Design of the Week "Lakeside"

We're off to the beach!  This week's design is all about making use of and enjoying the water and surrounding scenery.  One of the challenges we were presented with was to design a 6 bedroom home, but to keep the footprint small for budget and space reasons. The home is to overlook a private lake and the owners wanted a craftsman bungalow that looked true to the period, but had modern amenities.  In this particular layout, the kitchen, dining room, and office are located in the front of the house so the owners
can keep an eye on kids out at the lake, but keep productive in the kitchen and home office.  The master suite is tucked away in the rear to create it's own little private retreat.  Coupled with a huge walk in closet, large walk in shower, and long double vanity, this master truly is "Suite."  Notice  there is no whirlpool tub.  I really feel like we will be putting fewer and fewer of them in the future. They just don't get used, so why spend the money?  The great room is just that.....great.  Great for a Super Bowl party, watching a movie, or just relaxing by the fire, all while providing lots of natural light and easy access the back yard.  The Kitchen and Dining room combo has to be one my favorites.  It flows together very naturally, light just pours through, but at the same time feels cozy.  Some of the amenities include a china hutch area, a buffet, walk in pantry, and a built in booth for informal dinners. The dining room table overlaps the built in cabinetry on each side providing lots of storage, but more than adequate light.  The three stall garage includes a secondary access to the basement, and tons of storage.  Entering the house from the garage, you can drop your stuff in your locker, plop down at the desk for homework, or head into the kitchen with your groceries (Or head straight to the lieu if need be!)

The second floor provides an additional 3 good sized bedrooms, a bathroom, and an additional laundry area.  There is a large open space to let the kids have their own personal space.  We used a steeper pitched roof (10/12) to accommodate more space but are able to use the roof as the ceiling to keep costs down and give the house a smaller appearance.  On the exterior, we are using a full red brick with cement board siding, carriage doors, craftsman style windows,  and cedar accents to truly make it a period home.  Hope you like it!