to tie those rooms together.

All countertops had granite surfaces displaying distinctive natural patterns. Granite coloring contained salmon, some blues and browns which perfectly fit the look and feel the couple was after.

The entire cabin had infloor heat zoned off appropriately to compensate for differences in floor materials. Wood floors typically need to run hotter than slate or stone floors. Typically bathrooms, halls, entry ways, and sometimes kitchens go with some sort of stone flooring. After a few easy adjustments the flooring was balanced perfectly for heat.

In the end, the couple went from high frustration to genuine excitement. Their lake home has become a family retreat. And for us…we got to make another life long dream come to fruition. Everybody won.

Jim Raboin heads up BlueStone Construction & Project Management, LLC …a design/build lake home general contracting firm serving Minnesota and Wisconsin lake country.

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